TORY GOVERNMENT DELIBERATELY IGNORED ANTI-SIKH HATE
British Sikh community looking to Keir Starmer to honour his pre-General Election promise to treat Anti-Sikh hate on a par with Antisemitism and Islamophobia
London - 3 August 2024
We are seeing the extreme far right exploit the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport by a 17-year old born in Cardiff with unrest and hate in towns and cities across the UK directed towards those who are visibly different.
We have had many questions in the last 48 hours about the experience of the British Sikh community, how we are feeling and government support for the Sikh community for Anti-Sikh hate compared to the Muslim and Jewish communities.
In February 2024, Rishi Sunak announced £72 million to fund security for Jewish communities. In March 2024, James Cleverly announced £117 million to protect Mosques and Muslim schools. There have been independent advisers to government on antisemitism and Islamophobia for 5 years.
The Conservative government for 14 years deliberately ignored Anti-Sikh hate as though it does not exist despite attacks on Gurdwaras, Sikh places of worship and high profile attacks on Sikhs.
There have been no government announcements in the UK to specifically address community support to tackle Anti-Sikh hate through what has popularly been referred to as ‘mistaken identity’ that came to prominence as a world-wide phenomenon more than two decades ago following the 9/11 terror attack.
The only community support available has been £3.5 million funding for all other (non-Muslim and non-Jewish) faiths through the ‘Places of Worship Protective Security Funding Scheme’. A handful of the 250+ Gurdwaras (Sikh places of worship) have benefited from this derisory support. There has been no funding for security of Sikh ethos schools and for the community to increase third-party reporting of Anti-Sikh hate crimes.
When Neo-Nazi, Zac Davies tried to behead a Sikh dentist with a machete in a Tesco store in North Wales a decade ago we were told by the Home Office official who drafted the first Hate Crime Action Plan in 2016 that Number 10 had the case study removed. Right-wing extremism targeting Sikhs “complicated” matters as Number 10 wanted the narrative to focus entirely on Islamophobia and Antisemitism.
Keir Starmer promised the British Sikh community before the General Election to treat Anti-Sikh hate on a par with Antisemitism and Islamophobia by taking on board the suggestions in the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs report on Anti-Sikh hate published in October 2020 that the Conservative Government totally ignored.
Dabinderjit Singh, the Principal Adviser of the Sikh Federation (UK) said:
“We have seen racists and far-right extremists target Gurdwaras and Sikhs in the last 48 hours following the fatal stabbing in Southport.”
“Sikhs are arguably the most visible minority community in the world, especially those with turbans and beards and it is unacceptable we have faced attacks and experienced hate across the globe for over two decades with governments doing little to protect us.”
“Although it is early days the British Sikh community is rightly asking when the new Labour Government will announce an independent adviser on Anti-Sikh hate to see how Gurdwaras, especially those where the community is small in numbers can be better protected.”
“There are estimated to be around 1.2 million Sikhs in the UK, more than double the number of Jews with massive under-reporting of Anti-Sikh hate crimes as the previous government did not want the extent of Anti-Sikh hate officially acknowledged.”
“We pay more than our fair share of taxes so it is only right one of the most law-abiding communities in the UK is given sufficient government funding to protect the community and our institutions from hate and racist attacks.”
ENDS Jaspal Singh National Press Secretary Sikh Federation (UK)