Category: race discrimination

New Judgment: R (on the application of Z and Anor) (AP) v Hackney London Borough Council and Anor [2020] UKSC 40 – UKSC Blog

Posted October 19th, 2020 in appeals, charities, equality, housing, Judaism, landlord & tenant, local government, news, race discrimination, Supreme Court by sally

‘The Supreme Court unanimously dismissed this appeal about the application of anti-discrimination law to charities, where they are established to provide benefits (in this case, social housing) for particular groups which are the subject of their charitable objectives. The relevant anti-discrimination laws are contained in the Equality Act 2010 and Council Directive 2000/43/EC of 29 June 2000 (the “Race Directive”).’

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UKSC Blog, 16th October 2020

Source: ukscblog.com

UK supreme court backs housing charity’s ‘Jewish only’ rule – The Guardian

Posted October 19th, 2020 in appeals, charities, equality, housing, Judaism, landlord & tenant, local government, news, race discrimination, Supreme Court by sally

‘A woman seeking housing in east London who alleged racial discrimination when a housing charity reserved its properties for Orthodox Jewish people has lost her case at the supreme court.’

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The Guardian, 16th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Crimes linked to race and religion rise in England and Wales – The Guardian

Posted October 14th, 2020 in demonstrations, disability discrimination, disabled persons, hate crime, news, police, race discrimination, racism, religiously aggravated offences, sexual orientation discrimination, statistics, transgender persons by sally

‘The number of racially or religiously aggravated offences in England and Wales rose in June and July, most likely linked to Black Lives Matters rallies and far-right counter-protests, the Home Office has said.’

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The Guardian, 13th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Do Our Human Rights Protect Black Britons Equally? – Each Other

Posted October 14th, 2020 in coronavirus, equality, human rights, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘Human rights are supposed to apply to all of us equally – yet three quarters of Black people in Britain feel theirs are less protected than their white counterparts. Racism lies at the root of this inequality, writes Nadine Batchelor-Hunt.’

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Each Other, 13th October 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Watchdog investigates Met officers over Bianca Williams’ treatment – The Guardian

Posted October 9th, 2020 in equality, news, ombudsmen, police, professional conduct, race discrimination, racism, stop and search by sally

‘Five police officers are under disciplinary investigation after they stopped and handcuffed the British athlete Bianca Williams and her partner, the police watchdog has announced.’

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The Guardian, 8th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Supreme Court President Lord Reed wants more diversity in Supreme Court – BBC News

Posted October 5th, 2020 in barristers, diversity, equality, government departments, judges, judicial review, judiciary, legal profession, news, race discrimination, racism, Supreme Court by sally

‘The new Supreme Court president says he hopes a justice from an ethnic minority background will be appointed before his retirement in six years’ time. Lord Reed said the lack of diversity among the 12 Supreme Court justices was a situation “which cannot be allowed to become shameful if it persists”.’

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BBC News, 5th October 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

UK barrister mistaken for defendant calls for compulsory anti-racism training – The Guardian

Posted September 28th, 2020 in barristers, complaints, courts, diversity, equality, legal education, legal profession, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘The barrister who was mistaken for a defendant three times in one day at court has called for compulsory anti-racism training at every level of the UK legal system.’

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The Guardian, 26th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dozens of Asian lawyers say they have been mistaken for defendants – The Guardian

Posted September 28th, 2020 in barristers, courts, diversity, equality, Law Society, legal profession, news, race discrimination, racism, solicitors, Solicitors Regulation Authority, statistics by sally

‘More than 20 Asian lawyers have come forward to say they have been mistaken for defendants in court, in the same week that the black barrister Alexandra Wilson said the same had happened to her three times in a day.’

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The Guardian, 25th September 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

For Black Lives To Matter In The UK, Our Deportation Laws Need Reform – Each Other

Posted September 22nd, 2020 in deportation, detention, human rights, minorities, news, race discrimination, sentencing by sally

‘Black Lives Matter. This was the refrain heard throughout this summer’s protests seeking to condemn and draw attention to disproportionate black deaths in both American and British state custody.’

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Each Other, 21st September 2020

Source: eachother.org.uk

Do black lives matter in the employment justice system? – Garden Court Chambers

Posted September 14th, 2020 in barristers, chambers articles, diversity, employment, employment tribunals, equality, judiciary, legal profession, legal representation, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘Paper produced by Mukhtiar Singh of the Garden Court Employment and Discrimination Law Team.’

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Garden Court Chambers, 14th September 2020

Source: www.gardencourtchambers.co.uk

Ensuring the lawfulness of automated facial recognition surveillance in the UK – Oxford Human Rights Hub

Posted September 9th, 2020 in data protection, equality, facial mapping, human rights, investigatory powers, news, police, privacy, race discrimination, sex discrimination, Wales by sally

‘In R(Bridges) v South Wales Police, the England and Wales Court of Appeal reviewed the lawfulness of the use of live automated facial recognition technology (‘AFR’) by the South Wales Police Force. CCTV camera­­s capture images of the public, which are then compared with digital images of persons on a watchlist.’

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Oxford Human Rights Hub, 3rd September 2020

Source: ohrh.law.ox.ac.uk

BSB pilots reverse race mentoring for senior White barristers – Legal Futures

Posted September 4th, 2020 in barristers, diversity, equality, news, pilot schemes, race discrimination, racism by sally

The Bar Standards Board (BSB) has launched a pilot reverse mentoring scheme, in which Bar students and junior barristers from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds mentor senior White barristers.

