A number of religious groups have expressed their unease after the head of the Commission for Racial Equality, Trevor Philips called for a ‘highway code’ of rules to aid ease tensions in various race relations in the UK.
Philips has put forward that this would offer guidance for race relations in the same way that the Highway Code puts down rules to regulate the roads to avoid road accidents. Particularly concern has been raised as to Philips’ request for a discussion on whether minorities should take offence to being called “coloured”.Sonia Barron, the Church of England’s Officer for Minority Ethnic Concerns stated her opinion that this type of discussion could easily be perceived in a negative way.
Barron, according to the Church of England newspaper, said that racial minorities should not have to be drawn back to this debate. She said, “We’ve been there, and we’ve done that. We won the victory. We have to be careful because we could end up backing ourselves into a corner, and not being able to find a way out of it.”
It was emphasised by Barron that the Church seeks to encourage all Christians to stand up for racial justice. She said, “I do think it is very important we are seen to be inclusive. But if we are wanting to set up rules to regulate, we’re skating on thin ice. On issues where people are already marginalised, we don’t want to marginalise them more.”
A Muslim Council of Britain spokesperson stated that although many parts of the speech were highly useful, he had been worried by the new direction the debate was taken to, according to the Church of England newspaper.I do think it is very important we are seen to be inclusive. But if we are wanting to set up rules to regulate, we’re skating on thin ice. On issues where people are already marginalised, we don’t want to marginalise them more.
Sonia Barron, CofE's Officer for Minority Ethnic Concerns
At the Conservative Party fringe meeting, Philips said, “Globalisation means that the rules of multi-ethnic Britain are under constant challenge as we encounter new cultures and our own culture changes.
“We need a modern highway code for multi-ethnic Britain, our unwritten handbook for getting on with each other,” said Philips. The head of the Commission for Racial Equality then raised a number of example questions of the range of issues that were possibilities to be discussed in such a document.
