<p>Hundreds of Google employees and contractors in Asia staged brief midday walkouts on Thursday, with thousands more expected to follow at offices worldwide, amid complaints of sexism, racism and unchecked executive power in their workplace.</p>

<p>In a statement late Wednesday, the organizers called on Google parent Alphabet Inc to add an employee representative to its board of directors and internally share pay-equity data. They also asked for changes to Google's human resources practices intended to make bringing harassment claims a fairer process.</p>

<p>Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in a statement that "employees have raised constructive ideas" and that the company was "taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action."</p>

<p>The dissatisfaction among Alphabet's 94,000 employees and tens of thousands more contractors has not noticeably affected company shares. But employees expect Alphabet to face recruiting and retention challenges if their concerns go unaddressed.</p>

<p>The demonstrations follow a New York Times report last week that said Google in 2014 gave a $90 million exit package to Andy Rubin after the then-senior vice president was accused of sexual harassment.</p>

<p>Rubin denied the allegation in the story, which he also said contained "wild exaggerations" about his compensation. Google did not dispute the report.</p>

<p>The report energized a months-long movement inside Google to increase diversity, improve treatment of women and minorities and ensure the company upholds its motto of "don't be evil" as it expands.</p>

<p>Much of the organizing earlier this year was internal, including petition drives, brainstorming sessions with top executives and training from the workers' rights group Coworker.org.</p>

<p>On Thursday, employees posted on social media about the walkout and were set to deliver speeches in public plazas.</p>

<p>Since its founding two decades ago, Google has been known around the world for its exceptional transparency with workers. Executives' goals and insights into corporate strategy have been accessible to any employee.</p>

<p>But organizers said Google executives, like leaders at other companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address some structural issues.</p>

<p>"While Google has championed the language of diversity and inclusion, substantive actions to address systemic racism, increase equity, and stop sexual harassment have been few and far between," organizers stated.</p>

<p>They said Google must publicly report its sexual harassment statistics and end forced arbitration in harassment cases. In addition, they asked that the chief diversity officer be able to directly advise the board.</p>


Hundreds of Google employees and contractors in Asia staged brief midday walkouts on Thursday, with thousands more expected to follow at offices worldwide, amid complaints of sexism, racism and unchecked executive power in their workplace.

Hundreds of Google employees and contractors in Asia staged brief midday walkouts on Thursday, with thousands more expected to follow at offices worldwide, amid complaints of sexism, racism and unchecked executive power in their workplace. In a statement late Wednesday, the organizers called on Google parent Alphabet Inc to add an employee representative to its board of directors and internally share pay-equity data. They also asked for changes to Google's human resources practices intended to make bringing harassment claims a fairer process. Google Chief Executive Sundar Pichai said in a statement that "employees have raised constructive ideas" and that the company was "taking in all their feedback so we can turn these ideas into action." The dissatisfaction among Alphabet's 94,000 employees and tens of thousands more contractors has not noticeably affected company shares. But employees expect Alphabet to face recruiting and retention challenges if their concerns go unaddressed. The demonstrations follow a New York Times report last week that said Google in 2014 gave a $90 million exit package to Andy Rubin after the then-senior vice president was accused of sexual harassment. Rubin denied the allegation in the story, which he also said contained "wild exaggerations" about his compensation. Google did not dispute the report. The report energized a months-long movement inside Google to increase diversity, improve treatment of women and minorities and ensure the company upholds its motto of "don't be evil" as it expands. Much of the organizing earlier this year was internal, including petition drives, brainstorming sessions with top executives and training from the workers' rights group Coworker.org. On Thursday, employees posted on social media about the walkout and were set to deliver speeches in public plazas. Since its founding two decades ago, Google has been known around the world for its exceptional transparency with workers. Executives' goals and insights into corporate strategy have been accessible to any employee. But organizers said Google executives, like leaders at other companies affected by the #metoo movement, have been slow to address some structural issues. "While Google has championed the language of diversity and inclusion, substantive actions to address systemic racism, increase equity, and stop sexual harassment have been few and far between," organizers stated. They said Google must publicly report its sexual harassment statistics and end forced arbitration in harassment cases. In addition, they asked that the chief diversity officer be able to directly advise the board.

Google workers walk out to protest office harassment, inequality

<p>Former US president Barack Obama warned Friday against rising nationalism as he painted a grim picture of American and global politics on a visit to Denmark.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"I'm concerned enough about the international and American trends that I thought it was important to offer my views," he told entrepreneurs and students in the Danish central city of Kolding.&nbsp;</p>

<p>"When you start seeing our politics driven completely free of facts, when you start seeing a debate that is driven solely on racial or nationalistic impulses, when you start seeing a rejection of science and expertise and logic in politics... we are beyond the sort of politics that will continue our best traditions," he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Relatively discreet since leaving the White House on January 20, 2017, the 44th President of the United States carefully avoided any direct reference to his successor Donald Trump.</p>

<p>"Maybe we got more jolt and more change than we expected in the US," Obama said, drawing laughter from the crowd.&nbsp;</p>

<p>He expressed concern over a lack of citizen engagement in public life and underlined the importance in the United States, Europe, and in other countries "to affirm the ideals of our constitution."</p>

<p>Referring to the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS)'s arrival in power in Poland and the fiercely anti-immigration government in Hungary, Obama said: "there is a shift that has implications for all of Europe."</p>

<p>"When a population is passive and ill-informed and not paying attention, that's when there is the greatest danger."</p>


Former US president Barack Obama warned Friday against rising nationalism as he painted a grim picture of American and global politics on a visit to Denmark. "I'm concerned enough about the international and American trends that I thought it was important to offer my views," he told entrepreneurs and students in the Danish central city of Kolding.

Former US president Barack Obama warned Friday against rising nationalism as he painted a grim picture of American and global politics on a visit to Denmark. "I'm concerned enough about the international and American trends that I thought it was important to offer my views," he told entrepreneurs and students in the Danish central city of Kolding. "When you start seeing our politics driven completely free of facts, when you start seeing a debate that is driven solely on racial or nationalistic impulses, when you start seeing a rejection of science and expertise and logic in politics... we are beyond the sort of politics that will continue our best traditions," he added. Relatively discreet since leaving the White House on January 20, 2017, the 44th President of the United States carefully avoided any direct reference to his successor Donald Trump. "Maybe we got more jolt and more change than we expected in the US," Obama said, drawing laughter from the crowd. He expressed concern over a lack of citizen engagement in public life and underlined the importance in the United States, Europe, and in other countries "to affirm the ideals of our constitution." Referring to the right-wing populist Law and Justice Party (PiS)'s arrival in power in Poland and the fiercely anti-immigration government in Hungary, Obama said: "there is a shift that has implications for all of Europe." "When a population is passive and ill-informed and not paying attention, that's when there is the greatest danger."

Obama warns against 'racial', 'nationalistic' politics

<p>Filmmaker Taika Waititi says racists will see red after the release of his upcoming film "Jojo Rabbit".</p>

<p>The "Thor: Ragnarok" director, who has started shooting for his next, a World War II satire, is 'excited'&nbsp;about irking the supremacists, as reported.</p>

<p>"I'm stoked to begin shooting my anti-war satire. We've assembled an incredible cast and I couldn't be more excited to finally ridicule Nazis and their beliefs.</p>

<p>"This film is going to piss off a lot of racists and that makes me very happy," Waititi said.</p>

<p>He has penned the script and is also attached as producer along with Carthew Neal and Chelsea Winstanley.</p>

<p>The film is about a young German boy (Roman Griffin), who finds out that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home.</p>

<p>The boy, Jojo Rabbit, is a young Hitler Youth recruit whose imaginary friend takes the form of Hitler himself. However, after he forms a bond with the girl, he comes to appreciate their shared humanity.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Rebel Wilson will play an instructor at a Hitler Youth camp, while Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell will play the man running the camp.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Waititi is playing the imaginary Hitler.</p>

<p>The date of release is yet to be announced.</p>


Filmmaker Taika Waititi says racists will see red after the release of his upcoming film 'Jojo Rabbit'

Filmmaker Taika Waititi says racists will see red after the release of his upcoming film "Jojo Rabbit". The "Thor: Ragnarok" director, who has started shooting for his next, a World War II satire, is 'excited' about irking the supremacists, as reported. "I'm stoked to begin shooting my anti-war satire. We've assembled an incredible cast and I couldn't be more excited to finally ridicule Nazis and their beliefs. "This film is going to piss off a lot of racists and that makes me very happy," Waititi said. He has penned the script and is also attached as producer along with Carthew Neal and Chelsea Winstanley. The film is about a young German boy (Roman Griffin), who finds out that his mother (Scarlett Johansson) is hiding a Jewish girl in their home. The boy, Jojo Rabbit, is a young Hitler Youth recruit whose imaginary friend takes the form of Hitler himself. However, after he forms a bond with the girl, he comes to appreciate their shared humanity. Rebel Wilson will play an instructor at a Hitler Youth camp, while Oscar-winner Sam Rockwell will play the man running the camp. Waititi is playing the imaginary Hitler. The date of release is yet to be announced.