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Legal Futures, 3rd September 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Policing Our Privacy – Where Does the Law Lie? – 39 Essex Chambers

Posted August 27th, 2020 in computer programs, data protection, equality, facial mapping, judicial review, minorities, news, police, privacy, race discrimination by sally

‘Last Tuesday the Court of Appeal (Sir Terence Etherton MR, Dame Victoria Sharp PQBD and Singh LJ) allowed the appeal of the civil liberties campaigner, Edward Bridges, against the decision of the Divisional Court which had dismissed his claim for judicial review of South Wales Police Force’s use of live automated facial recognition technology (“AFR”).’

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39 Essex Chambers, 17th August 2020

Source: www.39essex.com

Black organiser of UK anti-racism rally threatened with arrest – The Guardian

Posted August 25th, 2020 in coronavirus, demonstrations, health & safety, judicial review, news, police, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘A black community activist has accused police of discrimination after he was threatened with arrest and prosecution for organising an upcoming anti-racism protest march in London.’

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The Guardian, 25th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

BAME children three times more likely to have a Taser weapon used on them by police – The Guardian

Posted August 17th, 2020 in children, equality, firearms, news, police, proportionality, race discrimination, statistics, young offenders, young persons by sally

‘Children from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds are almost three times more likely to have a Taser electronic weapon used on them by police than their white counterparts.’

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The Guardian, 16th August 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mayor defeats Court of Appeal challenge to removal of congestion charge exemption from minicab drivers – Local Government Lawyer

Posted August 14th, 2020 in appeals, congestion charges, disability discrimination, disabled persons, equality, local government, London, news, race discrimination, sex discrimination, taxis, trade unions by sally

‘The Court of Appeal has found for the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan in a case brought by minicab drivers, despite judges being troubled by aspects of his actions.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 13th August 2020

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Challenging the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities – Doughty Street Chambers

Posted August 14th, 2020 in chambers articles, equality, homosexuality, inquiries, judicial review, news, race discrimination, racism, sexual orientation discrimination by sally

‘The recent appointment of Dr Tony Sewell as head of the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities has been cause for concern for racial justice campaigners. In an article in Prospect magazine, Dr Sewell stated that he believed institutional racism has given black children “the discourse of the victim” and he has recently had to apologise for making “wrong and offensive” comments about gay men.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 12th August 2020

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

Facial Recognition Technology not “In Accordance with Law” – UK Human Rights Blog

Posted August 14th, 2020 in appeals, data protection, equality, facial mapping, human rights, investigatory powers, news, pilot schemes, privacy, proportionality, race discrimination, sex discrimination, Wales by sally

‘The Court of Appeal, overturning a Divisional Court decision, has found the use of a facial recognition surveillance tool used by South Wales Police to be in breach of Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). The case was brought by Liberty on behalf of privacy and civil liberties campaigner Ed Bridges. The appeal was upheld on the basis that the interference with Article 8 of the ECHR, which guarantees a right to privacy and family life, was not “in accordance with law” due to an insufficient legal framework. However, the court found that, had it been in accordance with law, the interference caused by the use of facial recognition technology would not have been disproportionate to the goal of preventing crime. The court also found that Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) was deficient, and that the South Wales Police (SWP), who operated the technology, had not fulfilled their Public Sector Equality Duty.’

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UK Human Rights Blog, 13th August 2020

Source: ukhumanrightsblog.com

Police’s Automated Facial Recognition Deployments Ruled Unlawful by the Court of Appeal – Doughty Street Chambers

Posted August 13th, 2020 in appeals, chambers articles, data protection, equality, facial mapping, human rights, investigatory powers, news, pilot schemes, police, privacy, proportionality, race discrimination, sex discrimination, Wales by sally

‘R. (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales [2020] EWCA Civ 1058 [2020] 8 WLUK 64 is thought to be the first case in the world to consider the use of facial recognition technology by law enforcement agencies. In this short article, we explore the judgment and its implications for the deployment of these and similar technologies in future.’

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Doughty Street Chambers, 12th August 2020

Source: insights.doughtystreet.co.uk

Let’s face it: use of automated facial recognition technology by the police – UK Police Law Blog

Posted August 12th, 2020 in appeals, data protection, equality, facial mapping, human rights, investigatory powers, news, pilot schemes, police, privacy, proportionality, race discrimination, sex discrimination, Wales by sally

‘The case of R (Bridges) v Chief Constable of South Wales Police & Information Commissioner [2020] EWCA Civ 1058 (handed down on 11 August 2020) was an appeal from what is said to have been the first claim brought before a court anywhere on planet earth concerning the use by police of automated facial recognition (“AFR”) technology. There could be nothing wrong with posting scores of police officers with eidetic memories to look out for up to a 800 wanted persons at public gatherings. So why not use a powerful computer, capable of matching 50 faces a second with a database of (under) 800 suspects, to do this job much more cheaply and instantaneously, flagging any matches to a human operator for final assessment? According to the Court of Appeal in Bridges, this system constitutes an interference with Article 8 rights which is not such as is in accordance with the law, but which (critically) would be proportionate if a sufficiently narrow local policy were framed.’

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UK Police Law Blog, 11th August 2020

Source: ukpolicelawblog.com