Britain’s Johnson to launch cross-government commission on racism

Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson outside 10 Downing Street, following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), London, Britain, Jun 10, 2020.

LONDON: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a cross-government commission would examine racism and the disparities experienced by minority ethnic groups in education, health and the criminal justice system following Black Lives Matter protests.

Johnson said he could not ignore the strength of feeling shown by tens of thousands of people who had demonstrated in British cities following the death of African American George Floyd in Minneapolis last month.

“What I really want to do as prime minister is change the narrative, so we stop the sense of victimisation and discrimination,” he said on Sunday (Jun 14).

“We stop the discrimination, we stamp out racism and we start to have a real sense of expectation of success. But it won’t be easy. We’ll have to look very carefully at the real racism and discrimination that people face.”

Simon Woolley, advisory chair of the United Kingdom government’s Race Disparity Unit, said some of Johnson’s language in talking of a “sense” of victimhood was “frankly unhelpful”.

“The ‘Great’ in Great Britain was predicated on slavery and colonialism. And its legacy we still live with today,” he told BBC Radio.

“The structures that lock people out – that’s not wallowing in victimhood, that’s an honest conversation. And we need to confront that.”

The protests have prompted a re-evaluation of the memorialisation of Britain’s colonial and slave-trading past.

Just over a week after protesters in the southwestern port city of Bristol tore down a statue of Edward Colston, who made a fortune in the 17th century from the slave trade, the owners of Colston Hall, a concert venue in the city, began removing the name from its front.

In a separate column in the Telegraph, Johnson said he was “extremely dubious about the growing campaign to edit or photoshop the entire cultural landscape” by tearing down statues.

“Let’s fight racism, but leave our heritage broadly in peace,” he added.

Z24 News

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Next Post

Russia accuses scientist of treason for passing secrets to China: Lawyer

Mon Jun 15 , 2020
MOSCOW: State prosecutors have charged a prominent Russian scientist with treason after accusing him of passing state secrets to China, his lawyer said on Monday (Jun 15), saying his client could serve up to 20 years in prison if found guilty. Valery Mitko, president of the Arctic Academy of Sciences […]

Share

Social menu is not set. You need to create menu and assign it to Social Menu on Menu Settings.