British minister Sarah Jones has appealed for calm after the riots in Southampton. At the same time, she called for a review of the police’s anti-racism guidelines, as reported by the Guardian. Jones told Times Radio that the riots were unacceptable. There have been two arrests, one for assaulting a police officer and one for possession of a weapon.
The unrest was triggered by the death of 17-year-old Henry Nowak, who was stabbed on Monday. A video shows Nowak being handcuffed while still lying on the ground, as a police officer, who had previously been reported for a racist insult, ignored his cries for help. Keir Starmer said the day before that watching the video made him feel “sick.”
The leader of the right-wing populist party Reform UK, Nigel Farage, used the case for his political agenda. He claimed the case proves that white people are treated unfairly in Britain and called for an end to diversity programs and positive discrimination. Jones announced she would speak with the police, the Sikh community, and activists against knife violence.
Shabana Mahmood had been cautious about a review of the anti-racism guidelines in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Now the Home Office supports a reassessment of the document, which critics say demands equality of police outcomes for different ethnic groups.
Source: www.theguardian.com
