Human Rights Watch/Helsinki wishes to thank Dev Berreh, Raju Bhatt, Deborah Coles, Unmesh Desai, Kapil Juj, Ranjit Lohia, Sajida Malik, Seilesh Mehta, Rahul Patel, Adil Rehman, Asad Rehman, Urmi Shah, and Helen Shaw.

This report was prepared for publication by Emily Shaw, associate with Human Rights Watch/Helsinki.

The level of racist incidents reported to the police has increased dramatically over recent years. Between 1989 and 1996 the number rose more than 275 percent, from 4,383 to 12,199. These already high figures, however, represent only a fraction of the actual level because many victims do not report crimes against them to the police. Estimates of the real figures based on the official British Crime Survey of 1991 indicate that approximately 32,500 violent assaults and an additional 26,000 acts of vandalism were racially motivated; overall, a full 18 percent of all crimes against ethnic minorities were considered to be racially motivated. This suggests that there is an ongoing crimewave perpetrated by some British whites against ethnic minority groups in the U.K. Ethnic minorities frequently report that they do not feel free because they are afraid of being viciously attacked by white racists.

There is a widespread impression among victims that the responsible authorities are failing effectively to investigate crimes against them. A disturbing number of individuals also recounted police brutality that appeared to have been racially motivated. Hostile or ineffective policing leaves many ethnic minorities frightened with no place to turn for protection. Eventually, many lose trust in the police and stop calling them for assistance, even when they are subjected to ongoing violence and harassment.

The degree to which ineffective policing is the result of racism, insufficient resources, poor policing at lower levels, or bad management at the upper levels is difficult to determine. Even in the best of circumstances, identifying, arresting, and convicting the perpetrator of every crime is a daunting task. As a result, victims can be left with the impression that their cases are not taken seriously, when in fact there are other barriers to successful prosecution. While it is important to recognize this reality, it does not adequately explain the numerous reports by ethnic minorities received by Human Rights Watch/Helsinki of lax investigations by police, nor does it justify hostile or brutal police practices frequently experienced by ethnic minorities.

The national government is outspoken against racially motivated violence and urges the police at all levels, as well as other state institutions, to respond effectively and decisively to such violence. Despite some positive policy initiatives by the government, there continue to be frequent reports of police who areunwilling or unable to protect minority victims and cases of severe police brutality remain far too common. The extensive body of international and domestic law that prohibits racist violence and police misconduct is often violated in practice.

Recommendations Human Rights Watch/Helsinki offers the following recommendations to protect ethnic minorities more effectively from racist violence and police brutality. The three categories of recommendations are aimed at: increasing the monitoring of incidents of racist violence and the response of various authorities at each stage; increasing accountability of those individuals and agencies that fail to respond effectively to racist violence; and establishing new initiatives or increasing the effectiveness of current initiatives in efforts to prevent and respond to racist violence.

Monitoring * Although methods of monitoring racist violence at the divisional or subdivisional levels have improved greatly over recent years and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has begun to evaluate some cases, Human Rights Watch/Helsinki recommends that a more systematized approach be established for both the police and CPS on a national scale in order to insure the most accurate findings.

Accountability * To improve police practice and trust among ethnic minorities the police must be held accountable. As it stands, there is little evidence to indicate that the police are willing to crack down on individual officers who fail to uphold proper policing standards, and there is ample evidence to indicate that police brutality and misconduct often are not effectively investigated and/or go unpunished. British government officials have defended their response to racist violence by saying that their laws and policies are second to none. To be effective, however, these laws and policies must be enforced and methods of insuring accountability must be introduced.

C Current procedures for filing and investigating complaints of police misconduct are inadequate. The Police Complaints Authority (PCA) must become a truly independent investigative body to insure effective and trustworthy evaluation of police conduct. Police should not be investigating cases of police misconduct. In order to ensure thorough andunbiased investigations, Human Rights Watch/Helsinki urges that civilians be given substantial authority to investigate allegations of police misconduct either in conjunction with representatives of the PCA, or instead of it. The current standard of proof - "beyond a reasonable doubt" - is an excessively high standard to apply uniformly to all acts of police misconduct. Human Rights Watch/Helsinki supports proposals to create a sliding scale system with higher standards for serious incidents and lower standards for lesser infractions. Initiatives * Police should improve relations and coordination with community groups and victim support groups.

