One in five British Sikhs has been the victim of racist abuse or discrimination in the past one year, including from public officials, according to a survey. The poll of 4,559 Sikhs released on Friday, by the Sikh Network, prompted calls from a committee of MPs for the Home Office to address the discrimination against Britain's 420,000 strong Sikh community.
Speaking to Asian Voice, a member of the community, who did not want to be named said, “I think that the statistics in that report are incorrect. I have not heard so many abuses among my peers or community."
However, Dr Rami Ranger CBE, Chairman of the British Sikh Association said, “Sadly, after Brexit there is a surge of racial attacks against minorities in Britain. The Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have made it clear that the Government will not tolerate such attacks in any shape or form.
“As a matter of fact, there can be no place for racism in society as racism can easily destroy social cohesion, which is essential for everyone to progress.
“Regrettably, most of the racial attacks particularly on Sikhs, are a result of mistaken identity. The fact of the matter is that Sikhs resemble Muslims in appearance and as most of the terrorist acts are being committed by Muslims, ordinary people mistake Sikhs for Muslims. Attacks on innocent Muslims must also be condemned as racism and must be nipped in the bud. Today it can be against Muslims but tomorrow it can be against Jews or other minorities. The cancer of racism if it gets hold in any society will be the end of civilisation as we know It.”
In July 2016, according to a report by the Home Office, after the Brexit, the mainstream media had reported at least 41% increase in hate crimes since July 2015.
Data from 31 police forces showed that 1,546 racially or religiously aggravated offences were recorded in the two weeks up to and including the day of the referendum on June 23. But in the fortnight immediately after the poll, the number climbed by almost half to 2,241.
In September, the National Police Chiefs’ Council released figures which showed the number of incidents rose by 58 per cent in the week following the vote to leave the EU.
