BEING a foreigner in the UK is challenging.
Some time ago, a video of Chelsea football fans preventing a blackman from boarding the Paris Métro chanting, “We’re racist, we’re racist and that’s the way we like it,” went public.
This was one of the unconcealed show of racism but many incidents are subtle, going unnoticed, with only a few making it to the press.
Racism is rampant, to be specific institutional racism, which is far damaging.
Institutional racism has severely affected minority communities in various areas which include schools, work places, representation in Government and treatment by law enforcement agents.
Blacks, especially immigrants, are treated badly.
John Tagara overstayed his visa and was detained.
While he awaited deportation, he got treatment worse than a pig is treated.
Racist immigration officials did not mince their words; he was informed that he was no human being and thus had no human rights to enjoy.
He was chained and dragged to the plane like a criminal.
He was brutalised to the extent that when he got onto the plane, he had bruised ribs.
Sadly, no one is fighting in the ‘black corner’.
No one lifts a finger for black immigrants arrested and detained.
The British immigration laws are so draconian one wonders why the Britons have not been dragged to The Hague for human rights abuses.
An immigrant with no papers is not allowed to work, not allowed to have a bank account and not allowed to have a driver’s licence.
A blackman with no papers is not allowed to have a decent house.
In short, he is not allowed to have a life.
Black males, it appears, are the most affected.
And to worsen the situation, the press is conditioned to demonise blackmen, presenting them as out to get ‘white’ jobs and women.
The anger and hatred against blacks in the streets is heightened by the press.
And the press is fed the hatred by the politicians.
Men and women of colour are being abused on a daily basis at levels way different from immigrants from other countries such as Europe or the US.
In a show of disrespect, Tafadzwa Mahiya was arrested on her wedding day and thrown on the plane in her wedding gown.
She would not have been arrested in her gown if she was an illegal immigrant from Russia or the US.
Sometimes police just target blacks in traffic incidences, the black party is always guilty until proven innocent.
You are likely going to be stopped for a routine check if you are black than if you are white.
Killings are statistically rare, but one of the most polarising police tactics is stop-and-search procedure.
Statistics show that black people in London are now 12 times more likely to be randomly stopped and searched by police.
“The police power to stop and search has a disproportionate impact on black and minority ethnic communities and young people,” explains Natasha Dhumma, youth co-ordinator at Stop Watch, an NGO campaigning for greater police accountability.
“Stop searches are all too often conducted without reasonable grounds based on accurate and reliable intelligence. The absence of these creates deep mistrust and resentment in communities and is an ineffective use of police resources,” said Dhumma.
In court, African lawyers are told that they have a bad accent while Asians are understood.
Judges address white lawyers cordially and are at most cold to blacks.
Institutional racism is as old as the British Empire.
Its sickening when you fill an employment form which asks you if you are:
l Black or Black British
l Black African
l Black Other.
This is how you are looked at.
A study carried out comparing the SATS results of 11-year-olds, with their teacher assessments revealed the bigotry in the UK.
The study was carried out on the results of every state school in the UK and was published in 2007.
SATS results are blind-marked, meaning the examiner does not know the racial identity of the student, whereas teacher assessments are not.
The study found that, overwhelmingly, black students do far better in their SATS results than their teacher assessments.
Conversely, white students did better in their teacher assessments, than in their SATS results.
What is horrible about institutional racism is that it has dictated the life outcomes, educational achievements and career prospects of blacks.
The UK strips people of their status.
The Brits are trained to give you a fake smile and bribe you with lies.
For views and comments, email: vazet2000@yahoo.co.uk