C The Racial Incidents Units should improve staffing to ensure that cases are properly handled.

C A new law specifically targeting racist violence should be drafted and submitted to parliament.

C A more aggressive effort should be made to recruit black and other minority officers.

C Police officers should be provided with additional and improved training regarding racist violence.

C It must be carefully considered whether organized racial violence and harassment are categorically different from traditional crimes. In contrast to many other acts of violence and harassment, they are not random, but rather target particular ethnic groups in orchestrated campaigns to force vulnerable groups from their homes. In this context these crimes perhaps should be associated more with political terrorism than street crimes. While the new harassment laws do give the police improved tools to respond to individual acts of harassment, they do not recognize the possibility that the perpetrator has a prolonged history of racial violence and harassment.

Racially Motivated Violence The level of racist violence reported to the police has increased steeply in recent years. Between 1989 and 1996, the number of incidents rose more than 250 percent from 4,383 to 12,199, with a dense concentration of racially motivated incidents in London. In Fiscal Year 1993/94, for example, 40 percent of all incidents reported in England and Wales took place in London. This can be explained by the fact that 45 percent of the minority population in England resides in the Greater London area, according to the 1991 census.1

A detailed analysis of the 1991 British Crime Survey estimated that the actual figures were closer to 41,000 incidents against blacks and 89,000 against Asians, bringing the total number of incidents to 130,000. This shockingly high level of racially motivated incidents represents 5 percent of all criminal victimization and threats against all groups and 18 percent of the 730,000 crimes against ethnic minority groups. About 45 percent of these incidents were either violent assaults or vandalism, while 40 percent were threats.⁵ All studies show that the majority of victims of racist violence are Asian.6

The following table is based on a Home Office document that was provided to Human Rights Watch/Helsinki on January 23, 1996:

Although the police figures show a steady and rapid increase in racially motivated incidents, some analysts have argued that this change reflects a greater level of reporting due to police and community initiatives, not necessarily an increase in the actual level of racist violence.

While it is true that there has been an increase in the reporting of racially motivated violence, due in part to government efforts to document such crimes more effectively, it is doubtful that this accounts for the entire increase.¹⁸ Local community groups and individuals uniformly reported to Human Rights Watch/Helsinki that racist violence was rising dramatically. Patterns: Perpetrators/Victims Racially motivated violence and harassment are often part of a general campaign intended to force Asian and Afro-Caribbean families to leave their homes. A Home Office study of east London found that 66 percent of minority ethnic families suffered repeat victimization.¹⁹ In the study, twenty-three Bengali and Somali families reported suffering 136 incidents within a six-month period. Most families were harassed an average of every nine days. Six of these families suffered twelve to twenty-seven incidents within a six-month period.²⁰ Similarly, another study documented 724 incidents against 114 families interviewed or about six incidents per family during the same six-month period.²¹

The Newham Monitoring Project reported that 149 of their cases in 1994/95 took place at the victim's home. This compares to seventeen at work, twelve at school and seventy-five on the street.²²

Victims also frequently report that they know the perpetrators. In a study that covered the Newham area of London, 77 percent knew the individuals involved.²³

There are reports of anti-Irish incidents in England, although this phenomenon has not been researched thoroughly. One study, Crime Policing and the Irish Community in Southward South London, indicated that 44 percent of those surveyed had suffered harassment because of their ethnicity. Twenty-six percent of these suffered physical attacks, and 7 percent had their homes attacked.

