How fascists evade racial hatred laws

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“What happened here was that a 62 year old in Leeds, Dick Warrington, put one of these ‘Islam out of Britain’ posters in the window of his house. The police came one day and asked him to remove it and took it away. The next day, of course, he put another one in the window. The police come and they arrest him under incitement to racial hatred. Of course, what happened was that once they got to the police station they found out that there is no legislation to cover his arrest, because Muslims are excluded from existing racial hatred laws. The BNP are fully aware of this. I will just read a quote from them. They say ‘The snag for the police, however, is that Islam is not covered by the anti-free speech race law… it’s legal to say anything you want about Islam, even far more extreme things than the very moderate message on the poster’. I think that is the first point I would like to make, that the BNP and the National Front and other far right groups are fully aware of the legislation and they do work entirely within those constraints.”

Chris Allen of FAIR explains to the House of Lords Select Committee on Religious Offences how fascists are able to circumvent the law against inciting racial hatred.

Select Committee on Religious Offences, 17 October 2002

Mayor refers Evening Standard to Commission for Racial Equality

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has asked the Commission for Racial Equality to investigate the London Evening Standard’s website which Mr Livingstone says has been “pouring out religious intolerance and hatred”.

In a letter to Beverley Bernard, the Acting Chair of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Mayor wrote:

“As Mayor it is my responsibility to encourage good community relations and religious and racial tolerance.  It is counterproductive and unacceptable that immediately following the terrorist outrage in Bali, the Standard’s website has been pouring out religious intolerance and hatred for days, under the guise of discussion.”

The Evening Standard’s website carried a lengthy debate following the Bali bombings. In his letter, the Mayor drew the CRE’s attention to particular comments on the website made during this debate, posted between 13th and 16th October, and still prominent on 17th October. Comments the mayor highlighted included:

“Hands up who would like to see, or would agree with, the rounding up of Muslims?”

“Who’d want to live next door to Muslims now?”

“I’m sorry, but I just don’t want any more Muslims in my country…. Vote them out of your country. Don’t do business with them.”

The mayor has copied his letter to the CRE to the Press Complaints Commission asking the PCC to investigate whether the Standard’s website breaches the PCC code of conduct.

GLA press release, 17 October 2002

FAIR briefing on religious hatred

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“There is currently an iniquitous anomaly in the law producing a hierarchy of protected faith communities. Mono-ethnic faith communities, like the Sikh and Jewish communities, are protected from discrimination, benefit from a positive duty on public authorities to promote equality, and protected from the aggravated offences of harassment, violence and criminal damage motivated by racial hatred, as well as the incitement of such hatred. Non-ethnic or multi-ethnic minority religious groups, like Muslims, do not on the whole benefit from such protection or provisions, unless it could be shown that the treatment, behaviour or circumstance was indirectly racial. And finally, non-ethnic or multi-ethnic majority religious groups, like Christians, are not covered at all.”

FAIR briefing on incitement to religious hatred, October 2002. Fascist anti-Muslim posters and leaflets are appended.

The Religious Offences Bill 2002: A Response

A time for truth – 9/11 and Islam

Posted on by Bob Pitt

“People keep asking me what we learned from September 11, 2001 and the deaths of 3,000 of our fellow citizens. I’m tempted to say: Absolutely nothing…. Among the many unlearned lessons of Day-Which-Will-Live-In-Infamy-II – the necessity to control our borders, the need for a patriotic renewal and the importance of combatting multiculturalism – the most significant is the nature of Islam. You will note that I do not say militant Islam, or radical Islam, or Islamic extremism or other such weasel words – but Islam, period.”

On the first anniversary of 9/11, Don Feder offers a balanced assessment of its causes.

www.donfeder.com, 9 September 2002

UK ‘Islamophobia’ rises after 11 September

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Muslims in one of the UK’s most ethnically diverse cities have suffered an increase in racist abuse and attacks since 11 September, according to research. An academic survey of racist incidents in Leicester supports fears that the UK is witnessing a rise in Islamophobia – fear or intolerance of Muslims because of their religion.

