Racism In The UK: Media Analysis, Legislation, Workplace Discrimination - An Essay.

Media Analysis

Afro-Caribbean nationalists are mostly targeted by white Britons and Eastern European immigrants in the United Kingdom. In the mid-18th century, the United Kingdom saw the biggest migration of slaves into the country. After slavery was abolished, many of these people were left with no choice except to live on the streets. British and Welsh police have a negative attitude against African Americans because of their race. The cops usually treat them differently because of their skin colour. Bisom, and Sargent (2012). The British class's standards and attitudes in the 19th century helped to reduce racism in the United Kingdom. At that time, race was not as important as other forms of social differentiation. Employment sexual orientation and gender identity, national origin, and skin colour has been linked to racism in the United Kingdom. Several studies have found that Brexit has been a major contributor to racial tension in the UK. Racism in the UK has had a number of negative consequences, including an increase in street riots and racially motivated killings (Johnson, 2015).

United Kingdom was ranked as among the most racist countries in Europe in a random study done in 2019. In the United Kingdom, eight out of ten black individuals say they have been prejudiced against or treated unfairly by the police, according to a recent poll. 70% of black individuals in the UK think that the legal system treats them unjustly. Respondents said that lenders had concerns about their capacity to pay back loans or mortgages. According to the findings, more over two-thirds (67 percent) of black employees reported being treated unfairly at work. According to Africans who ate at white establishments, 49 percent of respondents have said they are treated less respectfully. 88 percent of blacks surveyed by the Pew Research Centre say the UK government should alter its Charter to guarantee equality of rights for people of colour and people of colour in the United Kingdom. A majority of blacks anticipate that such a change will be welcomed by the white government, while the White administrates is wary of the idea. Blacks are more optimistic than whites about the government's ability to make the necessary adjustments, with 8 percent saying that some of the reforms have already been implemented.

As of media representations of crime and reactions from viewers to those portrayals, the stereotype of Black men as criminals and Black females as furious has grown and thrived. Preconceived notions about a person's ethnicity, class, or other societal standing form the basis of stereotypes. As a society, we are influenced by the dearth of truthful and varied portrayals of persons of colour in the media. Our culture has been split into a predator vs prey civilization because of the large quantity of negative media focusing on one race (especially Black people). The term "racial profiling" refers to the practise of accusing someone of a crime based only on their appearance (particularly their race or ethnicity) (Lever, 2017). It has been part of American society since its foundation, and racial profiling is no exception. As a result of the Jim Crow era's establishment of the contemporary criminal justice system, Blacks were kept in their place. Since enslavement, this hierarchical system has led to a disproportionate number of cases in which African-Americans are accused of crimes they did not admit. Among white people, there has been a mistaken shared desire to understand why people of colour are living in specific regions, buying in certain areas, and just owning their own liberty. White individuals use racial profiling, which may have catastrophic ramifications for the innocent, because they believe that all Black people are common criminals. As a result, many individuals of colour are driven to rationalise or somehow alter their identity in order to fit in with white culture, which breeds internalised racism. Recognizing how media contribute to racial profiling and increased internalised racism by creating a scared and prejudiced society is an important step toward combating racism.

Legislations and Act of Regulations Against Racial Discrimination

In this case, the stereotypes being reinforced by the new media included Black people are violent human beings, they are inherently dishonest, and they are highly uneducated. An incident reported by The Metro times, where The N-word was used with two gorilla emojis and the words "white power" and "the south will rise again" in an attempt to attack Black pupils at Saline High School in Detroit, Michigan (Neavling, 2020). One of the students at Arizona State University was found to be tweeting stuff like "Nword" and "jungle fever" (Lilley, 2018). As recently as twenty years ago, public school and university administrators would have handled these issues in relative secrecy, engaging just those inside the immediate community; but now, an act of social media racial prejudice at a school might make national headlines within minutes (Lilley, 2018). In spite of the fact that many schools place a high importance on maintaining their image, many Black students are left feeling vulnerable on campus.

However, the recent picture of media towards the racial discrimination has change, where several incidents of discrimination by the police authority against black individuals have been mirrored to enforce the justice system and government of UK taking appropriate actions against them. In the news article by the Metro, the unfair conduct of the police against the black people, which is a very popular practice has been disclosed where, two police officers were involved in the ‘traumatic’ search of a 15-year-old black child had been removed from frontline responsibilities. The case was presented in the court as a case of Institutional racism and sexism. The assailants in racist social media situations are virtually invariably depicted as innocent, intelligent, and well-respected by the media (Robertson, 2022).

The term "racial discrimination" or "prejudice" refers to the practise of treating someone due to race, ethnicity, or colour of skin, etc. The most complicated issue for black people in the UK to deal with has been racial prejudice, which has been ongoing for many years. Racial prejudice has led to ethnic warfare and the death of a large number of people throughout history. For more than 200 years, Wallace, et. al., (2016), have been locked in a vicious conflict with one another. It is because of this continuous rivalry and the Human Rights Act of 1998 that Britain's Constitution is working relentlessly to put an end to this conflict. Because of the enactment of the Human Rights Act, 1998, individuals' freedoms and legal authority will not be infringed upon or abused as a consequence of their skin tone. During the ratification of the Constitution, slavery was a vital source of income for the British people.

Racial Discrimination at Workplace in UK

The Equality Act of 2010 prohibits racial discrimination in the workplace, as well as other places of public accommodation. The term "race" can refer to a person's skin colour or national origin under the Equality Act (including your citizenship). Ethnic or national roots can also refer to something other than your present nationality. For instance, you may be of Chinese descent but have a British passport and reside in the United Kingdom. Besides ethnic and racial groups, race encompasses the whole spectrum of human beings. This refers to a group of individuals who are united by their same ethnicity or race, which is a protected feature (Kamasak, et. al., 2019).

