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Multicultural UK?

Posted by dirty from Cardiff - Published on 11/05/2009 at 14:04
0 comments » - Tagged as Education, People

Yn Gymraeg

WORDS: Yasmin Begum (Sprout Editorial Group)

That we are a multicultural society is the biggest lie that I've been told.

Well, not strictly. That we are an integrated multicultural society is the biggest lie that I've been told.

Ninety six percent of people in Wales are white, leaving a four percent minority. Compared with England this figure grows to 87% of people being white, with a 13% minority.

Why is it that Wales and England differ in their statistics? Almost all people of colour live in the cities, with only 1% in rural Wales leaving a 99% minority. 

Why the concentration of ethnic minorities in the south (other than the obvious settlement places like the old Tiger Bay, where there was once a thriving shipping industry)? Is there something not being addressed here?

In the old days, 'paki-bashing' was the norm: talk to anyone over the age of 40 and they will verify this. Even people of our parents' generation may be able to remember the racist chants that were sung in playgrounds.

Multiculturalism was the word on everybody's lips, although the wavering menace of the Far Right was too hard to ignore. Racism was everywhere, in your face and usually followed by a beating if you were unlucky enough to bump into a group of racists.

Loveable racist stereotypes featured on TV, including that of Golliwogs and the Minstrels - how would these be accepted by a modern-day Britain in the 21st Century?

That was years ago. Fastforward 30, and how have things changed?

Race relations and an increasing paranoid fear of everyone of colour since 9/11 and 7/7. My father was keen to fit in growing up, but now his children are keen to stress their differences to allow for more intergration.

While this theory is good, it has led to a portrayal of Muslims as being too radical in their demands, leading to ghettos in many cities. The unemployment rate is higher among people of a South Asian descent and people of colour in general who are choosing to live with each other.

While this confidence in people is good, it is potentially damaging: a survey conducted by The British Crime Survey revealed that in 2004 87,000 people from black or minority ethnic communities said they had been a victim of a racially motivated crime. They had suffered 49,000 violent attacks, with 4,000 being wounded.

There's talk between many people that numerous racist crimes go unreported each year, for fear of further victimisation. Race hate crimes in London rose 600% in the aftermath of the 7/7 bombings, with things like the Race Relations Act being widely enforced by public bodies (such as the police force) to put a stop to any racism.

This comes as a bit of a shock with the Great London Metropolitian Police being accused of institutional racism (not to mention police corruption) in an independent enquiry carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission on the murder of Stephen Lawrence.

Teenagers from Pakistani and Bangladeshi descent are less likely to achieve five or more A*-C grades at GCSE level, with a significant proportion of Asian women choosing not to study further at college or university after school.

Ethnic racial profiling that lead to death of Jean Charles de Menezes have come under scrutinity. The Independent Police Complaints Commission stated that "no policeman has ever been convicted of murder or manslaughter for a death following police contact, though there have been more than 400 such deaths in the past ten years alone."

Does this mean murder is a crime, unless done by a policeman? Demographics on police brutality in relation to ethnic minorities have proved hard to get hold of, unsurprisingly.

Another high profile case concerning police and the mistreatment of ethnic minorities is that of Babar Ahmad, whose house was raided at dawn by anti-terror policemen and who was brutally beaten and victimised, and reports of apartheid-like separation in the Met police where white and black officers were forced to ride in separate vans.

The Joseph Rowntree Foundation conducted a survey two years ago that reveals the real differences between different ethnic minority groups and poverty rates. People from ethnic backgrounds are more likely to get lower wages despite the growing trend of these men and women attending university. 40% will be living in poverty.

Up to two-thirds of Bengali families will live in poverty; imagine the impact that has on not only the family, but the wider community of Bengalis as a whole. Child poverty rates were higher than adult poverty rates across all parts of the spectrum - this is in light of Blair's promise to 'eradicate child poverty' within his time in office.

It doesn't stop there.Bullying in schools is a large problem overall, but in regards to racist bullying a lot of issues are brushed under the carpet.

I can verify this, I've been a victim of racist bullying around four times. Nothing was done until I brought in a race relations police officer. I'm sure that this is happening on a wider scale to young people of colour.

High profile celebrities including - but limited to - the likes of Meera Syal and Lenny Henry are bringing the race issue to the public, and English literature students at university level read books like Monica Ali's White Teeth.

Films have been made on this issue, Channel Four's Yasmin and FilmFour's East Is East provide a slice of real multicultural Britain that many seem to ignore.

Multicultural? Yes. Intergrated? I think not.

If you have experienced racial bullying, any of the links below will take you to sites that offer confidential support and advice for young people.

Grangetown Information Shop :: Bullies Out ::Bullying UK :: Childline

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