Thread by @LabourMuslims

🚨 The Forde Report and Islamophobia

Following the publication of the Forde Report today and the serious issues it raises relating to Islamophobia and racism, the Labour Muslim Network have put together the main reflections and conclusions.

A Thread🧵⬇️

Following nearly two years of evidence, scrutiny and investigation, the report concluded that there are ‘serious problems of discrimination in the operations of the Party.’

These include but are not limited to⬇️

🔴‘The undoubted overt & underlying racism and sexism apparent in some of the content of the WhatsApp messages between the Party’s most senior staff.’

🔴‘Racist, sexist & otherwise discriminatory behaviour’ feeding a ‘toxic culture’ within the highest levels of the organisation.

🔴 ‘A significant number of replies to [the] Call for Evidence - mainly from ordinary Party members - spelling out their experiences of discrimination - racism, islamophobia, sexism - in constituency parties and in Party processes.

🔴The ‘failure of Party officials at regional & national level to take such problems seriously'.

🔴‘Submissions from current & fmr member of staff describing their experiences of discrimination & of lack of sensitivity to issues of racism & sexism displayed by sen. management.’

🔴‘Culture of denialism across all factions in which many of the people involved...failed to accept that they may have acted in a way that is bullying, threatening, discriminatory or which perpetuates discriminatory behaviour..because they are committed to progressive politics.’

🚨Hierarchy of Racism

For many years there have been concerns raised, particularly amongst Muslim members of the Labour Party, that there is a hierarchy both in process and in intensity pertaining to different forms of discrimination within the Party.

🔴The report highlights that ‘the Party was in effect operating a hierarchy of racism or discrimination with other forms of racism [including islamophobia] being ignored. For a Party which seeks to be a standard bearer of progressive politics...this is an untenable situation.'

🔴The report goes on to suggest ‘a parallel approach is needed [between antisemitism and] with regard to islamophobia and that…both forms of prejudice & discrimination need to be integrated into a broader ethical anti-racism education programme.’

To read the full LMN briefing, including our official conclusion and comment, please head over to our website now⬇️
labourmuslims.org/post/lmn-brief…