Britain rejects damning UN verdict on record of racism

A REPORT by UN inspectors which found that racism in Britain is “structural, institutional and systemic” was last night rejected by the Government.

After a fortnight-long visit, the working group of experts on people of African descent said they had concerns about “racial disparities” in the criminal justice system and the “dehumanising nature” of stop and search.

They said people of African descent were “victimised”, suffered “trauma” and have “no assurance of effective redress” from the authorities.

The inspectors said a decade of austerity measures in the UK had exacerbated racism and discrimination.

But a Government spokesman said they “strongly reject” most of the interim report’s findings, accusing the inspectors of “wrongly viewing people of African descent as a single homogenous group”.

They felt the group had failed to look at all possible causes of disparities, not just race and they condemned the report as a superficial analysis of complex issues.

The spokesman added: “We are proud that the UK is an open, tolerant and welcoming country but this hard-earned global reputation is not properly reflected in this report.”

The five-strong group, headed by Catherine Namakula, from Uganda, visited the UK this month to consider the extent of racism and Afrophobia.

They held a meeting with Kemi Badenoch, the Equalities Minister, who defended Britain’s record.

Yesterday, at the end of their visit, the group said that people of African descent in the UK continue to encounter racial discrimination and erosion of their fundamental rights.

They added: “We have serious concerns about the failure to address racial disparities in the criminal justice system, deaths in police custody and the dehumanising nature of the stop and (strip) search.”

They said redress for all affected by the Windrush scandal was imperative.