UN committee raises alarm over racist violence and hate speech in Britain

A UNITED NATIONS committee expressed concern on Friday (23) over the recurring incidents of racist violence in Britain and called for steps to curb "racist hate speech" by politicians following recent anti-immigration riots.

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) urged thorough investigations into racist hate crimes and demanded strict penalties for those responsible.

In a statement, CERD highlighted its worries about the persistence of hate crimes, hate speech, and xenophobic incidents occurring on various platforms, including those propagated by politicians and public figures.

The committee was particularly alarmed by the repeated acts of racism and violence against ethnic minorities, migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers, especially those committed by far-right and white supremacist groups in late July and early August 2024.

The summer riots, which were the worst in Britain since 2011, resulted in unrest across more than a dozen towns and cities, with far-right groups accused of inciting violence against mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. The disturbances led to over a thousand arrests and hundreds of convictions.

Measures to curb racist hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric

"In calling for action, the committee urged the United Kingdom to implement comprehensive measures to curb racist hate speech and xenophobic rhetoric, including from political and public figures," CERD said.

Gun Kut, the committee's country rapporteur for Britain, declined at a press conference to identify particular politicians.

Earlier this month, the UN's migration agency voiced its solidarity with the communities affected by the riots.

CERD is composed of 18 independent experts tasked with monitoring how countries implement an international convention on eliminating racism.

The committee also expressed concern about the "disproportionate impact" on ethnic minorities of police stop-and-search practices, including strip searches.

It raised alarms over the use of "excessive and deadly force" by law enforcement which disproportionately affects "people of African descent and other ethnic minorities". (AFP)