The authors of the controversial government-backed report into racial and ethnic disparities in the UK have responded to criticism saying that strong disagreement with the review's findings has "tipped into misrepresentation."

The 258-page report, published on Wednesday, concludes that there is no evidence proving that institutional racism exists in the UK – and the specific term should be applied only when deep-seated racism can be proven on a systemic level and not be used as a general catch-all phrase.

"Put simply we no longer see a Britain where the system is deliberately rigged against ethnic minorities," reads the report. 

READ MORE

UK's gaming industry booming post-Brexit

Where in Europe is same-sex marriage legal?

The Agenda: European vaccine procurement

On Friday, the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities behind the report released a statement responding to critics, accusing them of wilfully misrepresenting the review and attacking the authors in a way it called "irresponsible and dangerous."

"The impediments and disparities do exist, they are varied, and ironically very few of them are directly to do with racism. Too often 'racism' is the catch-all explanation, and can be simply implicitly accepted rather than explicitly examined."

The authors say that, rather than racism, geography, family influence, socio-economic background, culture and religion have more significant impact on an individual's life chances. 

Widespread backlash

The overwhelming response to the report's findings was a widespread backlash among politicians and those in the general public who found that the review ignores the disparities still affecting minority communities in the country, exacerbated by COVID-19. 

Labour MP Clive Lewis, who in response to the report tweeted a picture of a Ku Klux Klan member burning a cross with the caption "Move along, nothing to see here #RaceReport," received a direct mention in the Commission's statement.

"One MP presented commissioners as members of the KKK. Robust debate we welcome. But to depict us as racism deniers, slavery apologists or worse is unacceptable," the statement reads.

The initial tweet by former shadow defense secretary Lewis was followed by another in which the politician specified that "To be crystal clear this image represents structural racism. Just so we're clear."

Cultural transformation

One of the most contested sections of the report says that there's a "new story" to be told about the slave trade that will include "how culturally African people transformed themselves into a remodelled African/Britain."

The claim was interpreted by critics of the report as trying to give a positive twist to slavery, an idea that the authors found "as absurd as it is offensive to every one of us."

"The report merely says that in the face of the inhumanity of slavery, African people preserved their humanity and culture," retorted the authors. 

"The Commission's recommendation for the government to create inclusive curriculum resources is about teaching these histories which often do not get the attention they deserve."

The authors also argued that critics of the report fail to see the progress made in the country to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and to acknowledge the 24 recommendations for improvement drawn in the paper.

"We have never said that racism does not exist in society or in institutions. We say the contrary: Racism is real and we must do more to tackle it," read the statement. 

Among the review's recommendations, aimed at building trust, creating agency and promoting fairness among minority communities, is one for the government to increase funding to the Equality and Human Rights Commission to challenge racist and discriminatory actions. 

"We hope that going forward, the report will be read carefully and considered in the round," conclude the authors in their lengthy statement.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who appointed the Commission following Black Lives Matter protests in the country last year, said the report is an "important piece of work."