It is possible to have two or more separate racial groupings inside one racial group, such as black Britons and white Britons and Asians, British Sikhs and British Jews. In the interest of equality for everyone, various laws have been passed to combat racial discrimination in employment. They are placing themselves at danger of enormous fines if brought to court by those businesses that persist to discriminate against people in the workplace (Triana, et. al., 2015). In addition, cities have developed their respective civil rights to counteract this sort of discrimination. Racist employers were prohibited from discriminating against or abusing their employees as a result of this the labour laws in UK.

The Office of House and Urban Policy (OHUP) in the United Kingdom is one of the government departments tasked with developing and enforcing equitable housing policies. When it comes to people who are in need of shelter, Housing and Urban Policy (HUP) is there to help out. As according Gilani, et al., (2014) HUP is also accountable for maintaining that the most vulnerable members of society are protected. Efforts to provide equitable access to the housing market were made in the United Kingdom by the government  with the enactment of the Housing Act of 2004. When it comes to clients, financial institutions and landowners should never utilise the grounds of race, colour, sexual preference, gender, family situation, or country of origin to discriminate against them.

The Supreme Court determined that The Sunday Times Paper could not print any material in this case because they broke Article 10 of the UDHR. After the medicine thalidomide was taken by pregnant women and caused serious birth deformities, the Sunday Times in the United Kingdom ran articles in 1972 about the settlement discussions for the "thalidomide children." The journal had rejected the settlement plans and consequently, an injunction was granted based on the assumption that further publishing would constitute contempt of court. A democratic society does not necessitate the Court's conclusion that interference in the judiciary's impartiality and authority is permitted by law. According to the Supreme Court, the thalidomide crisis was a subject of public concern, and the right to freedom of speech protects both the press' ability to tell the public and the public's ability to be informed. To avoid jeopardising the judiciary, the court found that the suggested article was reasonable and fair in its views on an issue that had been disputed by society. When it came to weighing the interests of the public in freedom of speech against the need for government involvement, the Court found that neither was necessary.

Conclusion

Racism is when an individual is treated differently in a social or communal set up of people and against the provisions of human rights and equality act enacted in United Kingdom. People and organisations in the United Kingdom have a variety of unfavourable attitudes and viewpoints towards race and ethnicity. In the United Kingdom, the scope and targets of racist sentiments have changed throughout time. Discrimination, rioting, and killings motivated by race have been the results. A black African tribal leader was undoubtedly better to a white English costermonger under the British class structure of the 19th century, when colour mattered less than the social distinction. Discrimination is on the rise in practically every part of the world. Discrimination disproportionately affects the black community. Discrimination against them is based on their skin colour, national background, and occasionally their religion. It is clear that racial and ethnic disparities remain in the workplace, housing, and the criminal justice system. Black and Muslim minorities are twice as likely to be unemployed and twice as likely to survive in overcrowded housing conditions as their white British contemporaries. As a result, they are more likely to be pulled over and searched by police officers. According to the United Kingdom, a number of laws have been adopted in an effort to reduce the prejudice faced by black people. It has been a huge help in stopping whites from persecuting blacks in schools, workplaces, courts, and against police brutality. Racial profiling and internalised racism are both exacerbated by overt racism in the media, as shown in the report.

References

Bisom-Rapp, S. and Sargeant, M., 2012. Diverging doctrine, converging outcomes: evaluating age discrimination law in the United Kingdom and the United States. Loy. U. Chi. LJ, 44, p.717.

Dagilyte, E. and Greenfields, M., 2015. United Kingdom welfare benefit reforms in 2013–2014: Roma between the pillory, the precipice and the slippery slope. Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law, 37(4), pp.476-495

Gilani, S.R.S., Cavico, F.J. and Mujtaba, B.G., 2014. Harassment at the workplace: A practical review of the laws in the United Kingdom and the United States of America. Public Organization Review, 14(1), pp.1-18.

Johnson, K.R., 2015. Doubling Down on Racial Discrimination: The Racially Disparate Impacts of Crime-Based Removals. Case W. Res. L. Rev., 66, p.993.

Kamasak, R., Özbilgin, M.F., Yavuz, M. and Akalin, C., 2019. Race Discrimination at Work in the United Kingdom. In Race Discrimination and Management of Ethnic Diversity and Migration at Work. Emerald Publishing Limited.

Triana, M.D.C., Jayasinghe, M. and Pieper, J.R., 2015. Perceived workplace racial discrimination and its correlates: A meta?analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 36(4), pp.491-513.

Wallace, S., Nazroo, J., & Bécares, L., 2016. Cumulative effect of racial discrimination on the mental health of ethnic minorities in the United Kingdom. American Journal of Public Health, 106(7), 1294-1300.

Neavling, S. 2020. Black students at Saline High School targeted by racial slurs on social media. Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved from

https://www.metrotimes.com/newshits/archives/2020/01/29/black-students-at-saline-high-school-targeted-by-racial-slurson-social-media

Lilley, N. 2018. Are Social Media Normalizing Campus Racism? The Nation. Retrieved from

https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/is-social-media-normalizing-campus-racism/

Robertson, K. 2022. Two police officers who strip-searched black schoolgirl taken off frontline duties. The Metro UK.

< https://metro.co.uk/2022/03/24/child-q-met-police-officers-moved-off-frontline-duties-16335613/>

Case Law

Sunday Times v United Kingdom (1979) 2 EHRR 245