- Conference
- 2006 National Delegate Conference
- Date
- 28 February 2006
- Decision
- Carried as Amended
Conference notes the disturbing increase in racist attacks in the last year, one appalling example of which was the racially motivated axe murder of the black teenager Anthony Walker in Liverpool.
It is now 13 years since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in London, which led to the Stephen Lawrence Inquiry and a drive to root out racism in the United Kingdom’s (UK) public authorities, following the recognition of institutional racism in the police force. Unfortunately, the signs are that there is still a long way to go in tackling racial hatred and racial violence.
Figures from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) reveal the number of race hate crimes in Britain rose by 29 per cent between 2004 and 2005. In this time, the CPS prosecuted 4,600 people for race hate crimes, figures that will increase further once the aftermath of the 7 July bombings enters the statistics. The figures also reveal a 5 per cent increase in the number of race cases that had to be abandoned because witnesses refused to give evidence or failed to attend court.
Furthermore, Conference notes that Islamophobia is on the increase, both before 7 July and particularly subsequently. Two-thirds of incidents of religious hate crime are targeted at Muslims, and surveys produced in the last two years have revealed that nearly 80 per cent of Muslims in the UK have experienced discrimination because of their faith.
Such prejudice is fed by an increasingly hysterical right-wing media and plays into the hands of the British National Party (BNP) and other extremists, who will exploit such divisions for their own ends. After the London bombings the BNP produced leaflets blaming Muslin extremists and exhorting their supporters “to get even”.
Conference therefore calls upon the National Executive Council to work with Labour Link, the Trades Union Congress, Searchlight and other organisations working with local communities to:
1)work with government to bring about change to make it easier for witnesses to give evidence concerning racist attacks;
2)encourage UNISON branches to get involved in local initiatives to foster greater understanding and better relations between different communities;
3)challenge the discriminatory rhetoric of the BNP and the far right who seek to exploit divisions by targeting particular groups in society;
4)work with partner unions to challenge the media over their misrepresentation of Islam and portrayal of all Muslims as potential terrorists;
5)produce regular and up-to-date information for UNISON branches and members on the activities of the BNP in their area and the BNP anti-trade union activities.