UK government rebuts UN experts’ criticism of official race and Ethnic disparities Review

London, Apr 19 (FN Agency) The UK government rejected on Monday a statement made by the UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent who criticized a recently published government-commissioned review of racial disparities that concluded that the UK is no longer institutionally racist, arguing that the international body had misrepresented the findings. “Our view is that this [UN] report misrepresents the findings. We remain proud of the UK’s long history as a human rights champion and we encourage everyone to read the original report in full. This report in no way condones racist behaviour and in fact it highlights that racism and inequality are still problems for our country,” prime minister Boris Johnson’s official spokesman told reporters attending a press briefing in Downing Street, according to The Guardian online edition.

Earlier on Monday, the Geneva-based UN Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent had said that it “categorically rejects and condemns the analysis and findings” of the review published on March 31 by the UK’s Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities. The independent commission, which was appointed by Johnson following last summer’s Black Lives Matter protests, concluded that the UK is no longer a country “where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities.” The review also argued that although the UK cannot be considered “a post racial society,” it had become a “beacon to the world” in successfully creating a multi-ethnic society, adding that most of the disparities which some attribute to racial discrimination, “often do not have their origins in racism.”

The 264-page report sparked a barrage of criticism from UK civil rights activists and lawmakers from the Labour Party, among others. In their statement, the UN experts also accused the commission of sanitizing the history of the African slave trade and took issue with the report’s handling of data. “The Report cites dubious evidence to make claims that rationalize white supremacy by using the familiar arguments that have always justified racial hierarchy. This attempt to normalize white supremacy despite considerable research and evidence of institutional racism is an unfortunate sidestepping of the opportunity to acknowledge the atrocities of the past and the contributions of all in order to move forward,” the group added. It also called on the UK government to reject the report’s findings, as well as provide an accurate reflection of historical facts.