UK PM Boris Johnson admits the government needs to do more to combat racism

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has admitted that the government needs to do more to combat racism in society. His reaction comes after the release of the controversial Race and Ethnic Disparities report that concluded Britain does not have a systemic problem with racism. Also, the most senior Black adviser to Johnson Samuel Kasumu resigned a day after the report on racial disparities was released. According to the reports by AP, Samuel Kasumu will leave his job as a special adviser for civil society and communities next month.

Johnson’s 10 Downing St. office said Kasumu's departure had “been his plan for several months”. It further denied that the resignation had to do anything with the report. However, Simon Woolley, who is a former government equalities adviser and also a member of the UK House of Lords, said Kasumu’s exit was connected to the “grubby” and “divisive” report.

He said, “crisis at No 10 when it comes to acknowledging and dealing with persistent race inequality”. Kasumu wrote a resignation letter, obtained by the BBC, in which he accused the Conservative Party of pursuing “a politics steeped in division”. Also, he was persuaded to stay in his job temporarily.

Controversy at Oxford University 

In another significant development, Rashmi Samant's resignation as the President of the Students Union of Oxford University has sparked lots of controversy. Samant, an Indian-born student at Oxford University, has alleged that she was a victim of cyberbullying and racism after being elected as the President of the Students' Union. As per reports, the Thames Valley Police has received a complaint of an 'alleged hate incident' and subsequently began an investigation. However, no arrests have been made in the matter yet. 

Notably, the University of Oxford has also stated that it is conducting a 'thorough investigation' into the complaints of harassment and equality on campus. Oxford University has reportedly said that an investigation into the online comments has been initiated and that the institution is “fully committed  to creating an environment where people of all backgrounds, including our Hindu students and staff, can feel welcome, valued and respected.” On the other hand, Samant has said that the continued cyberbullying has made it difficult for her to consider returning to the university at the present stage. 

The issue has also been raised in the Parliament with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar highlighting that the government is monitoring the situation very closely. Responding to BJP MP Ashwini Vaishnav's query, Jaishankar had said, "As the land of Mahatma Gandhi, we can never ever turn our eyes away from racism. Particularly so when it is in a country where we have such a large diaspora. We've strong ties with the UK. We'll take up such matters with great candour when required." He added, “We will monitor these developments very very closely. We will raise it when required and we will always champion the fight against racism and other forms of intolerance”.

(Image Credits: AP)