'Jojo Rabbit' will make a lot of racists angry, says Taika Waititi

<p>Thousands of anti-racism campaigners, left-wingers and techno lovers are expected to pack the streets of Berlin on Sunday to protest a rally called by the far-right AfD party, with police deploying in force to keep the peace.</p>

<p>Uniting under the banner "Stop the hatred", counter-demonstrators say they want to drown out the march by the anti-immigration, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD).</p>

<p>But AfD members have accused some opponents of threatening to use violence.</p>

<p>The party's "Future of Germany" march, slated to start outside Berlin's main train station at midday (1000 GMT) and end at the iconic Brandenburg Gate, marks the first public show of strength by the nationalist outfit since it became the largest opposition party.</p>

<p>Scheduled to address the crowd are top AfD'ers Joerg Meuthen and Alexander Gauland, who regularly rail against Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow in large numbers of mostly Muslim refugees at the height of Europe's migrant crisis.</p>

<p>"We want to show everyone that along with millions of Germans across the country we are worried about Germany's future," Berlin AfD chief Georg Pazderski told a pre-march press conference.</p>

<p>After predicting 10,000 AfD supporters would show up, organisers later scaled back expectations to "at least 2,500 to 5,000".</p>

<p>Pazderski said many still feared being "stigmatised" for showing their AfD colours, even after the party took nearly 13 percent of the vote and won its first seats in the national parliament in last year's elections.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Bass </strong><strong>away</strong><strong> the AfD</strong></p>

<p>If confirmed, the AfD turnout could be dwarfed by a slate of counter-demos.</p>

<p>The most eye-catching promises to be a huge dance party by over 100 clubs from Berlin's legendary techno scene, who want to use boats on the river Spree and a convoy of trucks to "bass away" the AfD.</p>

<p>"The Berlin club culture is everything that Nazis are not," they said in a statement.</p>

<p>"We are progressive, queer, feminist, anti-racist, inclusive, colourful and we have unicorns."</p>

<p>More than 9,000 dance fans have said they will attend, according to the event's Facebook page.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Thousands of others have vowed to join a mass anti-AfD protest organised by a collection of groups including political parties, unions, student bodies, migrant advocates and civil society organisations.</p>

<p>"We won't leave the streets to the AfD," said Nora Berneis of the "Stop the hatred, stop the AfD" alliance.</p>

<p>Although the vast majority of counter-demonstrators are expected to be peaceful, members of the far-left extremist Antifa movement have on their website called for "chaos", urging sympathisers "to sabotage the AfD rally using all necessary means".</p>

<p>Berlin police said they plan to deploy 2,000 officers, drafted in from across Germany, to prevent clashes and any attempts "to block the right to free speech".</p>

<p><strong>Rape threats</strong></p>

<p>Founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party, the AfD rose to prominence by capitalising on widespread anger over the arrival of over a million asylum seekers in Germany since 2015.</p>

<p>It now holds more than 90 seats in the Bundestag where its presence has changed the tone of debate.</p>

<p>Just this month, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel earned herself a formal rebuke from the parliamentary speaker for describing immigrants as "headscarf girls, welfare-claiming, knife-wielding men and other good-for-nothings".</p>

<p>Merkel's left-right coalition government has responded to the AfD's rise by tightening asylum policies, but the party continues to climb in opinion polls -- exposing the divisions in German society.</p>

<p>In a sign of the simmering tensions, lawmaker Renate Kuenast of the opposition Greens party was deluged with thousands of hateful comments after posting a video online urging people to join Sunday's anti-AfD demos.</p>

<p>The posts included rape threats and calls for her to kill herself.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Kuenast responded with a second Facebook video in which she vowed to file complaints against the worst messages, and said nothing would deter her from marching.</p>

<p>"I am now more than ever calling for people to join us in demonstrating on Sunday," she said.</p>


Thousands of anti-racism campaigners, left-wingers and techno lovers are expected to pack the streets of Berlin on Sunday to protest a rally called by the far-right AfD party, with police deploying in force to keep the peace

Thousands of anti-racism campaigners, left-wingers and techno lovers are expected to pack the streets of Berlin on Sunday to protest a rally called by the far-right AfD party, with police deploying in force to keep the peace. Uniting under the banner "Stop the hatred", counter-demonstrators say they want to drown out the march by the anti-immigration, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD). But AfD members have accused some opponents of threatening to use violence. The party's "Future of Germany" march, slated to start outside Berlin's main train station at midday (1000 GMT) and end at the iconic Brandenburg Gate, marks the first public show of strength by the nationalist outfit since it became the largest opposition party. Scheduled to address the crowd are top AfD'ers Joerg Meuthen and Alexander Gauland, who regularly rail against Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow in large numbers of mostly Muslim refugees at the height of Europe's migrant crisis. "We want to show everyone that along with millions of Germans across the country we are worried about Germany's future," Berlin AfD chief Georg Pazderski told a pre-march press conference. After predicting 10,000 AfD supporters would show up, organisers later scaled back expectations to "at least 2,500 to 5,000". Pazderski said many still feared being "stigmatised" for showing their AfD colours, even after the party took nearly 13 percent of the vote and won its first seats in the national parliament in last year's elections. Bass away the AfD If confirmed, the AfD turnout could be dwarfed by a slate of counter-demos. The most eye-catching promises to be a huge dance party by over 100 clubs from Berlin's legendary techno scene, who want to use boats on the river Spree and a convoy of trucks to "bass away" the AfD. "The Berlin club culture is everything that Nazis are not," they said in a statement. "We are progressive, queer, feminist, anti-racist, inclusive, colourful and we have unicorns." More than 9,000 dance fans have said they will attend, according to the event's Facebook page. Thousands of others have vowed to join a mass anti-AfD protest organised by a collection of groups including political parties, unions, student bodies, migrant advocates and civil society organisations. "We won't leave the streets to the AfD," said Nora Berneis of the "Stop the hatred, stop the AfD" alliance. Although the vast majority of counter-demonstrators are expected to be peaceful, members of the far-left extremist Antifa movement have on their website called for "chaos", urging sympathisers "to sabotage the AfD rally using all necessary means". Berlin police said they plan to deploy 2,000 officers, drafted in from across Germany, to prevent clashes and any attempts "to block the right to free speech". Rape threats Founded in 2013 as an anti-euro party, the AfD rose to prominence by capitalising on widespread anger over the arrival of over a million asylum seekers in Germany since 2015. It now holds more than 90 seats in the Bundestag where its presence has changed the tone of debate. Just this month, AfD co-leader Alice Weidel earned herself a formal rebuke from the parliamentary speaker for describing immigrants as "headscarf girls, welfare-claiming, knife-wielding men and other good-for-nothings". Merkel's left-right coalition government has responded to the AfD's rise by tightening asylum policies, but the party continues to climb in opinion polls -- exposing the divisions in German society. In a sign of the simmering tensions, lawmaker Renate Kuenast of the opposition Greens party was deluged with thousands of hateful comments after posting a video online urging people to join Sunday's anti-AfD demos. The posts included rape threats and calls for her to kill herself. Kuenast responded with a second Facebook video in which she vowed to file complaints against the worst messages, and said nothing would deter her from marching. "I am now more than ever calling for people to join us in demonstrating on Sunday," she said.

