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Does UK Labor have a problem with anti-black racism?

Wednesday, 08 July 2020 12:52 AM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 08 July 2020 12:52 AM ]

Robert Carter

Press TV, London

Does the UK Labor Party have a problem with anti-black racism? This is the alarming question being asked by many black Labor members since party leader Sir Keir Starmer took over earlier this year.

Starmer, who initially pledged to unite the bitterly divided party, has made a series of blunders which appear to have alienated the black voters.

Firstly, he publicly condemned the Black Lives Matter UK branch for its demand to “defund the Police” referring to black lives matter as a “moment” rather than a “movement”.

Then, amid criticism, Starmer back peddled, expressing “regret” for the comments but only after a Huffington Post report exposed a mass exodus of black members from the party, forcing Starmer to issue a plea for members not to quit.

It turns out accusations of anti-black prejudice inside Labor isn’t new. As I found out when speaking to former member Jackie Walker. I asked Ms Walker, who alleges she too was a victim of racism when she was fighter for her membership status, felt Labor was capable of change.

The issue of anti-black racism in Labour is clearly bigger than the party wishes to let on. In April, a 860 page reported investigating anti-Jewish racism in the party was leaked.

However, the report provided a shocking insight into private Whatsapp messages of senior Labor officials using a string of insults targeting other Black Labor MPs including Shadow minister Diane Abbott. Can the damage be repaired? The answer to that lies with Starmer.

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