recommendations for change, encouraging action from the UK government to repeal harmful legislation for people of colour. This included calling for voter ID laws, introduced in the 2022 Elections Act, to be scrapped. These rules have been likened to voter suppression in the US, and have a particular impact on the political rights of people of colour. We also advocated for the end of restrictions on protest contained in the draconian Police, Crime Sentencing and Courts Act, the end to the discriminatory counter-terrorism Prevent programme and inhumane immigration laws, and the introduction of social security measures that support people of colour. In its response to these issues, the UN recognised the urgency for change in the UK. Its ‘concluding observations’ contained recommendations to suspend the damaging Prevent programme and provide reparations for those most harmed by it. It highlighted the extent of ‘institutional racism within policing and the criminal justice system’, urging the UK to establish an independent complaint mechanism to investigate allegations of racial profiling,
stop-and-search practices, strip
searches and the excessive use of force by police. It also sought to affirm protest rights for people of colour, calling for the protection of ‘freedom of assembly without any discrimination for people of colour’.
Action needed
PHOTO Above: People in Middlesbrough come together to clean up their streets following a racist riot, 5 August 2024 © Ian Forsyth/ Getty Images
While previous governments have sought to downplay the conclusions of successive UN committees, now is the time to listen. We are at a critical juncture, in which the current government can still demonstrate a meaningful commitment to racial justice by investing in public services, addressing racist policymaking and acting with compassion towards migrants and people seeking asylum.
‘It is critical to understand that racist violence on the
streets is a manifestation of racism
across British society’
As ministers prepare the new Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill – which seeks to reform the asylum system, among other things – they would do well to heed the UN’s concerns. As the Runnymede Trust and Amnesty UK have shown, it is critical to understand that racist violence on the streets is a manifestation of racism across British society in all its forms. The government must put in place a long-term, cross-departmental anti-racist strategy that seeks to address deep-seated inequalities. For many of us, it is painful to recall the events of August. But failing to properly address the riots will allow the far right onto our streets again. Burying the impact of the riots on people of colour, and the uncomfortable truths they exposed, is not an option. From grassroots organisations to the UN, it is time to heed the warning and take action. n
FIND OUT MORE about the Runnymede Trust’s work at
runnymedetrust.org
28 AMNESTY WINTER 2024
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