Lee Jasper, the Mayor of London’s Policy Director for Equalities, has responded to reports that Trevor Phillips, currently head of the Commission for Racial Equality, will be appointed as chair of the new Commission for Equality and Human Rights.
Attacking Mr Phillips’ time at the CRE Jasper said his track record “is that the Commission for Racial Equality has been stymied over the last few years as an effective voice campaigning against racism and discrimination.”
Mr Jasper claimed “Trevor Phillips’ attacks on multiculturalism do not reflect the reality of life in London and are in no way supported by a majority of black Londoners” adding “the CRE has become pre-occupied with satisfying right wing commentators who see multiculturalism as the main enemy.”
“The real balance sheet is that the CRE has gone from giving full legal representation in eighty-one cases of alleged discrimination in 2002, to twenty-eight in 2003 to just three in 2005, with zero cases given ‘limited’ CRE representation in 2005.”
According to Mr Jasper “Black organisations across the country were absolutely unanimous in their view that the CRE should not be abolished whereas the CRE at its highest level was in a minority of one in backing Government plans to close the organisation until it was forced to abandon this position.”