Berlin: Far-right takes to streets to stage anti-government protest

<p>A video footage of a man insulting a Muslim woman wearing Niqab in California coffee shop has gone viral on social media recently.</p>

<p>The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter.</p>

<p>In video woman name Kathleen Amina Deady was asked by a man standing next to her in line "Is this Halloween or something?" to which Deady responds asked why he would say that. The unidentified man answers her that "because I want to".&nbsp</p>

<p>He then continues saying that he knows she is Muslim and that he does not "like" her religion.</p>

<p>"It says to kill me and I don't want to be killed by you, how's that?",he then asks.</p>

<p>The man and Deady then engage in back and forth during which she draws a comparison between the Bible and The Quran after which the man refuses to respond to her. She also tells him that he is aware that he committing hate speech.&nbsp</p>

<p>After the comments, the supervisor &nbsprefuses to serve the man &nbspas he says that he is "disrupting public place and being very racist."</p>

<p>An off-camera male voice can also be heard yelling at the man and asking him to leave the place.</p>

<p>The footage went viral on social media and has gathered support from people around the world.</p>

<p>The video was posted on Twitter on May 12 by a journalist name CJ Werleman.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I'm a Muslim [woman]."<br />
<br />
"I know your religion and I don't want to be killed by you."<br />
<br />
This took place at a cafe in California yesterday. <a href="https://t.co/4WAWKcQDh8">pic.twitter.com/4WAWKcQDh8</a></p>
— CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) <a href="https://twitter.com/cjwerleman/status/995336596781121536?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>&nbsp</p>


The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter

A video footage of a man insulting a Muslim woman wearing Niqab in California coffee shop has gone viral on social media recently. The video is recorded by the woman herself and has been seen by at least 1.6 million times on Twitter. In video woman name Kathleen Amina Deady was asked by a man standing next to her in line "Is this Halloween or something?" to which Deady responds asked why he would say that. The unidentified man answers her that "because I want to". He then continues saying that he knows she is Muslim and that he does not "like" her religion. "It says to kill me and I don't want to be killed by you, how's that?",he then asks. The man and Deady then engage in back and forth during which she draws a comparison between the Bible and The Quran after which the man refuses to respond to her. She also tells him that he is aware that he committing hate speech. After the comments, the supervisor &nbsprefuses to serve the man &nbspas he says that he is "disrupting public place and being very racist." An off-camera male voice can also be heard yelling at the man and asking him to leave the place. The footage went viral on social media and has gathered support from people around the world. The video was posted on Twitter on May 12 by a journalist name CJ Werleman. "I'm a Muslim [woman]." "I know your religion and I don't want to be killed by you." This took place at a cafe in California yesterday. pic.twitter.com/4WAWKcQDh8 — CJ Werleman (@cjwerleman) May 12, 2018 ×

Watch: Coffee place refuses to serve man insulting woman in Niqab

<p>Global beer-making giant Heineken landed in trouble over its latest advertisement after music artist Chance the Rapper called it "terribly racist".</p>

<p>Heineken Light's latest commercial sparked an outcry after which the company announced the withdrawal of the advertisement on Tuesday.</p>

<p>Heineken confirmed pulling the video commercial for its global markets. “While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer, we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns,” the company said in a statement.</p>

<p>The commercial runs with the punchline, “Sometimes, Lighter is Better” and shows a bartender swinging a bottle of Heineken Light across a number of people of color, before the bottle finally reaches a light-skinned woman.</p>

<p>The Chicago-born music artist tweeted out saying that the commercial is highly racist.&nbsp</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">I think some companies are purposely putting out noticably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But ? I gotta just say tho. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg</p>
— Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) <a href="https://twitter.com/chancetherapper/status/978078809995046912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">×</a></div>

<p>"I think some companies are purposely putting out noticeably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But, I gotta just say though. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg," read his tweet.&nbsp</p>

<p><em>(With inputs from Reuters)</em></p>


Heineken Light's latest commercial sparked an outcry after which the company announced the withdrawal of its advertisement on Tuesday

Global beer-making giant Heineken landed in trouble over its latest advertisement after music artist Chance the Rapper called it "terribly racist". Heineken Light's latest commercial sparked an outcry after which the company announced the withdrawal of the advertisement on Tuesday. Heineken confirmed pulling the video commercial for its global markets. “While we feel the ad is referencing our Heineken Light beer, we missed the mark, are taking the feedback to heart and will use this to influence future campaigns,” the company said in a statement. The commercial runs with the punchline, “Sometimes, Lighter is Better” and shows a bartender swinging a bottle of Heineken Light across a number of people of color, before the bottle finally reaches a light-skinned woman. The Chicago-born music artist tweeted out saying that the commercial is highly racist. I think some companies are purposely putting out noticably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But ? I gotta just say tho. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg — Chance The Rapper (@chancetherapper) March 26, 2018 × "I think some companies are purposely putting out noticeably racist ads so they can get more views. And that shit racist/bogus so I guess I shouldn’t help by posting about it. But, I gotta just say though. The “sometimes lighter is better” Hienekin commercial is terribly racist omg," read his tweet. (With inputs from Reuters)

Heineken pulls down beer commercial over complains of racism

<p>By Roberta K. Timothy*</p>

<p>The recent news of Tina Fontaine’s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system’s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance.</p>

<p>This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples.</p>

<p>Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl’s wrists and ankles a children’s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language.</p>

<p>The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives.</p>

<p>Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health.</p>

<p>As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health.</p>

<p>My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism — in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports.</p>

<p><strong>Violence is a continuum</strong></p>

<p>Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population’s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities.</p>

<p>The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes — one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis.&nbsp</p>

<p>We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism’s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative.</p>

<p>In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against “a lot.” This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against “a lot” had higher declines in kidney function.</p>

<p>In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans.</p>

<p><strong>Biases in research</strong></p>

<p>These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce “scientific data” to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide “statistically significant evidence” on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally.</p>

<p>In Black communities no one is immune from racism — from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed.</p>

<p>The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence.</p>

<p>For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Québec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Québec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour.</p>

<p>Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched.</p>

<p>The “realness” of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the “disadvantaged,” the “poor,” the “lazy” and the “needy.” Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success.</p>

<p>When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities’ health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements.&nbsp</p>

<p><strong>Health impacts</strong></p>

<p>Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues.</p>

<p>The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and “unexplained” drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions.</p>

<p>The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities.</p>

<p>Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the “helper” and “the helped,” resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health.</p>

<p>The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured.</p>

<p>As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results.</p>

<p>The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of “super resiliency” instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation.</p>

<p>The burden on Black and colonized folks’ bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing.&nbsp</p>

<p><strong>Possibilities for change</strong></p>

<p>Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action.</p>

<p>The directorate’s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples.</p>

<p>Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities — to support communities impacted by these same injustices.</p>

<p>What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children?</p>

<p>What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white?</p>

<p>What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities?</p>

<p>What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities?&nbsp</p>

<p>*Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University.&nbsp</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed

By Roberta K. Timothy* The recent news of Tina Fontaine’s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system’s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance. This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples. Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl’s wrists and ankles a children’s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language. The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives. Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health. As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health. My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism — in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports. Violence is a continuum Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population’s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities. The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes — one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis. We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism’s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative. In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against “a lot.” This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against “a lot” had higher declines in kidney function. In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans. Biases in research These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce “scientific data” to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide “statistically significant evidence” on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally. In Black communities no one is immune from racism — from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed. The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence. For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Québec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Québec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour. Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched. The “realness” of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the “disadvantaged,” the “poor,” the “lazy” and the “needy.” Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success. When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities’ health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements. Health impacts Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues. The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and “unexplained” drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions. The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities. Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the “helper” and “the helped,” resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health. The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured. As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results. The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of “super resiliency” instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation. The burden on Black and colonized folks’ bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing. Possibilities for change Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action. The directorate’s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples. Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities — to support communities impacted by these same injustices. What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children? What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white? What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities? What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities? *Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Opinion: Racism impacts your health

<p>By Roberta K. Timothy*</p>

<p>The recent news of Tina Fontaine&rsquo;s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system&rsquo;s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance.</p>

<p>This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples.</p>

<p>Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl&rsquo;s wrists and ankles; a children&rsquo;s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language.</p>

<p>The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives.</p>

<p>Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health.</p>

<p>As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health.</p>

<p>My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism &mdash; in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports.</p>

<p><strong>Violence is a continuum</strong></p>

<p>Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population&rsquo;s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities.</p>

<p>The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes &mdash; one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis.&nbsp;</p>

<p>We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism&rsquo;s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative.</p>

<p>In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against &ldquo;a lot.&rdquo; This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against &ldquo;a lot&rdquo; had higher declines in kidney function.</p>

