Racist Attacks and Riots Statement

Olmec and sister anti-racist organisations. And those people who fight for race equality and
social and economic justice across the nation by standing up against racism and
Islamophobia in the home, workplace and our communities.
These deplorable violent attacks are reminiscent of the National Front and British National
Party violence against Black, Asian and LGBTQ+ communities in the 1960’s 70s and 80’s.
Then as now, a community anti-racist response outweighed the numbers involved in the far
right attacks

Then as now each era falsely scapegoated minoritised people for the problems facing
disenfranchised communities against a background of austerity, inequality and scarcity of
living wage jobs, access to housing, and healthcare.
Racism in the UK is a reality and borne out in the facts if we look at the disparities in
employment, education, health, housing and the criminal justice system. Those facts are
recorded in data sets such the government’s own race disparity audit.

Whilst the eco-system that fosters the far right is broadly the same, the methods and
structure of the far right have changed dramatically particularly with the use of social media
to reach millions and to propagate racist, anti-Muslim, anti-asylum seeker hate and
encourage and organise the growing trend of violent attacks.
.
In May 2020, in the wake of the murder of George Floyd, I wrote that “It is time to face facts.
It is time to acknowledge racism in the UK. It is time to address our present and understand
the past. Teach the true horrors of Britain’s colonial past in our schools. Time to tackle the
structural causes of racism.”
It seemed that the calls for a UK race equality strategy led by central government from the
then Director of the Runnymede Trust and Chair of Olmec Dr Omar Khan had fallen on deaf
ears.
We stand with Runnymede Trust’s open letter to Sir Kier Starmer and the 80 anti-racist
charities which called out the normalisation of racism by British politicians and media.

This letter demands a recall of the British Parliament and for the new Labour government to
reset the direction of travel and foster zero tolerance of far-right, racist and anti-migrant
narratives.
These events should be a wake up for the Government to act decisively to deal with the
threat of the far right and address the root causes of structural racism.

Olmec calls the Labour Government to:

• Develop a UK wide race equality strategy.
• Commission a full public inquiry into the racist riots.
• Invest in the established race equality sector that has worked for decades to bring
  about race equality in this country, as it has done in the past for example through the
  Tackling Race Inequality Fund.
• Revamp measures that worked in the past including the Race Disparity Audit/.
  Develop a National Curriculum that covers Britain’s history including the contributions
  of British Black, Asian and dual heritage people to industry, science, literature,
  history, arts, sports and all facets our cultural life.

If we want to live in a genuinely free and healthy society, we need political and civic
leadership that reflects the modern Britain we live in. We need schools that teach our history
accurately and inclusively. And a clear strategy with the political commitment and will to take
us forward as a cohesive modern society.

John Mayford, Olmec CEO, August 2024.