Race Equality

Addressing racist incidents

Photo of some school children sitting on a bench

The experience of racism and the impact on children and their families and friends should not be underestimated.

This is one reason why the Lawrence definition emphasises the perceptions of the person on the receiving end, as well as any witnesses. Those on the receiving end of racist words and behaviour are often faced by the disbelief of those in authority.

As a reminder, a racist incident is defined within the Lawrence Report as:

‘any incident that is perceived to be racist by the victim or any other person'.

The definition also opens the way to supporting teachers and support staff who witness a racist incident in an all-white school, or who discover racist graffiti on or around school premises.

There must be adequate support available to both the individual (‘victim’) and perpetrator.

There is still much work to be done in schools to identify and address racist incidents. The following pages provide a good starting point for any individual teacher or staff group looking to develop effective responses to racist incidents.

Religious intolerance and overt religious hostility never seem too far from the surface of daily life in Scotland. The Criminal Justice (Scotland) Act (2003) introduced provision for offences aggravated by religious prejudice. The courts must now take that element into account and state what additional part of the sentence takes account of the aggravation. In the first eight months, the police reported 262 such cases to the Procurator Fiscal.

Racist behaviour is damaging to society in general and, in particular, to those groups and individuals towards whom it is directed. Racial harassment is a direct and often violent form of racism. It can take place in any school, regardless of the number of pupils from different ethnic backgrounds on the roll. It could be argued that there is a particular need for vigilance where there are isolated populations.

Schools play a key role in promoting good relations and mutual respect and tolerance between different racial groups.