<p>In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans.</p>

<p><strong>Biases in research</strong></p>

<p>These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce &ldquo;scientific data&rdquo; to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide &ldquo;statistically significant evidence&rdquo; on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally.</p>

<p>In Black communities no one is immune from racism &mdash; from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed.</p>

<p>The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence.</p>

<p>For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Qu&eacute;bec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Qu&eacute;bec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour.</p>

<p>Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched.</p>

<p>The &ldquo;realness&rdquo; of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the &ldquo;disadvantaged,&rdquo; the &ldquo;poor,&rdquo; the &ldquo;lazy&rdquo; and the &ldquo;needy.&rdquo; Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success.</p>

<p>When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities&rsquo; health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Health impacts</strong></p>

<p>Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues.</p>

<p>The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and &ldquo;unexplained&rdquo; drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions.</p>

<p>The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities.</p>

<p>Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the &ldquo;helper&rdquo; and &ldquo;the helped,&rdquo; resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health.</p>

<p>The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured.</p>

<p>As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results.</p>

<p>The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of &ldquo;super resiliency&rdquo; instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation.</p>

<p>The burden on Black and colonized folks&rsquo; bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing.&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Possibilities for change</strong></p>

<p>Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action.</p>

<p>The directorate&rsquo;s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples.</p>

<p>Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities &mdash; to support communities impacted by these same injustices.</p>

<p>What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children?</p>

<p>What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white?</p>

<p>What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities?</p>

<p>What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities?&nbsp;</p>

<p>*Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University.&nbsp;</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)</em></p>


Witnessing and hearing stories about racism can impact your health. The feelings evoked can make you ill if not processed.

By Roberta K. Timothy* The recent news of Tina Fontaine’s trial and the acquittal of Gerald Stanley, a white farmer accused of killing a young Indigenous man, Colten Boushie, of the Red Pheasant First Nation are examples of the Canadian legal system’s commitment to the Indian Act and colonial dominance. This ongoing colonial dominance has a transgenerational trauma impact on the health of Indigenous and colonized peoples. Two recent examples that indicate the kind of violence that Black people experience: A school that allowed police to shackle a Black six-year old girl’s wrists and ankles; a children’s aid system that put a child refugee from Somalia into foster care yet never applied for his Canadian citizenship, so years later he received deportation orders to a country where he does not speak the language. The impact of this colonialism and anti-Black racism on the health of Black and Indigenous peoples is elongated and insidious. We navigate systems, structures and communities that perpetuate abhorrence towards us in all aspects of our lives. Experiencing and fighting such systems for justice for our children, ourselves and our community members has devastating effects on our health. As a health and human rights researcher, therapist and professor who has explored the deep implications of racism, I would like to share some insights into the impacts of racism on our health. My hope is that by doing so I create dialogue and encourage communities to continue to voice their experiences of violence and racism — in order to demand changes and ultimately create more supports. Violence is a continuum Health indicator statistics of Indigenous communities report increasing disparities between Indigenous and settler populations. Systemic racism affects Indigenous population’s health in various ways, this includes limited healthy food choices, inadequate living conditions and substandard health care. The infant mortality rate within Indigenous communities is almost 12 times that of settler communities. The statistics, usually presented by state authorities, come without context or consideration to the broad range of causes — one of which is the continued exposure to state violence on a daily basis. We have anecdotal evidence: We see loved ones, friends, ourselves and respected community leaders struggle with the emotional and physiological impacts of racism on a daily basis. While anti-Black racism’s effect on the health of Black communities is documented, studies from the U.S. are more illustrative. In one U.S. study, researchers studied 1,574 Baltimore residents of which 20 per cent reported that they had been racially discriminated against “a lot.” This same group had higher systolic blood pressure than those who perceived they had been discriminated against very little. Additionally, over a five-year period the group that felt they had been discriminated against “a lot” had higher declines in kidney function. In a 1997 to 2003 study on racial discrimination and breast cancer in U.S. Black women, researchers found that perceived experiences of racism resulted in increased incidents of breast cancer, especially among young Black women. In 2011, a pivotal study on the impact of racism on health scholars linked lifetime experiences of discrimination to higher prevalence of hypertension in African Americans. Biases in research These are just a few examples of some studies being done on the impact of racism on health. However, most studies have been conducted in the U.S., the U.K., New Zealand and Australia. Canada does not yet collect race-based health or experiences of racism on health data through any formal mechanism. This poses a problem when scholars are asked to produce “scientific data” to prove that racism impacts health inequities and disparities. How do you provide “statistically significant evidence” on the impact of anti-Black racism when systemic issues limits your access to collecting this same data? My future research proposes to support the collection of increased health data on the impact of anti-Black racism in Canada and globally. In Black communities no one is immune from racism — from our unborn to our school age children to our elderly. Consciously and unconsciously our health becomes obstructed. The impact on health intensifies for those in Black communities who are women, working class, lesbian, gay, bisexual or trans (LGBT), dis(abled), refugees or newcomers. Here, the combination of oppressions creates additional stress on mental and physical health and well-being. I call this intersectional violence. For example, the massacre of Muslims in a Québec mosque and anti-Islam policies continue to further impact the health of marginalized, often surveilled communities. Two victims of the Québec massacre were Black. This fact is hardly mentioned. This is an example of anti-Black racism within communities of colour. Health impacts from anti-Black racism and anti-Indigeneity are often dismissed or kept silent by health scholars and health-care workers. The findings challenge the illegitimacy of systems of dominance and question the humaneness and accountability of colonial power. As such, research on the health impact of anti-Black racism is underfunded and under researched. The “realness” of health impacts related to racism interrupts narratives of the “disadvantaged,” the “poor,” the “lazy” and the “needy.” Such stereotypes re-victimize and further aggregate health inequities. Yet understanding racism as a determinant of health is important to understanding economic and social barriers to success. When we fail to address the real impact of racism on Black communities’ health, we not only lose our community members to often preventable disease, illness, institutionalization and ultimately death, we also lose our opportunity for redress and to energetically participate in transnational anti-oppression movements. Health impacts Experiencing racism throughout our lifespan can overwhelm our health functionality. Repetitive acts of untreated trauma and violence lead to debilitating health issues. The impact of anti-Black racism within our educational system is well documented by our lived experiences and “unexplained” drop-out rates. The effect of prolonged injustice from junior kindergarten through to post-secondary education, can lead to exacerbated health conditions. The under-recruiting and under-hiring of African/Black and Indigenous peoples in medicine, psychology, education, health and in academia directly affects the impact of racism on these same communities. Adversely, the over-hiring of African/Black community members as personal support workers, health aids and child care workers with little opportunity to move into positions of power in these fields directly establishes a division between the “helper” and “the helped,” resembling enslavement roles where Africans served whites while living in conditions that gravely impacted their own health. The impact of the over-representation of our children in state care on the health of Black families due to separation and transgenerational trauma is never measured. As our children and elders endure acts of violence during vulnerable times in their lives, without protection or support, their grief response becomes hidden or dissociated. This leads to challenges in seeking and receiving health care which increases despairing health results. The myth that Black people do not seek mental health therapy comes from a falsified notion of “super resiliency” instead of the reality of under-funded and purposely delayed services that prevent health and wellness in our communities. This leads to many community members suffering and seeking services in silence and isolation. The burden on Black and colonized folks’ bodies, minds, spirits, health and wellness is all-encompassing. Possibilities for change Having a provincial anti-racism directorate and local Toronto anti-Black racism action plan indicates a way forward. Much activism over many years resulted in these strategies getting put into action. The directorate’s effectiveness will be measured in its implementation, the diversity of its members and its power to eliminate health disparities and address the health impacts of racism and violence on the daily lives of Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples. Research funding needs to be increased. Universities need to hire scholars from communities who are directly impacted by racism and whose work address these health inequities — to support communities impacted by these same injustices. What if the Afrocentric Alternative school, the only one in Canada, was well resourced and supported as a health strategy to combat the early stigmatization and violence experienced by school-aged Black children? What if, in the case of the killing of the late Colten Boushie, the jury was not all white? What if we looked to Black Live Matters as a public health racial justice movement trying to prevent further health atrocities? What if we collected health data on the impact of racism - using both informal and formal research methods - empowered, developed and implemented by Black and colonized communities to create health equity programs and strategies to address our health disparities? *Roberta K. Timothy is an Assistant Lecturer at Global Health, Ethics and Human Rights School of Health, York University. (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

