An independent investigation has found Amnesty International UK to be plagued with “colonialism and institutional racism” towards non-white individuals.
The probe was carried out by the Global HPO, a body designed to provide interim management and consultancy services to organizations, whose final report on the matter was made available to Amnesty’s staff members on Thursday.
The probe found Amnesty International UK (AIUK) to be infested with racial discrimination, bullying, and white saviorism from within.
According to the report, the AIUK is most likely to favor white applicants, with black people least likely to be hired by the organization.
The investigation listed some instances of racially-charged behavior towards non-white staff members as “being regularly mistaken for other colleagues with similar skin tone, negative comments about fasting during Ramadan, treating black skin, hair, and appearance as matters of fascination and touching hair without consent, and rude comments about minority celebrities, politicians or events.”
“Our view is that ‘white savior, middle class, and privileged’ is a perception that forms an important part of the AIUK narrative about its history and legacy,” the inquiry found.
“A perception that has not been addressed and as such manifests in the negative cultural paradigm of exclusion and racism at AIUK. There is a need for the impact of this legacy to be acknowledged and addressed as part of the transition to becoming anti-racist,” it added.
Amnesty UK responded by alleging it “will not shy away from” the changes it needed to make.
“GHPO have helped us to identify where we must make changes and we will not shy away from this work, especially as it is clear it is long overdue,” said Sacha Deshmukh, Amnesty International UK’s chief executive.