The Institute of Race Relations has today issued a statement on the BNP’s misuse of its figures on racially motivated murders.
The Institute of Race Relations, an educational charity, refutes absolutely the claim made by the British National Party on its website and in its leaflet ‘Racism cuts both ways’ that the IRR’s figures reveal that ‘the average racist murderer in Britain is 40 times more likely to be a member of an ethnic minority than a native Brit!’
The IRR deplores the fact that its research carried out in good faith has been manipulated and misrepresented to serve a politically-inspired campaign.
The BNP’s claim, repeated in the Yorkshire Post (26.11.08), that it uses ‘the same criteria as the Institute of Race Relations’ when compiling its figures does not stand up to scrutiny.
The IRR invites readers to look at its up-to-date list of racial murders in the UK and, in particular, draws attention to the definition given to clarify what the IRR would consider to be a racially-motivated murder:
‘The IRR considers that the identification of racially motivated murders and attacks must depend on an objective evaluation of the whole context in which the murder or attack takes place and not just on the skin colour or ethnicity of the alleged perpetrator(s) or victim. In particular, the IRR would regard a murder or attack as racially motivated if the evidence indicates that someone of a different ethnicity, in the same place and similar circumstances, would not have been attacked in the same way. Subject to the above, a formal legal finding or allegation of racial motivation would be taken as prima facie (but not definitive) evidence that a murder or attack was racially motivated.’
Related links
Racially Motivated Murders (Known or Suspected) 2000 onwards