RACIST VIOLENCE IN THE UNITED KINGDOM Human Rights Watch/Helsinki Human Rights Watch New York AAA Washington AAA London AAA Brussels Copyright 8 April 1997 by Human Rights Watch. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. 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Our reputation for timely, reliable disclosures has made us an essential source of information for those concerned with human rights. We address the human rights practices of governments of all political stripes, of all geopolitical alignments, and of all ethnic and religious persuasions. Human Rights Watch defends freedom of thought and expression, due process and equal protection of the law, and a vigorous civil society; we document and denounce murders, disappearances, torture, arbitrary imprisonment, discrimination, and other abuses of internationally recognized human rights. Our goal is to hold governments accountable if they transgress the rights of their people. Human Rights Watch began in 1978 with the founding of its Helsinki division. Today, it includes five divisions covering Africa, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East, as well as the signatories of the Helsinki accords. It also includes three collaborative projects on arms transfers, children=s rights, and women=s rights. 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Hiltermann, Arms Project; Lois Whitman, Children=s Rights Project; and Dorothy Q. Thomas, Women=s Rights Project. The members of the board of directors are Robert L. Bernstein, chair; Adrian W. DeWind, vice chair; Roland Algrant, Lisa Anderson, William Carmichael, Dorothy Cullman, Gina Despres, Irene Diamond, Fiona Druckenmiller, Edith Everett, Jonathan Fanton, James C. Goodale, Jack Greenberg, Vartan Gregorian, Alice H. Henkin, Stephen L. Kass, Marina Pinto Kaufman, Bruce Klatsky, Harold Hongju Koh, Alexander MacGregor, Josh Mailman, Samuel K. Murumba, Andrew Nathan, Jane Olson, Peter Osnos, Kathleen Peratis, Bruce Rabb, Sigrid Rausing, Anita Roddick, Orville Schell, Sid Sheinberg, Gary G. Sick, Malcolm Smith, Domna Stanton, Nahid Toubia, Maureen White, Rosalind C. Whitehead, and Maya Wiley. CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES.....................................................................................vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ......................................................................... viii 1. SUMMARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS............................................. 1 Recommendations ....................................................................... 2 2. A STATISTICAL OVERVIEW ............................................................... 4 Racially Motivated Violence ......................................................... 4 Patterns: Geography.................................................................... 6 Patterns: Perpetrators/Victims ................................................... 11 Radical Right Groups................................................................. 13 3. RACIALLY MOTIVATED MURDERS.................................................. 21 Murders in 1994 ......................................................................... 21 Murders in 1993 ......................................................................... 21 Murders in 1992 ......................................................................... 22 Murders in 1991 ......................................................................... 25 4. RACIALLY MOTIVATED VIOLENCE.................................................. 26 Attacks By Neighbors................................................................. 29 5. THE ROLE OF THE POLICE.............................................................. 35 Deaths in Police Custody........................................................... 35 Police Brutality............................................................................ 50 Failure to Respond Effectively to Racially Motivated Violence... 63 False Arrests/Arresting the Victim.............................................. 72 Treatment in Prisons.................................................................. 75 Stop and Search ........................................................................ 75 Police Behavior/Racism ............................................................. 80 Failure to Punish Police Misconduct .......................................... 84 Police Membership..................................................................... 86 Positive Steps ............................................................................ 88 8. THE COURTS..................................................................................... 90 Prosecution of Racist Violence .................................................. 90 Racial Bias in Sentencing .......................................................... 91 Court Membership ..................................................................... 92 Positive Steps ............................................................................ 94 9. THE LEGAL CONTEXT ...................................................................... 96 International Law........................................................................ 96 Rights to non-discrimination in the application of international standards.................................... 96 Responsibility of the state to respond to racial violence 98 National Law .............................................................................. 99 LIST OF TABLES RACIAL INCIDENTS REPORTEDTO THE POLICE IN ENGLAND AND WALES ........................................................................................ 4 ESTIMATES OF ACTUAL LEVELS OF RACIALLY MOTIVATED INCIDENTS BASED ON BRITISH CRIME SURVEY 6 REPORTED RACIST INCIDENTS BY POLICE FORCE AREA.............. 7 REPORTS OF RACIAL INCIDENTS FOR EACH POLICE FORCE AREA IN SCOTLAND FROM 1988 TO 1994/95 ......................... 8 GREENWICH ACTION COMMITTEE AGAINST RACIST ATTACKS (GACARA).................................................................. 9 NEWHAM MONITORING PROJECT (NMP).......................................... 10 PATTERNS: VICTIMS ............................................................................ 12 PATTERNS: PERPETRATORS ............................................................. 12 CONVICTIONS OF MEMBERS OFFAR-RIGHT ORGANIZATIONS FOR HATE CRIMES........................................................................... 17 RECENT ELECTION RESULTS INKEY AREAS INDICATING RADICAL RIGHT SUPPORT ..................................................................... 19 OVERALL SUPPORT FOR NF AND BNP.............................................. 20 STOP AND SEARCH.............................................................................. 77 COMPLAINTS OF RACIALLYDISCRIMINATORY BEHAVIOR MADE TO THE PCA.................................................................................... 84 ETHNIC MINORITIES IN POLICE FORCE ............................................ 87 ETHNIC MINORITY OFFICERS AND THEIR RANK ............................. 87 JUDICIAL POSTS................................................................................... 93 CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE...................................................... 93 vii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This report was written by Carl Haacke, a consultant to Human Rights Watch/Helsinki. It was edited by Holly Cartner, executive director of Human Rights Watch/Helsinki, Dinah PoKempner, deputy counsel, and Jeri Laber, Special Adviser to Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki wishes to thank Dev Berreh, Raju Bhatt, Deborah Coles, Unmesh Desai, Kapil Juj, Ranjit Lohia, Sajida Malik, Seilesh Mehta, Rahul Patel, Adil Rehman, Asad Rehman, Urmi Shah, and Helen