Priti Patel had fled Uganda to the UK when Idi Amin expelled Asians from the African country (File)
London:
Interior Minister Priti Patel, who recently shared her experience of dealing with racial abuse when she grew up in Britain, said she would not be “silenced” by Labor Party MPs. The opposition accused Ms. Patel of using her Indian heritage to “shed light on” the “real racism” faced by British communities.
In a statement to the House of Commons earlier this week, the Indian-born minister spoke of her personal experience of racial violence as an ethnic minority in the United Kingdom.
A group of 12 Labor Party parliamentarians from an ethnic minority, including Virendra Sharma, Tan Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill, Valerie Vaz, Seema Malhotra and Nadia Whittome, of Indian origin, wrote to Priti Patel on Thursday: “Being a person of color does not automatically mean making you an authority on all forms of racism. “
“We are writing to you as Black Asian and ethnic minority Labor MPs to express our dismay at how you have used your legacy and experiences of racism to highlight the very real racism faced by blacks and communities across the UK, “wrote MEPs.
Gas lighting refers to a form of psychological manipulation where seeds of doubt are planted against a particular idea.
In response to the letter, Priti Patel on Twitter said: “I will not be silenced by deputies @UKLabour who continue to reject contributions from those who do not conform to their views on the behavior of ethnic minorities . “
One day after clashes broke out between Black Lives Matter protesters and police, Ms. Patel condemned the violence perpetrated by a minority of protesters in a speech in the House of Commons.
Ms. Patel responded by referring to her own experiences when an opposition Labor Party member wondered if she fully understood the “anger and frustration” felt by anti-racist protesters protesting the brutal murder of the African-American George Floyd in police custody in the United States.
The minister, born to parents of Gujarati descent who fled Uganda to the United Kingdom when dictator Idi Amin expelled Asians from the African country in the early 1970s, said: “On this basis, it should be a very different Minister of the Interior who, as a child, was often called Paki in the playground; a very different Minister of the Interior who was the victim of racial violence in the streets or even advised to drop his last name and use that of her husband to advance his career … so when it comes to racism, sexism, tolerance or social justice, I will not take lessons on the other side of the House . “
In their letter of complaint, the group of 12 Labor MPs demands that Patel “reflect” on his words and the impact it has had on black communities in the United Kingdom.
“The structures of racism, hatred and equality have many layers and, therefore, while it is true, there are experiences of racism that we all face, there are also experiences of racism that we don’t all face, “reads the letter.
