Persistent hate crimes, hate speech, and xenophobic incidents by British politicians, public figures raised at UN

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination voiced concern Friday about continued hate crimes, hate speech, and incidents against minorities and asylum seekers by politicians and public figures in Britain.

“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 before presenting its findings on the UK and other nations in a report to the UN in Geneva.

“It has 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 said these included the violent acts seen in the UK in late July and early August.

The committee urged the UK to implement comprehensive measures to curb racist hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric, including from political and public figures, explained Kut.

“The committee emphasized the need for thorough investigations and strict penalties for racist hate crimes and effective remedies for the victims and their families,” he head.

“The committee also expressed concern about the disproportionate impact of police stop and search practices, including strip searches on ethnic minorities, especially children.”

Kut said it also raised alarms over the use of excessive and deadly force by law enforcement, the lack of accountability, and inadequate support for victims.

People of African descent and other ethnic minorities are disproportionately affected, he said.

The committee further highlighted concerns about institutional racism within policing and the criminal justice system

“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,” said Kut.

It called for the prosecution and punishment of perpetrators and stressed the need for victims and their families to access effective remedies.

Additionally, the committee recommended taking decisive action to eliminate racial discrimination within policing and the criminal justice system, including its institutional dimension.