Additionally, there are some reports of incidents of anti-Semitism. In 1992 there were 281 recorded crimes motivated by anti-Semitism, 239 of which were in London. This represents a decrease from 387 in 1991. Jewish groups interviewed did not highlight violence as a major concern for their community, but were concerned about increasing anti-Semitic rhetoric.²⁸ Radical Right Groups The British National Party (BNP) is an openly racist and nationalist party with a history connecting it to active neo-Nazi organizations. In September 1993, the BNP unexpectedly won its first political campaign in a by-election for a city council seat in the Millwall area of East London, after years of rarely polling more than 5 percent. Although the BNP lost this seat in May 1994, it has since frequently polled between 10-20 percent. While the British National Party is not considered directly responsible for a large degree of racist violence, it does recruit from skinhead and football hooligan groups that are involved in racist violence, and many believe that the party encourages racist violence.²⁹ Additionally, several leading members and supporters of the British National Party have criminal records for racially motivated crimes.

There is evidence that the BNP efforts to mobilize voters and activists does increase violence in ethnic communities. During the month of January 1994, following the first election victory of a BNP candidate, the number of reportedracist incidents increased by 300 percent in that area compared to January 1993.³⁰ Between 1991 and 1992, when the BNP established its headquarters in the Plumstead area of South East London, there was a 61 percent increase in the number of reported cases of racist violence³¹ as well as four racially motivated murders.³² The increase in this area took place at a time when violence in London was generally decreasing and there had been no reports of racist murders for many years.

While members of the BNP have been involved in a number of incidents of racist violence, the BNP attempts to present itself as a political party that seeks to gain support through democratic elections. Estimates of official BNP membership range from 1,500 to 2,500.

The leader of the BNP, John Tyndall, was convicted for a series of offenses in the 1960s ranging from assault to organizing and participating in paramilitary neo-Nazi activities. In 1986, he was convicted and sentenced to twelve months of imprisonment for conspiracy to publish material likely to incite racist hatred.³³

The national campaign organizer, Richard Edmunds and two other important members of the BNP were convicted of malicious wounding in September 1993 for their involvement in the stabbing of a black man. In an earlier incident in 1992, Edmunds was convicted of "affray"- bodily harm.34

Another leading organizer, Anthony Lecomber, was convicted under the Explosives Act for exploding a nail bomb and possessing hand grenades³⁵ in 1987 and was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. In 1990, he was convicted for bodily harm and in 1991 he was sentenced again to three years for assaulting a Jewish teacher.

It is the explicit aim of the militant group, Combat 18 (C18), to incite a race war. It has produced newsletters listing the names and addresses of individuals to be targeted for attack or murder. These lists include leftist, anti-racist and anti-fascist activists, as well as members of the Jewish, Asian and Afro-Caribbean communities. Accompanying these lists are instructions for making bombs and other weapons.

The language is explicitly intended to incite racist violence and terrorism. The periodicals have also been found in the hands of people who have carried out attacks on individuals listed, indicating that the language is also able to incite racist violence.

For example, above a list of names and addresses, there are phrases such as, "Death to Race Traitors," "Wanted Dead For Treason," "Exterminate `Em," "Kill `Em," and "Kill `Em All." In numerous cases, articles will praise reported incidents of racist violence or murder, claim responsibility, and/or encourage others to do the same.

One periodical with the heading "The White Wolves," which is thought to have been produced by Combat 18, describes in detail why racist violence is important to their political goals and encourages participation.

Simon Chadwick along with three other British National Party (BNP) members attacked a prominent Jewish solicitor, Danny Phillips, in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Before this incident Mr. Phillips and his family had been regularly harassed. Numerous phone callers had threatened to burn his family out of their home. BNP stickers had been placed over his office and a rock had been thrown through the window of his home. While investigating the assault on him, police found a C18 periodical on one of his assailants that listed Mr. Phillip's address and phone number with the caption, "Dead enemies are the best propaganda: the future belongs to us." The newsletter also published a list of Jewish students with their names and phone numbers and described them as "hooked-nosed vermin."36

Numerous other incidents show that militant groups frequently carry out violent acts against ethnic minorities and political activists who oppose racism and racist politics. Below are some examples: * In 1995, in the city of Kent, a fire was set in the house of Jill Emerson. She had been an active anti-fascist campaigner in the area. After one campaign, her name appeared in a periodical similar to that of Combat 18's called "Target." Police are treating the case as attempted murder.37

C On December 1, 1994, Gerry Gable, the editor of Searchlight, and a leading investigator into fascist organizations was sent a letter bomb, which was discovered and did not explode.

