Visit of authority OrgansпїЅ representatives in England
пїЅIn England it is indecent to be a Racist пїЅ
The
Center for Interethnic Cooperation (CIEC) and the English Non-Government
Organization Responding to Conflict (RTC) have a common project dedicated to
the acquaintance with work experience of state organs in Great Britain
concerning assistance to interracial and interethnic understanding in the
society. In
the scope of this project, on the 13th of November 2000 our
delegation left for London. The delegation was composed of leaders of five
Russian regions (Moscow, St Petersburg, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don and
Krasnodar) being responsible for the work with national communities in their
regions. Abrar Yarlykapov, the vice-chairman of the Committee of
Social and Interregional Affairs, and TatпїЅyana DпїЅyakova from the
Moscow City Duma represented Moscow in the delegation. The participants of
the delegation from the other regions were: OlпїЅga Savinova,
vice-gubernator of the Nizhny Novgorod OblastпїЅ (region) and director of the
Department of Public Affairs; Anatloij Maksimchuk, chairman of the
Department of Work with Public Organization and Mass Media of the Apparatus
of Plenipotentiary of the president of the Russian Federation (RF) in the
South Federal District; Andrej Vetrov, chairmen of the Department of
Public Affairs of the St Petersburg Administration; Ekaterina Ivanchenko,
chairman of the Department of International Relations of the Office of Information
and Social-Political Prognosis Making of the Administration of the Krasnodar
Krai (county); Aleksej Eremin, vice-chairman of the Department of
Foreign Affairs of the MayorпїЅs Office of Krasnodar. In addition, Sergej
Podgorbunskij, the chairman of the Department of Interaction with Mass
Media and Public Affairs of the Ministry of Affairs of Federation, National
and Immigration Policy, traveled with us to England. The purpose of the visit
was the acquaintance with work experience of English state organs. We had
meetings at Scotland Yard, the Ministry of Interior, the Parliament of Great
Britain, the MayorпїЅs Office in London, the Prefectures of Camden and Newham,
the Commission of Racial Equality (Such a commission exists!), the Mayor of
Birmingham, EnglandпїЅs second largest town of England, the headquarters of the
famous television transmitter BBC, etc. I
want to emphasize immediately that they treated us very well in all British
state organs and in every way they underlined their friendly relation to our
country. But what is the most important, they told us exclusively about the
successes and difficulties of their work. Not only once they attempted to
compare our countries concerning the issue or other ones, to read lectures or
to criticize us. Although it is not difficult to find a lot of aspects and
themes, in which Russia and Great Britain differ fundamentally. However, as
it is proper for good hosts the English official persons avoided all themes,
which could upset the guestsпїЅ humor.пїЅ It
turned out that about 25 % of LondonпїЅs population is representatives of
ethnic minorities. In comparison, in Moscow not more than 20 % are
representatives of non-Russian nationalities. In Moscow live representatives
of about 150 nationalities, in London of 300. In Moscow and in other large
cities of Russia the national minorities differ from Russians in ethnic
characteristics, in Great Britain many persons belong to completely other
racial groups. Thus for instance, in London 40 % of the whole number of
national minorities are black-skinned British. There is one more big
difference to Moscow. In London, the representatives of national minorities
live, as a rule, compactly.пїЅ
Therefore, in a number of preferable districts of the city white
Englishmen are the minority. Thus, the demographic situation in Great Britain
is not less complicated than in Russia. However, in contrast to Russia, the
political and economical system of Great Britain did not submit to any
substantial shakings.пїЅ The United
Kingdom, how the British like to call the country, has been and remains one
of the richest and most powerful states in the world. But that is not the
only reason for the impressive financial investments, which the government of
Great Britain makes available for the improvement of interracial
understanding and tranquility in the society. They simply already 30 years
ago пїЅwent throughпїЅ this period of history, when the society had tried to
write of economic difficulties and the growth of criminality towards
пїЅforeignersпїЅ, that is immigrants. The majority of them come from the former
British Colonies. As
a result, subdivisions, having the task to assist interracial equality in the
society, exist now factually in all authority structures of Great Britain. In
particular, every higher enumerated state organization, where we had
meetings, has such a subdivision. In addition, the Ministry of Interior has
not only such a subdivision, but even one mission of the Ministry is the
ensuring of juridical protection of racial and ethnic groups. The full name
of this Ministry is not accidentally Ministry of Interior and Tolerance, and
the mentioned subdivision is named Union of Racial Equality. It
is interesting that Scotland Yard (the official name is Capital Police) has
also a department working in the sphere of interracial relations. Whereas
analogical subdivisions of the GUVD (Main Administration of Inner Affairs) in
Moscow struggle with criminal ethnic groupings, Scotland Yard has completely
different tasks. The special mission of this subdivision is the protection of
ethnic groups. It is named Department on the Fight Against Racial Crime.
