CARG CALLS ON UK GOVERNMENT TO TAKE CONCRETE ACTION
Sign the Petition against racism arising from Covid-19
June 2020
Covid-19 Anti-racism Group (CARG) calls for the UK Government to take concrete action against racism and xenophobia. In the first quarter of 2020, the police recorded a threefold increase in Covid-19 related hate crime compared to 2019. Covid-19 related racism is expected to rise as lockdown eases in the UK, not just against British East Asians but also against other Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities.
On 3 June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson stated “I deeply disapprove of anti-Chinese xenophobia, attacks on people of Chinese appearance that we have seen in recent months. We must stamp out such xenophobia.” This statement is the outcome of efforts from many people and groups highlighting and condemning acts of racism.
CARG welcomes the Prime Minister’s statement and calls for the UK Government to prioritise the following actions:
Ensure the thorough investigation of hate crimes that result in successful prosecutions
Address the higher Covid-19 death rate amongst BAME people in the UK
Repeat clear and unequivocal statements that racism is unacceptable and reflecting this in Government policy
Please sign the petition if you have not done so and continue to forward the petition to your family, friends and networks. We aim to reach 10,000 signatures to show the Government our intent and resolve.
CARG stands in solidarity with #BlackLivesMatter. As British East Asians, we benefited from the struggles by other communities for equality and social justice[1]. We therefore need to stop being the quiet minority and overcome our reluctance to speak out, engage and collaborate. We need to reflect on our own attitudes towards other communities and guard against hate speech ourselves.
All minorities who are facing racism in any country should be heard and supported. Stand against and report all forms of racism, everywhere.
Full Statement with 169 co-signees
[1] See open letter from Eileen Huang a student at Yale University. Although the letter is addressed to American Chinese, it applies to us here in the UK as well https://chineseamerican.org/p/31571