Racism has ‘no place in Scotland’

Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC) is an equality organisation, and this morning in the wake of the demonstrations of support for Black Lives Matter they have offered us their views.

Foysol Choudhury MBE, Chair of ELREC said: “ELREC condemns all forms of discrimination and inequality whether it is at work, in public life, or in education.  

“Equality is about ensuring that each person has an equal opportunity in society. For example, a person’s background, ethnicity, disability, skin colour, culture and religion should not determine or undermine these basic human rights.  We work to eliminate all forms of discrimination and inequalities and promote human rights.

“These basic rights are based on shared values such as dignity, fairness, equality, respect and independence. These values are defined and protected by laws which we should follow. Disregarding people’s legal rights, because of skin colour and culture, is totally unacceptable. 

“Racism has no place in Scotland or anywhere else, diversity is a strength and should be used to progress our society and not seen as a weakness or a threat. Only when we change these negative thoughts to positive ones, that we will see a change for the better.”