High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
OPEN LETTER TO DONCASTER MAYOR PETER DAVIES.Mayor Davies,
STOP ATTACKING EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES .
Since your election you have denied many times that you are racist, homophobicand sexist. You argue that you are against something called ‘political correctness’,and say you will get rid of ‘non-jobs’ in Doncaster. We the undersigned believe thatyour attack on ‘political correctness’ is nothing more than a smoke screen toundermine the equalities agenda that enables people who suffer discrimination toeffectively challenge it. We totally disagree with your claim that your elimination of groups dedicated to helping those who suffer discrimination such as the MultiRacial Partnership will bring social cohesion. Your policies will trivialisediscrimination and allow intolerance and bigotry to grow. You proudly boast that you will axe translation services in Doncaster, as if thisservice is unnecessary and ‘politically correct’. You fail to understand that people inDoncaster who do not have English as a first language must have some help if theyare to integrate into the community, find work, housing, learn about British law andbecome citizens. Scrapping translation services isolates the people who are mostlikely to suffer discrimination, increases and institutionalises intolerance andincreases division, not cohesion. Your decision to withdraw funding from DoncasterPride merely comforted homophobic bigots and gave offense to the LGBTcommunity. What is wrong with saying that Doncaster actively celebratesdiversity? We demand that you commit to the funding of Doncaster Pride andthereby commit to promoting tolerance and diversity. You argue that women and ethnic minorities do not need special groups to defendtheir rights because we all have equal entitlement to our rights already. You fail tounderstand that the various bodies you attack were brought into existencebecause these groups were being denied their rights. The denial of rights based onracist, sexist or homophobic prejudice divides our community and destroys socialcohesion. That is precisely why the Multi Racial Partnership was set up. You havesaid we do not need special groups because the police are there to deal with illegalracist acts, but the police themselves say they are too busy to deal with this ontheir own. In a recent debate about crime in Doncaster the police officer on thepanel emphasised the value of breaking down the perception of the police as aracist institution so that those who suffer attacks will feel more confident aboutcoming forward. The police, it would appear, are being ‘politically correct’ to theadvantage of their work and Doncaster.
You have also claimed that you will be ‘looking to see if Doncaster council bans theuse of any specific words by staff’ (Daily Mail, 10/08/09). There have to be somelimits as to the language DMBC staff will use – what will they be? Will people beable to use words regardless of whether others find them offensive? TheMacpherson Report (1999) that called the Metropolitan Police ‘institutionally racist’showed clearly that officers with racist attitudes used racist language. Words like‘paki’ and ‘nigger’ were common. The same police force failed to find the killers of Black student Stephen Lawrence. Offensive language should be prohibited and thevictims should be supported by DMBC, not trivialised as ‘politically correct’. You failto understand that once we start changing the equalities agenda that theoverwhelming majority of professionals support, it will be difficult to stop. Theracist, homophobic and sexist bigots have already started to interpret your policiesas an endorsement of their repugnant views. Prejudice can lead to violence. Doyou want innocent blood on your hands? You say you are not a bigot, but your policies and comments are encouragingbigotry. You have company. The fascist British National Party and the National Frontare also keen on attacking ‘political correctness’. You might acknowledge that atsome point the attack on political correctness does become racist, homophobicand sexist. It seems to us that you want to court popularity by going for thepolitically correct phantoms of the gutter press, with their stories about banningthe use of ‘manholes’ and ‘blackboards’. But the equalities agenda is a vital part of the fabric of our public services and we will not see it destroyed. The jobs you wantto axe will increase the unemployment blighting our town, and increase racism,sexism, homophobia and social division.
NAMESIGNATUREADDRESS
Add a Comment
Gaius Magnusleft a comment
Chris Gossleft a comment
aagibbonsleft a comment