UN Committee urges UK to combat hate speech, racism, and xenophobia
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The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called out UK politicians and public figures in particular.
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Thousands of people gathered at an anti-racism rally in Belfast earlier this month in response to the far-right riots, on August 10, 2024. (AFP)
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination expressed its concern on Friday about ongoing hate crimes, hate speech, and violence against minority groups and asylum seekers in the UK by politicians and public figures.
“The committee expressed its concern about the persistence of hate crimes, hate speech, and xenophobic incidents on various platforms and by politicians and public figures,” committee member Gun Kut told journalists at a press conference in Geneva.
“It is particularly concerned about recurring racist acts and violence against ethnic and ethnic-religious minorities, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, by extremist far-right and white supremacist individuals and groups," he added, referring to the violent far-right anti-Muslim riots that ignited late July.
Kut explained that the committee called on the UK to implement extensive measures to tackle racist hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric, asserting "the need for thorough investigations and strict penalties for racist hate crimes and effective remedies for the victims and their families."
UK's institutionalized racism
The committee member also expressed concern over Britain's institutionalized racism against minority groups, especially within its law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Kut highlighted the inappropriate stop-and-search practices conducted by law enforcement, which consist of strip searches on minority groups, including children.
He also raised concern about the police's treatment of these ethnic groups, particularly over the use of excessive, deadly force, lack of accountability by law enforcement, and inadequate support for minority victims.
“The committee urged the state party (the UK) to set up an independent complaint mechanism to investigate allegations of racial profiling, stop and search practices, strip searches, and excessive use of force by police,” Kut said.
The committee recommended the imposition of decisive action to combat racial discrimination within the UK's law enforcement and criminal justice system.
Three-quarters of Muslim women in UK fear for safety amid riots
According to Sky News, up to 75% of Muslim women in the United Kingdom are concerned about their safety following rioting in the country.
Prior to the riots, just 16% of people polled were concerned about their safety, according to the research published earlier this month, and around one-fifth of respondents reported experiencing hostile attitudes following the incident.
More than 700 people have been arrested as of August 16, with over 300 charged for their suspected participation in the anti-Muslim riots and over 30 have been indicted with online crimes. These offenses consist of sharing footage of the ongoing violent riots or posting content that the Crown Prosecutorial Service describes as inciting "violence or hatred."
Violent clashes took place earlier in August between far-right protesters and police in central London following the spread of misinformation on social media determining that the Southport knife perpetrator was a Muslim man.
The violent protests initially sparked on July 30 in Southport after extremist far-right social media users falsely reported that the assailant in the July 29 knife attack that killed three young girls and wounded multiple children at dance class was a Muslim immigrant.
Clashes between the demonstrators and the police were incited by members of an anti-Muslim xenophobic fascist group known as the English Defense League (EDL), who provoked protesters by attacking a local mosque with projectiles.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer described the violent riots as "thuggery", pledging that the assailants will face "the full force of the law."
