Tory peers flag Suella Bravermans’ racist rhetoric

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Home Secretary Suella Braverman (PA Wire)

Suella Braverman has been accused of using racist rhetoric by a former Conservative co-chair of the party.

Baroness Sayeeda Warsi denounced a number of remarks by the Home Secretary and said it had to stop.

The Tory counterpart did not say which specific remarks she was referring to as racist, but pointed to Ms Bravermans’ comments about small boats crossing the English Channel and her singling out of British Pakistani men over concerns about gangs of grooming.

This follows letters sent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak calling on him to act on rhetoric from Ms Bravermans, including the British Pakistan Foundation, who accused the Home Secretary of seeking to portray all British Pakistani men in a divisive and dangerous way.

Speaking to LBC, Lady Warsi said: I think the Prime Minister needs to send a very strong message that this kind of rhetoric, whether it’s on small boats, whether it’s the things she was saying at the weekend- end that are not evidence-based, not nuanced, in no way explanatory, it has to stop.

And you know, again today we woke up to a story where she goes after the police for removing golliwog dolls from a pub.

Later in the interview, she said, “I don’t think any of my colleagues can use their skin pigment as some sort of defense mechanism to say they’re not racist. You know, brown people can be racist too.

When asked if she called the Home Secretary a racist, she replied: I call his rhetoric racist. I am.

She continued: I say that as someone who experienced racism growing up in, you know, the 70s and 80s. It’s not a term that I use freely.

And it’s definitely not a term I use easily when talking about another woman of color. Another parliamentarian of color. But I think one way or another we have to call this out.

The Tory peer also told the Mirror: I really felt with the change in leadership with Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister that we were going back to some level of adult politics. I just think the Home Secretary keeps dragging him down the drain.

The story continues

She said: I think we need to make it clear that this will not be our strategy for the next 18 months of racist rhetoric and mob uprising.

Further criticizing Ms Bravermans’ remarks, Lady Warsi added: There is either a problem of deliberate divisive rhetoric or a problem of jurisdiction, but in either case prime ministers need to get on top of the issue.

Essex Police have denied being directly reprimanded by the Home Secretary for sending five officers to seize a collection of dolls believed to be racist from a pub.

On April 2, Ms Braverman was speaking about government measures to tackle grooming gangs when she singled out British Pakistani men as a major source of concern.

Ms Braverman has been criticized for repeatedly alluding to cases, including in Rotherham and Rochdale, involving groups of men of predominantly Pakistani origin.

She described a predominance of certain ethnic groups and I say British Pakistani men who have cultural values ​​that are totally at odds with British values, who view women in a demeaning and illegitimate way and pursue an outdated and downright abhorrent approach in terms of of behavior.

His language has been criticized by some activists, with the NSPCC stressing that only considering race can create new blind spots.

A Home Office spokesperson said: The Home Office has made it clear that all despicable child abusers must be brought to justice. And she won’t shy away from speaking hard truths, especially when it comes to grooming young women and girls in British cities who have been abandoned by the authorities for decades.

As the Home Secretary has said, the vast majority of British-Pakistanis are upstanding, law-abiding citizens, but independent reports have been unequivocal that in towns like Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford, cultural sensitivities caused thousands of young girls to be abused under the noses of the councils. and police.

That’s why we’ve announced a series of measures, including a new police task force and mandatory reporting, to ensure this horrific scandal never happens again and bring groom gang members to justice for the victims.

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