Earlier this week, a disturbing video emerged from the UK, in which a young Asian boy could be seen being kicked and punched while he lay defenceless on the floor of Manchester Airport. Most reports said that three Greater Manchester police officers were first assaulted - one of whom was left with a broken nose - and that this led to the police response. One officer has been suspended after the incident - which, by the way, the right-wing Reform Party took no time in politicising as it praised the police action.
No national outrage followed the incident, barring some feeble debate about the alleged police brutality. Had a similar act been committed by an Indian police officer, the Western media would likely have judged the entire police force, emphasising India's poor human rights records.
Akhmed Yakoob, the lawyer for the Asian boy, described it as police brutality against people from BAME (British Asian and minority ethnic) backgrounds. A few people took to streets to protest the police action as the incident reminded them of the George Floyd assault in 2020, which spurred the Black Lives Matter movement across the West.
Racism, discrimination, and misogyny within Britain's police forces are pervasive. Last year, after a year-long official review of London's Met Police, reviewer Baroness Casey stated, "the force suffers from institutional racism, misogyny, and homophobia", further adding that "it was time for the force not to be in denial about these deep-rooted issues''.
Racism is not a feature limited to the police forces alone in the UK. Several recent official reports have highlighted racism in some premier British institutions, including the BBC, the armed forces, and various government offices. All of these are controlled primarily by White males. For non-Whites, reaching top positions in these institutions is next to impossible, and if at all that happens, it's........