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Kingdom FM Former Conservative chair Baroness Warsi says a report into Tory Islamophobia shows the party is institutionally racist - despite the findings saying otherwise.
Baroness Warsi told Sky News political editor Beth Rigby in an exclusive interview: I think the findings of this report show clearly that the Conservative Party is institutionally racist, that s based upon the definition of what is institutional racism. The way I see it - if it looks like institutional racism, feels like institutional racism, fits the definition of institutional racism - then, I m afraid it is institutional racism.
Baroness Warsi, who campaigned for six years against Islamophobia in her party, said
Men need to stop telling Muslim women how oppressed they think they are, the head of one of the community’s largest representative bodies has said, as she called for the equality watchdog to probe whether cases of Islamophobia in the Conservative Party reached the threshold for criminal investigation.
Zara Mohammed, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB), said there needed to be “meaningful, long-term action” after a report published on Tuesday found Boris Johnson’s controversial comments about burka-wearing women gave the impression the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”.
Ms Mohammed welcomed the report led by Professor Swaran Singh but she said: “I think for us where it didn’t go far enough was really looking at the cultural side of the problem, looking at the deep-seated and embedded nature of the issue.”
Boris Johnson’s controversial comments about burka-wearing women gave the impression the Tories are “insensitive to Muslim communities”, according to an independent review into alleged discrimination in the party.
The inquiry found anti-Muslim sentiment was seen at local association and individual levels but claims of “institutional racism” were not borne out by evidence of the way complaints were handled.
Tory party chairwoman Amanda Milling apologised to “anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system”.
On behalf of the Conservative Party I would like to apologise to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system. 3/8
Former Tory chairwoman Baroness Warsi has repeated her claim that the party is “institutionally racist” and warned it would take years to undo the damage done by allegations of Islamophobia.
An independent report concluded anti-Muslim sentiment remained a problem in the party but the allegation of institutional racism was not borne out by the evidence of the complaints system.
Lady Warsi said the report did not go far enough and called for the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) to investigate.
Current Tory chairwoman Amanda Milling apologised on behalf of the party “to anyone who has been hurt by discriminatory behaviour of others or failed by our system” following the publication of Professor Swaran Singh’s report.