<p>A Sikh law student in the UK felt &quot;victimised&quot; after he was dragged out of a bar because he was wearing a turban, media reports said.</p>

<p>Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, yesterday for wearing his religious headgear, BBC reported.</p>

<p>Singh was told that the bar had a &quot;no headwear&quot; policy.</p>

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<h5>Singh was also allegedly told, &#39;I didn&#39;t think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway&#39;</h5>
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<p>He tried to explain to a bouncer who approached him that the turban protected his hair and was part of his religion. But his pleas were ignored&nbsp;and he was &quot;dragged away&quot; from his friends before being removed from the venue, the report said.</p>

<p>Singh was also allegedly told, &quot;I didn&#39;t think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I&#39;m heartbroken. The reason why I was removed was because I refused to remove my turban,&quot; he wrote on Facebook.</p>

<p>Singh said the bouncer had approached him saying that he needed to remove my turban, the report said.</p>

<p>&quot;I explained that a turban isn&#39;t just headgear, but part of my religion and that it protected my hair - and that I was allowed to wear a turban in public,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;The bouncer ignored this and said I needed to take it off. I refused and was subsequently dragged away from my friends,&quot; he added.</p>

<p>&quot;The fact that I was being removed because of my religious views really upset me. My ancestors have fought for the British army previously,&quot; the Sun reported.</p>

<p>&quot;Furthermore, me and my parents were born in Britain and all uphold British values. The worst part of it was the fact he compared my turban to wearing a pair of trainers,&quot; Singh, a final year law student at Nottingham Trent University, added.</p>

<p>The management, however, has apologised and said the staff involved faced suspension pending an investigation.</p>

<p>In a statement to the Labour councillor for Mansfield, Sonya Ward, Rush Late Bar said that it was not their policy.</p>

<p>&quot;Good morning, this is absolutely NOT our policy. We are investigating this incident and the security member in question has been suspended,&quot; Ward shared the statement on Twitter.<br />
<br />
In February, an Indian Sikh environmental activist&#39;s turban was ripped by a white man shouting &quot;Muslim go back&quot; during a racist attack outside the UK Parliament.&nbsp;</p>


Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, yesterday for wearing his religious headgear, BBC reported

A Sikh law student in the UK felt "victimised" after he was dragged out of a bar because he was wearing a turban, media reports said. Amrik Singh, 22, claimed that he was ordered to leave Rush Late Bar in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, yesterday for wearing his religious headgear, BBC reported. Singh was told that the bar had a "no headwear" policy. Singh was also allegedly told, 'I didn't think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway' × He tried to explain to a bouncer who approached him that the turban protected his hair and was part of his religion. But his pleas were ignored and he was "dragged away" from his friends before being removed from the venue, the report said. Singh was also allegedly told, "I didn't think you were allowed to come in a pub and drink anyway." "I'm heartbroken. The reason why I was removed was because I refused to remove my turban," he wrote on Facebook. Singh said the bouncer had approached him saying that he needed to remove my turban, the report said. "I explained that a turban isn't just headgear, but part of my religion and that it protected my hair - and that I was allowed to wear a turban in public," he said. "The bouncer ignored this and said I needed to take it off. I refused and was subsequently dragged away from my friends," he added. "The fact that I was being removed because of my religious views really upset me. My ancestors have fought for the British army previously," the Sun reported. "Furthermore, me and my parents were born in Britain and all uphold British values. The worst part of it was the fact he compared my turban to wearing a pair of trainers," Singh, a final year law student at Nottingham Trent University, added. The management, however, has apologised and said the staff involved faced suspension pending an investigation. In a statement to the Labour councillor for Mansfield, Sonya Ward, Rush Late Bar said that it was not their policy. "Good morning, this is absolutely NOT our policy. We are investigating this incident and the security member in question has been suspended," Ward shared the statement on Twitter. In February, an Indian Sikh environmental activist's turban was ripped by a white man shouting "Muslim go back" during a racist attack outside the UK Parliament.

Sikh student dragged out of UK nightclub for wearing turban

<p>2018 will observe 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela and to honour his centenary the South African Reserve Bank to launch commemorative banknotes.</p>

<p>The central bank announced this in a statement on the occasion of 28th anniversary of the day when Mandela was released from the prison.</p>

<p>The statement added that it will release 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand denominations.</p>

<p>New and old currencies will continue circulating together, Central bank of South Africa.</p>

<p>Sunday marked the 28 the anniversary of the day Mandela was released from the prison after spending&nbsp;27 years in prison; also on this day, Mandela delivered his iconic speech from the balcony of the City Hall to thousands of people.</p>

<p>Nelson Mandela was one of the most prominent political leaders of South Africa who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999.</p>

<p>He was the country&#39;s first black head of state and first elected in a fully representative democratic election.&nbsp;</p>

<p>South Africa will celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela this year.</p>

<p>Mandela was a revered world icon for his fight against the racism and for South Africa&#39;s democracy and social justice.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


The central bank announced this in a statement on the occasion of 28th anniversary of the day when Mandela was released from the prison.

2018 will observe 100th birthday of Nelson Mandela and to honour his centenary the South African Reserve Bank to launch commemorative banknotes. The central bank announced this in a statement on the occasion of 28th anniversary of the day when Mandela was released from the prison. The statement added that it will release 10, 20, 50, 100 and 200 rand denominations. New and old currencies will continue circulating together, Central bank of South Africa. Sunday marked the 28 the anniversary of the day Mandela was released from the prison after spending 27 years in prison; also on this day, Mandela delivered his iconic speech from the balcony of the City Hall to thousands of people. Nelson Mandela was one of the most prominent political leaders of South Africa who served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999. He was the country's first black head of state and first elected in a fully representative democratic election. South Africa will celebrate the 100th birth anniversary of Nelson Mandela this year. Mandela was a revered world icon for his fight against the racism and for South Africa's democracy and social justice.

South Africa to launch new notes to honour Nelson Mandela's centenary

<p>Jordan Greenway, the first African-American US Olympic ice hockey player, hopes to inspire black youth to his sport the way Tiger Woods did in golf or Serena Williams has in tennis.</p>

<p>&quot;I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world,&quot; Greenway said. &quot;You see African-American players in other sports like basketball and football. I want kids to feel all right to go try something different.&quot;</p>

<p>The 20-year-old Boston University star forward is one of four collegians on the US roster and helped the Americans win the 2017 World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and setting up five more.</p>

<p>&quot;It&#39;s a proud feeling to win a gold medal for the USA and I want to have that feeling again on the biggest stage,&quot; Greenway said.</p>

<p>&quot;Winning a gold medal is a feeling you can&#39;t put into words. That&#39;s motivating me every day to work hard. I couldn&#39;t be more excited. I always had a dream to play in the Olympics. I didn&#39;t think it was going to happen.&quot;</p>

<p>Greenway has his chance because the National Hockey League, which had shut down for every Winter Olympics since 1998 so players could compete in the Games, decided against the move this season, opening the door for Europe-based talent, minor-leaguers and top collegians.</p>

<p>Not that Greenway isn&#39;t good enough for the NHL. He was a 2015 second-round NHL Draft pick by Minnesota, 50th overall, and at 6-foot-6 (1.97m) and 227 (103kg) pounds he&#39;s the largest player on the US Olympic roster.</p>

<p>&quot;Jordan&#39;s size and ability will be a big factor in penalty kills and power play,&quot; US coach Tony Granato said. &quot;His versatility will bring something special as a player.&quot;</p>

<p>Jordan accepts his racial pioneer role with pride and responsibility.</p>

<p>&quot;Being the first African-American, I&#39;m really honoured by that. Hopefully, I&#39;ve been a role model to other African-American kids to go out and do something different.</p>

<p>You don&#39;t see a lot of African-Americans playing hockey. Hopefully, I can inspire them.&quot;</p>

<p>Greenway has 24 goals and 57 assists in under three seasons with a perennial college power and could play a major role in the American men&#39;s quest for their first gold since 1980.</p>

<p>&quot;Our college guys, I think they can compete in the NHL right now,&quot; Granato said. &quot;They are going to have a major impact on how we do.&quot;</p>

<p>Greenway wouldn&#39;t have it any other way.</p>

<p>&quot;I want to make an impact any way I can,&quot; Greenway said. &quot;I&#39;ll put in all the effort I&#39;ve got.&quot;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


"I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world," says Jordan Greenway.