Earlier in the year, a European Union anti-racism research agency warned there was anecdotal evidence of a rise in Islamophobia. The research by the University of Leicester is the first detailed study into the actual effects of 11 September on a Muslim community.

Racist and religious attacks in Leicester rose dramatically after 11 September, the university’s research found, before dropping back during 2002.

Attacks included abuse hurled at children on their way to school or women shopping, to one reported incident where a baby was tipped out of a pram. One man reported that he had eggs thrown at him outside a supermarket and then had to run as a car was driven at him. Another victim reported that he had had to get off a bus after another passenger screamed accusations that he was a bomber.

The research also found that Hindus and Sikhs also suffered increased abuse after 11 September, although not to the same degree.

Dr Lorraine Sheridan who conducted the research for the university, said that she had been shocked by what she had found.

“The attacks are being carried out by people who don’t like Islam, the abuse is more about the religion than the race. They think that it victimises women and that Muslims refuse to integrate. The people behind the attacks think that Muslims are outside of society and they are different.

“What is of most concern is that this is happening in Leicester, a leading multi-ethnic city which is supposed to be a model for the rest of the UK.”

BBC News, 29 August 2002

Riot report a ‘missed opportunity’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

The inquiry report into the causes of the Bradford riots failed to address the problems or concerns of the city’s Muslim communities, it is claimed.

Humera Khan, a government adviser on Muslim Affairs, says the investigation into riots in Bradford – which happened exactly a year ago – was a missed opportunity to look into Islamophobia. She told the BBC there should have been stronger recommendations in the final report urging national debate on Islamophobia.

Ms Khan also believes Muslims are discriminated against and cannot access services or money to set up projects. She says this was one of the main reasons the riots took place.

BBC News, 7 July 2002

Labour MP sparks race row after attacking Asian drug violence

Posted on by Bob Pitt

A race row broke out today after Labour MP Ann Cryer accused young Asians of drug dealing and terrorising communities.

The MP for Keighley in West Yorkshire said Asian ‘ghettos’ were rife with drug dealing that was destroying both the Asian community and race relations with whites. Her constituency is a few miles from Bradford, which was hit by the worst race riots for a decade last summer.

Her comments were described as ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ by Shahid Malik, a member of Labour’s National Executive and a former member of the Commission for Racial Equality. He said Cryer should consider resigning: “Her comments are offensive and damaging to race relations.”

Observer, 7 July 2002

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Race Row as MP Warns of ‘Asian Ghettos Rife With Drug Dealing’

Posted on by Bob Pitt

Race Row as MP Warns of ‘Asian Ghettos Rife With Drug Dealing’

By Pat Hurst and Alistair Keely

Press Association, 6 July 2002

A race row broke out today after a Labour MP accused young Asians of drug dealing and terrorising communities.

Ann Cryer, MP for Keighley in West Yorkshire, said Asian “ghettos” were rife with drug dealing and it was destroying both the Asian community and race relations with whites. But her comments were “dangerous and irresponsible”, according to one Asian leader, who said she should consider resigning over the remarks because they were “damaging to race relations”.

Mrs Cryer’s constituency is a few miles from Bradford, which was ravaged by the worst race riots for a decade last summer. She cited drug links between Pakistan and Asians living in Britain as one of factors feeding crime. She said: “In a period of six months there have been four killings of young Asian men, by young Asian men. It is all drug and gang related, all about who is selling drugs in which territory.”

The MP said young Asians did not have “professionals” to look up to because of “Asian flight” – once they become successful they leave the neighbourhood. Instead, youngsters in the Asian community saw drug dealers in big cars and smart suits as role models.

She claimed honest Asians were too frightened and intimidated to ask the police for help.

Answering the MP’s comments, Shahid Malik, a member of Labour’s National Executive Committee and a former member of the Commission for Racial Equality, said Mrs Cryer should consider resigning.

Mr Malik, from Burnley, described Mrs Cryer as a “constant menace” and her latest outburst “irresponsible and profoundly counter-productive”.

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