The United Nations urged Britain to take action to prevent racist hate speech, including by politicians, in a report published on Friday.
It documents the persistence of hate speech published in the mainstream media, online, and disseminated by politicians and public figures.
The report did not identify specific politicians or cases, but called on the authorities to “officially and publicly reject and punish hate speech and the dissemination of racist ideas”.
The UN said it was “particularly concerned” about acts of racism and violence by “left-right and white supremacist” groups, such as during the unrest in Britain and Northern Ireland. supported by misinformation and anti-immigrant sentiment.
The BBC has reached out to the Minister for Women and Equalities for comment.
The UN recommendations come from its four-year review Britain’s record on tackling racial discrimination – a requirement for countries to sign international conventions.
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination has urged the UK to tackle allegations of racial profiling by the police and discrimination in criminal justice, housing, schools and health.
He also said he was deeply concerned by the continued and in some cases “intensification” of hate crime and hate speech in the UK.
The committee highlighted what it said were acts of racism and violence against minorities, asylum seekers and refugees, including during the unrest in late July and early August.
The U.N. said authorities were “acting quickly” in response.
At least 466 people has been charged with riot-related crimes, some of which targeted mosques and hotels for asylum seekers.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer at the time of said riot is “the act of a small, mindless minority” and condemns “right-wing hatred”.
The UN recommends that the UK prevent racist hate crimes by encouraging reporting to the police, prosecuting perpetrators, and strengthening measures to combat hate speech on social media, among other measures.
Much of the evidence considered by the committee must have been collected before the general election and riots.
The UN said the UK had taken some legislative steps in recent years, noting that Scotland brought in a hate crime strategy and Wales introduced an action plan to tackle racism.
However, the global body remains concerned about the level of hate crimes and xenophobic speech targeting ethnic minorities, especially Gypsies, Roma, Travelers, people of African, Asian or Arab descent, Jews, Muslims and Hindus, as well as migrants, refugees and asylum seekers. seeker.
The committee urged the UK to hold journalists and news organizations accountable for how they portray minority communities and when they publish content that incites hatred or incites xenophobic attitudes.
The review also called for the UK to improve conditions for migrants and refugees and tackle racial discrimination in other areas such as policing.
Improvements are needed in the criminal justice system so that people feel safe enough to report racist incidents and eliminate the persistent problem of racial profiling, the UN said.
The global agency said it is particularly concerned about the high number of strip searches of children, especially of African descent, and the increased presence of police in schools with a large non-white population.
The report called for an independent body to investigate allegations of racial profiling by police, saying stops and searches had a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities, particularly young people and children of African and Asian descent.
The UN says ethnic minorities still face discrimination in various areas, including housing, schools and access to health care.
In British schools, pupils remain subject to bullying and racial prejudice – especially if they are of African descent or from the Gypsy, Roma or Traveler communities.
All UN member states are regularly reviewed by the UN to assess their compliance with international conventions.
Belarus, Bosnia, Iran, Pakistan, and Venezuela are the other countries that checked this session.