Jordan Greenway, the first African-American US Olympic ice hockey player, hopes to inspire black youth to his sport the way Tiger Woods did in golf or Serena Williams has in tennis. "I just really want kids out there to do something different, go against the colour barrier in the sports world," Greenway said. "You see African-American players in other sports like basketball and football. I want kids to feel all right to go try something different." The 20-year-old Boston University star forward is one of four collegians on the US roster and helped the Americans win the 2017 World Junior Championships, scoring three goals and setting up five more. "It's a proud feeling to win a gold medal for the USA and I want to have that feeling again on the biggest stage," Greenway said. "Winning a gold medal is a feeling you can't put into words. That's motivating me every day to work hard. I couldn't be more excited. I always had a dream to play in the Olympics. I didn't think it was going to happen." Greenway has his chance because the National Hockey League, which had shut down for every Winter Olympics since 1998 so players could compete in the Games, decided against the move this season, opening the door for Europe-based talent, minor-leaguers and top collegians. Not that Greenway isn't good enough for the NHL. He was a 2015 second-round NHL Draft pick by Minnesota, 50th overall, and at 6-foot-6 (1.97m) and 227 (103kg) pounds he's the largest player on the US Olympic roster. "Jordan's size and ability will be a big factor in penalty kills and power play," US coach Tony Granato said. "His versatility will bring something special as a player." Jordan accepts his racial pioneer role with pride and responsibility. "Being the first African-American, I'm really honoured by that. Hopefully, I've been a role model to other African-American kids to go out and do something different. You don't see a lot of African-Americans playing hockey. Hopefully, I can inspire them." Greenway has 24 goals and 57 assists in under three seasons with a perennial college power and could play a major role in the American men's quest for their first gold since 1980. "Our college guys, I think they can compete in the NHL right now," Granato said. "They are going to have a major impact on how we do." Greenway wouldn't have it any other way. "I want to make an impact any way I can," Greenway said. "I'll put in all the effort I've got."

Olympics: Hockey pioneer hopes to inspire black kids

<p><br />
Two white South African farmers who were filmed pushed a wailing black man into a coffin were sentenced to jail on Friday for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping.</p>

<p>The 20-second video, widely circulated on social media, shows the victim Victor Mlotshwa cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes the lid down and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside.</p>

<p>The defendants Theo Jackson, sentenced to 14 years, and Willem Oosthuizen, sentenced to 11 years, had pleaded not guilty.</p>

<p>The two said they had caught Mlotshwa trespassing on their farm in possession of stolen copper cables.</p>

<p>The case, heard at a court in Middelburg, about 160 km (100 miles) east of the capital Pretoria, has caused outrage in a country where deep racial divides persist 23 years after the fall of apartheid.</p>

<p>Black people make up 80 percent of South Africa&rsquo;s 54 million population yet most its wealth remains in the hands of white people who account for about 8 percent of the population.</p>

<p>The defence immediately requested to be allowed to appeal against the sentence, but it was not clear whether they would be granted the right to lodge a formal appeal.</p>


Two white South African farmers who were filmed pushed a wailing black man into a coffin were sentenced to jail on Friday for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping.

Two white South African farmers who were filmed pushed a wailing black man into a coffin were sentenced to jail on Friday for attempted murder, assault and kidnapping. The 20-second video, widely circulated on social media, shows the victim Victor Mlotshwa cowering inside a coffin as one man pushes the lid down and the other threatens to put petrol and a snake inside. The defendants Theo Jackson, sentenced to 14 years, and Willem Oosthuizen, sentenced to 11 years, had pleaded not guilty. The two said they had caught Mlotshwa trespassing on their farm in possession of stolen copper cables. The case, heard at a court in Middelburg, about 160 km (100 miles) east of the capital Pretoria, has caused outrage in a country where deep racial divides persist 23 years after the fall of apartheid. Black people make up 80 percent of South Africa’s 54 million population yet most its wealth remains in the hands of white people who account for about 8 percent of the population. The defence immediately requested to be allowed to appeal against the sentence, but it was not clear whether they would be granted the right to lodge a formal appeal.

South African farmers jailed for forcing black man into coffin

<p>In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the &quot;Age of Reason&quot;, the realisation that man&nbsp;was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat.</p>

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<p>When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind&rsquo;s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it&rsquo;s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It&rsquo;s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what&rsquo;s different about today? That it&rsquo;s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday&rsquo;s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today&rsquo;s world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the &quot;starless midnight of racism.&quot; Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>America:</strong></p>

<p>White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world&rsquo;s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all.</p>

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<h5>Martin Luther King&rsquo;s civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi.</h5>
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<p>&quot;And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream,&quot; the legendary rights activist declared. &quot;It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Martin Luther King&rsquo;s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a &quot;howling wilderness without the Africans&quot;. The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn&rsquo;t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds.</p>

<p>But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail&nbsp;acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. &quot;Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man&quot;, it read. &quot;Black radicals have reverted back to savages&quot;, read another.</p>

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<h5>There have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians</h5>
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<p>On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys&rsquo; bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, &quot;make America great again&quot;. Between November 2016&nbsp;when the United States voted for a new president&nbsp;and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians &ndash; in short, anyone who is not Caucasian.</p>

<p>It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump&rsquo;s doorstep alone. The US President&rsquo;s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It&rsquo;s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists&nbsp;by engaging or befriending them. But here&rsquo;s a thought could Trump&rsquo;s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades?</p>

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<h5>Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas were not implemented.</h5>
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<p>It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and &ldquo;Reverend&rdquo; James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION&rsquo;s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the &quot;new normal&quot;.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don&rsquo;t integrate at large&quot;, Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don&#39;t trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas&nbsp;(given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that &nbsp;Reverend James Logsdon&#39;s &quot;Creativity Movement&quot; is neither holy nor creative. It&rsquo;s nothing but a hate group. Here&#39;s what Logsdon told WION.&nbsp;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don&#39;t come here and commit crimes, they don&#39;t come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they&#39;re trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;<br />
But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America&rsquo;s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;No, I personally don&rsquo;t care about old statues,&quot; argued Logsdon. &quot;But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that&#39;s happening in America today. They&#39;re trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces.&quot;</p>

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<p><strong>Europe:</strong><br />
&nbsp;<br />
It&rsquo;s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany&rsquo;s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe&rsquo;s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that&rsquo;s not the only reason. There&rsquo;s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves.</p>

<p>To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are &quot;Pakis&quot;, to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are &quot;dirty Arabs&quot;, to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are &quot;scum&quot;. The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France&nbsp;rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation.</p>

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<h5>There&rsquo;s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves.</h5>
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<p><strong>Asia:</strong><br />
<br />
But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let&rsquo;s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia&rsquo;s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it&rsquo;s brown versus brown. It&rsquo;s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country&rsquo;s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There&rsquo;s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
&quot;There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don&rsquo;t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race&quot;</p>

<p>Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don&rsquo;t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, &quot;if you don&rsquo;t like Malaysia get out, go back to India.&quot;</p>

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<h5>Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.</h5>
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<p>We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It&rsquo;s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that&rsquo;s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That&rsquo;s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India&rsquo;s capital New Delhi.<br />
&nbsp;<br />
<strong>Polarisation</strong>: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There&rsquo;s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion.</p>

<p><em>This is the first of WION&#39;s three-part series &quot;Poles Apart&quot;.</em></p>


Growing affluence and heightened arrogance is the reason why human race is in distress