C On January 15, 1994, a gang of skinheads attacked Mushroom Books, a left-wing bookshop in Nottingham. In the planned attack, they stormed the shop attacking the staff, visitors and causing thousands of pounds of damage. The store manager was knocked unconscious. The police were reportedly quick to respond, arresting eleven of the gang who were only charged and convicted with threatening behavior and a sentence of two months. The court heard that those individuals who caused the most significant damage were not apprehended.38 In another case, members of C18 and the National Socialist Alliance severely beat two women. Although there were two witnesses from Grenada television, it took three weeks to interview one of them, while the second was never questioned.39

According to Michael Whine of the Institute of Jewish Affairs and Tony Robson of the Searchlight Information Service, which reports on fascist activity, investigations and prosecutions of Combat 18 activity have been very slow.

The homes of several leading C18 members were raided in January and March 1995. But according to Mr. Whine and Mr. Robson, the clues found during these raids were not being acted upon promptly by the CPS or the attorney general. The individuals targeted in the raids were not held in custody, but were charged with possession of racially inflammatory material. They also said that findingsfrom a raid on one of the figures a year ago is still languishing in the offices of the CPS.

William James Browning, twenty-five years old, and Paul David Sargent, thirty-five years old, are currently facing six charges of conspiracy and possession of material likely to incite racial hatred. Tony Robson of Searchlight considered these charges excessively light because these figures have a long established relationship with the militant C18. Under the current charges they face a maximum sentence of two years for each charge.40 They face trial, along with Martin Cross in March 1997. In January, 1997, Mark Atkinson and Robin Grey were charged with publishing "hit lists" in The Stormer.41

As of June 1995

#	Group	Charge	Place	Sentence
13	C18	Threatening behavior/ violent disorder	Nottingham	38 months
1	C18	Actual bodily harm	London	30 months
6	C18	Causing damage to Irish pub	London	1 year
4	C18	Attacked Chinese restaurant staff	Gr. Manchester	9-16 mon.
1	-	Wounding with intent	London	8 years
1	-	Racial abuse/attacking with dog	London	1 year
3	BNP	Attacked Labor Party member47 and mixed race youth	Teeside	2 years
1994
5	BNP	Attacked Omani Airmen	Blackpool	1 year/100 hrs svc.
1	-	Murder of Sudanese refugee	Brighton	Life
4	C18	Threatened woman in her home	Chelsea	2 years keeping the peace48
1	C18	Threatening words and behavior	Leeds	3 months
2	-	Grievous bodily harm	Birmingham	13 years
2	BNP	Burglary/arson	Blackpool	2 years
1	BNP	Actual bodily harm	Northampts.	1 year keeping the peace
1	-	wounding with intent to cause GBH	Hartlepool	7 years
1	BNSM	Possession of firearms/conspiracy to carry out armed robbery	Hucknall	78 months
3	-	Stabbed & ran over black man	London	5-7 years
3	NF/ BNP	Assault, abductions & possessing illegal firearms	Blackpool	1-3 years
1	-	Violent rampage	Richmond	4 years
1	NF	Possession of firearms	Scotland	54 months
3	BNP	Violent disorder	London	51 months49
1	C18	Violence	London	9 months
3	BNP	Violent disorder	Sunderland	18 months,3 years
1	BNP	Assault	Newcastle	12 months
1993
3	BNP	Criminal damage	London	-
1	-	Murder	Manchester	2 life sentences
1	-	Murder	Manchester	Life (At Her Majesty's Pleasure)
2	-	Manslaughter	Manchester	12-13 years
3	-	Murder of Rahullah Aramesh	London	Life
1	BNP	Affray	Mansfield	120 hours50