LATEST
NEWS
THE LAWRENCE VERDICT AND RACISM IN BRITAIN: LISTENING TO YOUNG PEOPLE
05.01.2012"The publication of the Macpherson Inquiry in 1999 was a seminal moment in British race relations history in exposing the latent and blatant racism within elements of the police force, and cataloguing error upon error by the force in investigating the racist murder of a young, Black man.
As a youth-led think tank giving voice to young people, IARS was relieved with yesterday’s sentencing. It demonstrates that some semblance of justice can be done for young Londoners - but not as a matter of course, not as an inherent human right of a British Citizen, but after 19 long years of tireless campaigning, fighting and refusing to back down.
Some are more equal than others. The Lawrence family have taken on this herculean task, unwavering in the face of opposition, and having had the privilege of working with Doreen on fighting for equality we hope that she feels some semblance of peace that at least two of her son’s murderers have now had their freedom taken from them.
It is imperative that we work with our young people to raise their aspirations and build their trust and confidence in the police force. We are particularly proud of our youth-led 99% campaign, working to dispel myths and negative stereotypes about young people. Stephen was a victim and his family were victims, but, as a result of racial stereotyping, treated as the opposite; this has to stop. We have been working to this end and would urge others to join us and support our young people.
It is incumbent upon us as a society to pick up the gauntlet from the Lawrence family after this historic trial, and continue to build upon Stephen’s legacy. Huge progress has been made and we are working closely with the Mayor of London and the Metropolitan Police to make the capital a better and safer place for young people. We also accept that the issues highlighted in the 1999 inquiry have not disappeared; disproportionality within the criminal justice system, over-policing and under-protection, negative stereotypes and continued race hate crime are current and prevalent issues in Britain today.
There is a trend to move away from the language of ‘equality’ to the less narrowly defined ‘fairness’ and policies to follow suit. This is a time to be honest about the progress and otherwise that we have made as a society since that fateful night in 1993, and for no regression, only progression towards making Britain equal for all its citizens through legislation and a shared collective consciousness.
One issue IARS remains sceptical about is the uncertainty in how the term ‘public function’ in the new Equality Act is interpreted by courts. The term is given the same meaning as under the Human Rights Act 1998 section 6(3)b; ‘any person certain of whose functions are functions of a public nature’. This definition has been given varied interpretation by domestic courts and therefore is likely to exclude, for example, private companies whose functions are public in nature but exercise private acts, or who performed an activity which otherwise a public body would be under a duty to perform*. There remains an uncertainty on the position of hybrid authorities, some of whose functions will have an impact on race equality.
This is the time for government to work with campaigners, including young people, to create the bedrock from which equality and human rights for all will become a reality. That would be the most fitting legacy for Stephen Lawrence."
Pavan Dwaliwal
Research Associate
Independent Academic Research Studies (IARS)
* Poplar Housing and Regeneration Community Association Ltd v Donoghue [2001] EWCA Civ 595