In the beginning, there were cave fights: over food, shelter and objects. Then came civilisation, the "Age of Reason", the realisation that man was far superior to other living creatures in one unique way. He was endowed with the powerful tool of intellect, a brain more sophisticated than anything technology can ever beat. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. × When man began to share spaces, towns and cities were born. When man began to argue, politics came into being and when prophets were born around the earth, mankind’s other peculiar endowment - religion was born. Crimes were committed, wars have shattered the world. But somehow and over at least this past century, milk went with water, wine with salt, as long as there was mutual respect, it was a matter of personal choice. That freedom of choice, it seems, is a thing of history today. Now, it’s black versus white, Islam versus Christianity versus Hinduism versus Judaism. It’s Democrat versus Republican, BJP versus Congress. But what’s different about today? That it’s either my way or the highway. You are either with us or against us. Choices are yesterday’s news, polarisation is the hallmark of today’s world. White versus black, Caucasian versus Asian. American civil rights leader Martin Luther King ominously described it as the "starless midnight of racism." Be it in the USA or Japan, in Europe or Africa, in India or China and for all the superior abilities man is endowed with, racial discrimination has run like a bad genetic strain through all societies in the world. America: White supremacy has led to horrific crime in the history of North America, yet somewhere down the line, reasoning and rationale did gain the upper hand. Take one of the world’s most famous civil rights activists, Martin Luther King Jr. His belief was Christianity, his tactics drawn from everywhere. King persisted with civil disobedience till African-Americans and other minorities were granted equal rights in the country. He overturned segregation laws in Georgia and helped organise protests both in Alabama and Washington, where he delivered his most famous speech of all. Martin Luther King’s civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. × "And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream," the legendary rights activist declared. "It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed, that all men are created equal." Martin Luther King’s repeated civil disobedience movements were successful because he combined his own value system with that of others who inspired him like Mahatma Gandhi. The Mahatma had once remarked that South Africa, where he had lived in his earlier years, would be a "howling wilderness without the Africans". The Ku-Klux-Klan hasn’t gone away, neither have the Nazis in Europe. There were and are descendant groups of both around the world. Tough laws temper their outbursts, the hate they preach is mostly restricted to their paranoid but small folds. But statistics show that white supremacy in the United States has been on the rise. And not coincidentally, since 2016, making it seem as though divisive statements by President Donald J. Trump, first on campaign trail acted as a reassurance. It began to seem as though under Trump, racists will be able to speak their minds freely and have nothing to fear. Coincidence? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Residents of a town in Alabama woke up to flyers in November 2016, the day after the United States elected their new president. "Join the only group that has ever stood for the white man", it read. "Black radicals have reverted back to savages", read another. There have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians × On the same day, swastikas and pro-Nazi graffiti appeared in Philadelphia. Sprayed inside a boys’ bathroom in a Minnesota school were the following messages: Go back to Africa, whites only, White America and Trump train, "make America great again". Between November 2016 when the United States voted for a new president and August 2017, there have been more than 450 recorded incidents of unabashed racism directed against Jews, Chinese, Asians – in short, anyone who is not Caucasian. It would be absurd to lay the resurgence of racism at President Trump’s doorstep alone. The US President’s argument that democracies must allow all including racists to be heard, is a valid point. It’s a successful tactic, the same employed by African-American jazz musician Daryl Davis to neutralise many white supremacists by engaging or befriending them. But here’s a thought could Trump’s incendiary talk have polarised American society by acting as a magnet to what already lay simmering beneath the genteel surface of the political correctness that has dominated public speech and opinion over the past several decades? Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas were not implemented. × It seemed that way some weeks ago when white supremacists took to the streets in Charlottesville and violence erupted. Significantly, they felt no need to disguise themselves. The masks were off and so were the white hoods. Alec Kerrigan and “Reverend” James Logsdon were enthusiastic participants in Charlottesville. Both spoke to WION’s Andy Roesgen and unsurprisingly, hatred of immigrants from India seems to be the "new normal". "The problem with races such as Indians entering the country is that they don’t integrate at large", Kerrigan told WION. They build their own communities and don't trust their neighbours and they give less to charity. Wages for software engineers in America would be 10 per cent higher if H-1B visas (given to Indian software engineers) were not implemented. In other words, bringing in highly-skilled immigrants from other countries is bad for the highly-skilled natives. Racism watchdog Southern Poverty Law Center told WION that Reverend James Logsdon's "Creativity Movement" is neither holy nor creative. It’s nothing but a hate group. Here's what Logsdon told WION. "Indian immigration is not similar to any other racial group, not Mexicans or Arabic Muslims because Indians don't come here and commit crimes, they don't come here and rape or kill like you see with Mexicans and the worse elements. You have a lot of highly educated Indians in the medical field in America who do benefit our society. But you also have a lot of them who come with degrees that are falsified, education documents that are falsified, they get IT jobs and they're trained by other people who have been here longer to do the jobs properly, essentially getting into the country by lying and taking American jobs." But why was Logsdon in Charlottesville during the riots? After all, that demonstration had nothing to do with Indian software engineers and all to do with protecting America’s white architectural heritage, statues of erstwhile supremacists. "No, I personally don’t care about old statues," argued Logsdon. "But I understand what they were fighting for. Imagine for the sake of argument, that political correctness affected all of the people in India and affected the caste system. And they decided that the Hindu system was racist and oppressive and the people pushing political correctness decided that all the statues that honoured their gods and their system were to be forcibly torn down. How would Indians feel about that? This is the type of thing that's happening in America today. They're trying to destroy any semblance of our culture and our history. No matter how you feel about being good or bad, our history is our history. You should not tear those things down, just to make them feel better in their safe spaces." The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. × Europe: It’s the geographical venue of one of the worst genocides in the history of mankind, the Holocaust under Germany’s Nazis saw 6 million men, women and children murdered. They were not armed separatists, nor criminal mafia. Their biggest crime is that they were born Jewish, not within Europe’s Christian majority. Germany learned its lessons and remains deeply repentant. And yet, rightwing movements are on the rise. There were more than 900 terror attacks by Islamist terror groups in Europe between 2001 and 2017. But that’s not the only reason. There’s also a certain, God-given superiority that colonising forefathers from France, the UK and the Netherlands vested in themselves. To racist British citizens, all South Asian migrants are "Pakis", to some xenophobic French, northern Africans are "dirty Arabs", to Dutch supremacists, foreign migrants are "scum". The United Kingdom, Portugal, The Netherlands, Spain and France rapaciously exploited North Africa, South America, sub-Saharan Africa and much of Asia including and especially India. When nations grow more powerful than others off stolen wealth, their citizens feel endowed with divinity. But the recession, unemployment and fiery rhetoric from those who rule or aim to rule, are natural catalysts for polarisation. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. × Asia: But is racism restricted to countries where the majority population is white? Not at all. Let’s take a look at South East Asia. Indians have been in Malaysia since medieval times. People of Indian origin constitute 86 per cent of Malaysia’s total population of 31.19 million. Here, it’s brown versus brown. It’s been largely peaceful. And yet, growing radicalisation of the country’s Islamic majority through an alien brand of Wahabi Islam has resulted in growing polarisation. Temples built hundreds of years ago on private land have been demolished. There’s growing religious paranoia and inflammatory rhetoric mainly under Saudi Arabian influence. It has caused a backlash. Hindus are mobilising themselves. Sanjeev Ramakrishnan and his NGO Mywatch, fight against such discrimination. "There is very clear discrimination in education when the maximum number of seats are given to Malays and next to Chinese. Indians hardly get any seats. Major courses like medicine and law are not given to Indians. I ask why they don’t go on merit? I am a Malaysian and by race I am Indian. But if I bid for a government contract, I must have a Malay partner with a 51 per cent stake in the business. They should surely not award contracts based on race" Ramakrishnan says this is true of every walk of life in Malaysia. People of different races live peacefully in Malaysia but the people who rule are us are trying to create a divide. Recently in a school, cups for drinking water were separated for Muslims and non-Muslims. We are fighting for the right to live as Malaysian. We are not refugees here, we are not immigrants here. My grandfather came from India but my father was born in Malaysia. So, I think I am rightfully Malaysian. A lot of Indian don’t have citizenship even if they are born here. But more Pakistani and Bangladeshi are now coming to Malaysia and are being given citizenship. Politicians in parliament have said, "if you don’t like Malaysia get out, go back to India." Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. × We are obsessed with fair skin, a hangover of the British Raj when it all started. The belief that the white man, his white skin, must be superior in many ways. It’s strange because, in Hindu mythology, gods like Krishna and Shiva are painted blue. This blue is meant to indicate skin so black that it appears blue. To be dark-skinned in ancient India, was to be beautiful and god-like. But that’s far from the case in modern India. When it comes to brides and bridegrooms, fair skins come at a premium. That’s now begun to take on dismaying proportions. Indians are more affluent today, travelling a lot more today, seeing a lot more of the world today. And yet, African students in India have borne the brunt of blatant racism, not in some remote village but right in the heart of India’s capital New Delhi. Polarisation: A pandemic, a frightening phenomenon. Whether we blame it on President Donald Trump, or, on the rise of the rightwing in Europe; whether we blame it on Saudi Arabian influence in the far east, or, on growing affluence and arrogance in India, there is no doubt that communities and races are huddling together, displaying absolute intolerance for the mere existence of any other than their own kind. Racism is not the only manifestation. There’s that other powerful catalyst of hate i.e. Religion. This is the first of WION's three-part series "Poles Apart".