Apart from the central office of Scotland Yard in the local police stations
in all 32 districts of London exist groups of officers specialized in work
with the racial and ethnic communities in their district. Of such a type are
our пїЅuchastkovieпїЅ (policemen responsible for only one district) with the only
difference that they work not with all inhabitants of the district, but only
with representatives of minorities. These officials pass through special
trainings. They make visits in families to find common solutions for problems
concerning the policeпїЅs work. One of the most important missions of the given
Departments is the containment of racist propaganda or acts infringing the
rights of ethnic and racial minorities. For this purpose a specialized
information center and a council has been established. In the council are
among others also representatives of racial and ethnic minorities. Worth
mentioning that the Ministry of Interior and Tolerance demands of all state
institutions to have among their personal at least 10 % representatives of
ethnic minorities. And
in addition, in Great Britain exists a Commission on Racial Equality financed
by the government, but works independently of authority structures. This
Commission monitors that there were no discriminations on racist background
in governmental institutions and private firms. In particular, a special
subdivision of the Commission checks all complaints preferred by racial and
ethnic minorities. Necessary
mentioning that the biggest success of Scotland Yard, the Ministry of
Interior and Tolerance, the Commission on Racial Equality and other
organizations working in the sphere of interracial understanding is that
representatives of minorities began to address considerable more with their complaints
on curtailments of their rights to state institutions. As a result, these
people started to trust more in the government, and understood that the
government can protect them. When people in general people phone the Hotline
of the Moscow GUVD (which has been launched on order of the capitalпїЅs mayor
Jurij Luzhkov) because of illegal acts of the capital police, than the
Commission on Racial Equality rather checks complaints on refusal of
engagement because of racial origin. The following is interesting: if the
Commission defines that a complaint is not simply a subjective opinion of the
representative of the racial minority, then it puts pressure on the given
firm to employ the person or to pay a compensation for the moral detriment.
In about 80 per cent of the problems are solved in this way. Only in 20 % of
the cases the Commission has to address to the court. We spent 5
days in Great Britain. Everybody of us had television in his/her hotel room.
Thus we could convince ourselves that the British channels neither show war
nor horror movies. In
the headquarters of the television transmitter BBC they presented us a thick
book about what can and what must not be broadcasted. For example, in England
it is not only uncommon but even forbidden to frighten persons with
broadcasts on police subjects with a lot of blood and violence of the type of
our television broadcasts пїЅKriminalпїЅ on NTV, пїЅ02пїЅ on RTR, and others. If
someone of the journalists wants to stress the nationality or race of a
criminal, he and the chairmen of the given medium are in for serious trouble.
A public politician is in for even more trouble if he allows racist or
anti-Semite expressions. In such cases the Commission on Racial Equality and
other competent organizations can simply see to it the career of this person
as a public politician ends. Randzhid Sondhki, one of the chairmen of BCC and
Indian in origin, informed the members of our delegation in detail how the
subdivision of the BBC, which is specialized in racial minorities, works. They
showed us the studios and the editorial office where the broadcasts are made.
We were also in the section responsible for Asia, where they told us how they
make the broadcasts (in English and in national languages) for people from
Asia.пїЅ
Epilogue
On Saturday we had a free day. I
meet with my old friend Nicky Torode from the English civil rights organization
Minority Rights Group. In a low-priced Indian in the center of London we hid
from the rain. I asked the waiter who was from Bangladesh:пїЅ Is it true that
the authorities of Great Britain protect the equality of rights of racial
minorities? Do you feel enjoying equal rights?пїЅ His face darkened and he went
away. When he brought the next dishes, he said: пїЅThere is no equality of
rights in Bangladesh where people suffer from poverty and repression. Here it
is good. I like it here.пїЅ
Ashot Airapetyan
Director of the Center for Interethnic Cooperation
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