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Waltham Forest: extensive inquiry into racial harassment

01 January 1991

Waltham Forest: extensive inquiry into racial harassment
artdoc May=1991

A two-year inquiry set up by Waltham Forest Council, has produced a
report entitled `Beneath the Surface' that concludes that local
politicians have failed to get to grips with the deep-rooted problems of
racial harassment in Waltham Forest. The councillors and council
officers who sat on the Inquiry took verbal and written evidence from 90
individuals, organisations and representatives of authorities, and have
produced 60 recommendations for further action. Walthamstow, the report
states, is the worst area in the borough for racial harassment, with
Priory Court being the estate with the highest recorded racial
harassment problem.
The report received coverage in both the local and national press.
According to the Guardian (12.10.90) `Harassed Asians' are `fatalistic
over attacks'. Duncan Campbell focuses on the case of Asrof Ali, who
had his nose broken after two neighbours attacked him in his home. Many
of the black people interviewed for the report said they no longer
bothered to report attacks to the police. The Times Educational
Supplement (10.10.90) concentrates on the reports findings on the
situation in Waltham Forest schools, where 17% of all racist incidents
reported to the inquiry take place. Yet, attacks in schools are neither
reported nor monitored.

IRR Police-Media Bulletin, no 65. Institute of Race Relations, 2-6 Leeke
Street, London WC1X 9HS