Jane Hutt AM (Deputy Minister and Chief Whip): ...Fifty people died
in the terrorist attacks in Christchurch on 15 March and 250 more
in Sri Lanka on 21 April 2019. On 27 April 2019, on the last day of
passover, the shooting at a synagogue outside San Diego left one
woman dead and three others injured. The shooting came exactly six
months after a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11
people in the deadliest attack on Jews in US history. The global
response to these...Request free trial
AM (Deputy Minister and
Chief Whip): ...Fifty people died in the terrorist
attacks in Christchurch on 15 March and 250 more in Sri Lanka on
21 April 2019. On 27 April 2019, on the last day of passover, the
shooting at a synagogue outside San Diego left one woman dead and
three others injured. The shooting came exactly six months after
a shooting at a Pittsburgh synagogue, killing 11 people in the
deadliest attack on Jews in US history. The global response to
these terrorist attacks has been powerful and inspirational. In
the wake of the New Zealand attack, the Prime Minister Jacinda
Ardern called for a global effort to root out racism and bigotry.
Her profound statement,
'They are us. The person who has perpetuated this violence
against us is not',
requires us all to look at ourselves and our responsibilities
personally and politically. She said that if we want to make
sure globally that we are a safe, tolerant and inclusive world,
we cannot think in terms of national boundaries. She said we
must weed out racism where it exists and make sure that we
never create an environment where it can flourish. Today, we
have an opportunity to add our voices to the calls for racial
harmony, peace and justice. We must publicly condemn racism,
Islamophobia, Afrophobia and anti-semitism wherever it occurs, and
we must take further action to tackle racial inequalities that
are present in our own country. We know that means that we must
take action here in Wales...
...Islamophobia and anti-semitism are also very real
issues in Wales today, with extremist groups fuelling hatred
and spreading lies. We must reinvigorate our approach in Wales,
so that we can secure a more peaceful and more inclusive
future, not least in the context of Brexit. That's why, for
example, we're investing £2.4 million to expand our regional
community cohesion programme, to identify and mitigate
community tensions...
(Oscar)
AM: Thank you for giving me time to
speak on this very, very important issue. The Race
Relations Act actually started in 1965, and it actually
outlaws discrimination on the grounds of religion, race,
caste, colour and belief. That is virtually not
happening. Since 1973, governments in the United Kingdom
have spent millions and millions of pounds on race
relations. Today, have we really achieved it? That is, we
have to ask the question of all the politicians in London
and here. That is not there. Islamophobia, anti-semitism and so on—mentioned
here by a few colleagues regarding black and ethnic
minorities—the jobs sector, families, schools, children.
The young generation hasn't been taught the beliefs of
others. That is the problem. We must understand. Now,
this is the fourth or fifth generation of ethnic
minorities, and still we call them ethnic minorities. It
surprises me, because now my child is fourth generation.
We are British. That Britishness is not there—or
Welshness is not there...
:...anti-semitism also has no place
in society, and many remarks that have been made are
distasteful and have incited hatred and riots. And
there should be no place in public office for anyone
who believes that it is okay to discriminate based upon
race, sex, language or religion. We must ensure that
what has happened in the US or in other parts of Europe
doesn't happen here. We must eradicate the ideology of
the far right and the far left who believe it is okay
to discriminate based upon race or religion. There is
only one race—the human race—and every single being
must be free from persecution, and worship whatever god
they choose, and this will only happen if we stamp out
racism and bigotry, and integration here is of
paramount importance...
To read the whole debate, CLICK HERE
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