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brap takes equality fight to Europe |
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brap has urged the President of the European Commission, José Manuel Barroso, to support a new directive outlawing discrimination on a cross-equality basis.
Currently, there is EU legislation covering discrimination on the basis of race and gender in the provision of goods and services. The European Commission had planned to introduce a law covering discrimination on the grounds of disability, age, sexual orientation, and religion or belief as well, but earlier this year announced that a directive covering only discrimination on the grounds of disability would be put forward.
This would mean that EU citizens would not be protected in their access to goods and services if they were discriminated against on the grounds of religion or belief, age or sexual orientation.
In her letter to the President of the European Commission, brap CEO Joy Warmington reminded him that there is no hierarchy of discrimination. Senor Barroso had previously questioned whether it was better to tackle discrimination using legislation aimed at particular groups – such as disabled or LGBT people – or whether it was better to use legislation that outlawed discrimination on a cross-equality or ‘horizontal’ basis. Ms Warmington said:
“brap strongly believes that the most effective way to tackle discrimination is through a horizontal approach and that there is a clear and strong evidence base to support this. Tackling the issue problem by problem undermines the message of equal opportunities for all.”
In writing to Senor Barroso, and the West Midlands’ MEPs, brap was joining forces with UK Race and Europe Network, a coalition of 177 community based non-governmental organisations involved in race relations and in working to eliminate racism at local, national or European level.
If you would like to sign a petition calling on the European Commission to make the new directive cover all forms of discrimination click here.
To read a copy of the letter click here.
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Local elections: the politics of division? |
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The BNP fielded candidates in 40 different wards across Birmingham in the local elections in May 2008. Although it failed to gain a single seat, the results suggest the BNP has managed to tap into the concerns of a significant minority.
Of 40 wards contested, the BNP finished:
Across all of the 40 wards, the BNP averaged 7.52% of the vote. If Birmingham City Council employed a system of proportional representation similar to the Greater London Assembly, the results would be enough to give Birmingham its first BNP councillor.
It seems the BNP achieved its gains by exploiting resentment of funding targeted at ethnic minority groups and, in particular, immigrants. In one of its campaign briefings, the BNP lists 32 organisations that organise along ethnic lines, ranging from the National Black Police Organisation to Asians in the Media to the National Association of Nigerian Communities.
The brap position
Ill-considered government strategies that encourage people to celebrate, respect and promote the formation and attachment to groups based on ‘difference’ have had some unintended and unwelcome consequences, notably separatism and feelings of exclusion. And Birmingham’s election results show that separatism can be exploited by far-right groups to devastating effect.
There is mainstream provision for disadvantaged groups: the question is why this provision is not being accessed by everyone. Disadvantaged white and BME groups who feel they can’t access this support should be brought together to revise, reshape, and rework that provision so it’s responsive to everyone’s needs.
brap believes that equality can’t be achieved by reinforcing notions of the ‘other’. The irony is that many of the BNP’s voters share their economic and social disadvantage with the people their vote was aimed against. So if we want to tackle the politics of division, the challenge remains to enable all communities to recognize what unites them rather than highlight what divides them.
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