'The colour of hatred'

<p>ESPN suspended its anchor Jemele Hill for two weeks after she tweeted about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calling for a sponsor boycott.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The &quot;Sportscenter&quot; anchor was sanctioned after she urged the public to put pressure on Jones and the Cowboys by shunning the NFL owner&#39;s sponsors in her tweet.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ&#39;s statement, boycott his advertisers,&quot; Hill wrote, AFP quoted.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Just so we&#39;re clear: I&#39;m not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas &amp; Miami w/ anthem directives.</p>
&mdash; Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/917421938879889408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">If fans really are that upset about what JJ &amp; Stephen Ross have done, don&#39;t call the players sellouts, but you&#39;re watching every Sunday.</p>
&mdash; Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) <a href="https://twitter.com/jemelehill/status/917422283995713544?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>Jerry Jones said Sunday that he would not play anyone on his team who took a knee during the anthem.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The ESPN network said &quot;Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines,&quot; in reference to an earlier controversy last month in which she described US President Donald Trump as a &quot;white supremacist.&quot;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">ESPN&#39;s Statement on Jemele Hill: <a href="https://t.co/JkVoBVz7lv">pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv</a></p>
&mdash; ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/ESPNPR/status/917469637033512960?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 9, 2017</a></blockquote>
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<p>The twitter post said, &quot;She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences.&quot;</p>

<p><br />
&nbsp;</p>


In a tweet by Jemele Hill, the anchor urged the public to call for a boycott against Jerry Jones after he warned players kneeling during the US National Anthem risked being left on the bench

ESPN suspended its anchor Jemele Hill for two weeks after she tweeted about Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calling for a sponsor boycott. The "Sportscenter" anchor was sanctioned after she urged the public to put pressure on Jones and the Cowboys by shunning the NFL owner's sponsors in her tweet. "Change happens when advertisers are impacted. If you feel strongly about JJ's statement, boycott his advertisers," Hill wrote, AFP quoted. Just so we're clear: I'm not advocating a NFL boycott. But an unfair burden has been put on players in Dallas & Miami w/ anthem directives. — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017 × If fans really are that upset about what JJ & Stephen Ross have done, don't call the players sellouts, but you're watching every Sunday. — Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) October 9, 2017 × Jerry Jones said Sunday that he would not play anyone on his team who took a knee during the anthem. The ESPN network said "Jemele Hill has been suspended for two weeks for a second violation of our social media guidelines," in reference to an earlier controversy last month in which she described US President Donald Trump as a "white supremacist." ESPN's Statement on Jemele Hill: pic.twitter.com/JkVoBVz7lv — ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 9, 2017 × The twitter post said, "She previously acknowledged letting her colleagues and company down with an impulsive tweet. In the aftermath, all employees were reminded of how individual tweets may reflect negatively on ESPN and that such actions would have consequences."

ESPN suspends it's anchor Jemele Hill after she calls for a boycott against Jerry Jones

<p>Within the space of a few moments, Jagmeet Singh became one of Canada&rsquo;s most admired politicians. His cool-under-pressure reaction to being confronted by an angry heckler is just one of the reasons Singh is considered to be the favourite contender for leadership of the federal New Democratic Party.</p>

<p>A video of the Sept. 6 incident at Singh&rsquo;s campaign event in Brampton, Ont., went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world. Moments into the event, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement &mdash; to space, voice and position - in relation to others at the event.</p>

<p>Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was <a href="https://youtu.be/j2onmR-oBIY" nofollow="" rel="">to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message</a>. He asked his guests to chant: &ldquo;Love and courage.&rdquo;</p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="445" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/j2onmR-oBIY" width="754"></iframe></p>

<p>What is the nature of Singh&rsquo;s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage. Singh&rsquo;s message &mdash; and chant that evening &mdash; is uniquely situated among the slogans of the <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/09/16/the-four-candidates-who-would-lead-the-ndp.html" nofollow="" rel="">three other candidates</a>: <a href="http://www.charlieangusndp.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Charlie Angus</a> &ldquo;Got your back,&rdquo; <a href="http://www.nikiashton2017.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Niki Ashton</a> &ldquo;Building a movement, together,&rdquo; and <a href="http://en.guycaron.ca/" nofollow="" rel="">Guy Caron,</a> &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy.&rdquo;</p>

<p>The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrate something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role &mdash; not only in Canadian politics&nbsp;but also in the leadership race for the NDP.</p>

<p>Singh&rsquo;s campaign and potential leadership arrive in a <a href="https://theconversation.com/is-trump-emboldening-right-wing-extremism-in-canada-82635" nofollow="" rel="">climate of increasing hatred</a>, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape?</p>

<p>Singh&rsquo;s outward appearance solicits questions from some Canadians &mdash; as in the case of the heckler &mdash; regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh&rsquo;s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct?</p>

<p><strong>Canada: Judeo-Christian values?</strong></p>

<p>Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists.</p>

<p>Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh&rsquo;s leadership challenge will likely change that.</p>

<p>While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind. Practising Sikhism defines a way of life &mdash; one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions.</p>

<p><strong>The Clash of Civilizations</strong></p>

<p>To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in <a href="https://theconversation.com/9-11-anniversary-understanding-extremist-motives-could-stop-further-violence-83773" nofollow="" rel="">North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy</a>.</p>

<p>Once North America and other western governments embraced <a href="https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/1993-06-01/clash-civilizations" nofollow="" rel="">the rhetoric of a civilization divide</a>, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further.</p>

<p>This reinforced a binary division and <a href="https://www.thenation.com/article/clash-ignorance/" nofollow="" rel="">emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia</a>. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems.</p>

<p>This <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/14/books/review/14yoshino.html" nofollow="" rel="">discourse of racism and difference</a> has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens.</p>

<p>Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the <a href="https://theconversation.com/quiet-canadian-ugly-american-does-racism-differ-north-of-the-border-81388" nofollow="" rel="">normalization of white supremacy</a> .&nbsp;It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis &mdash; these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening new .</p>

<p><strong>Religious discrimination in Canada</strong></p>

<p>Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies.</p>

<p><a href="http://www.mediaed.org/transcripts/Edward-Said-The-Myth-of-Clash-Civilizations-Transcript.pdf" nofollow="" rel="">Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes</a>, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities. <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2014/10/is-islamophobia-real-maher-harris-aslan/381411/" nofollow="" rel="">Islamophobia</a> has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims.</p>

<p>Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another.</p>

<p>When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the &ldquo;<a href="https://theconversation.com/media-portrays-indigenous-and-muslim-youth-as-savages-and-barbarians-79153" nofollow="" rel="">barbaric cultural practices&rdquo; of others</a>.</p>

<p>The clear lines that were being drawn between what <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/player/play/2675751009/" nofollow="" rel="">Harper referred to as &ldquo;old stock Canadians&rdquo;</a> during a 2015 federal leaders&rsquo; debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others.</p>

<p>Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/AndrewScheerMP/videos/1532870230080057/" nofollow="" rel="">&ldquo;Harper with a Smile.&rdquo;</a>&ldquo; Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/scheer-five-things-policies-1.4137120" nofollow="" rel="">supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia</a> and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/23/m-103-anti-islamophobia-motion-house-passes_n_15567120.html" nofollow="" rel="">Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103</a>, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons.</p>

<p><strong>When losing your cool is not an option</strong></p>

<p>Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto.</p>

<p>His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault.</p>

<p>In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh.</p>

<p>Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia.</p>

<p>Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/columnists/sikhs-have-been-living-in-fear-of-hate-crimes-since-911/article4468643/?arc404=true" nofollow="" rel="">rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs</a>, with the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/us/shooting-reported-at-temple-in-wisconsin.html" nofollow="" rel="">2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting</a> as a visible example.</p>

<p>While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, has sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada painstakingly distinguish themselves from Muslims.</p>

<p>However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry.</p>

<p>In Canada, the <a href="https://beta.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/quebec-city-mosque-shooting-what-we-know-so-far/article33826078/" nofollow="" rel="">shooting deaths in Quebec&rsquo;s Sainte-Foy&rsquo;s Mosque</a>, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state?</p>

<p>The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/hate-crimes-muslims-statscan-1.4158042" nofollow="" rel="">Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear</a> and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus.</p>

<p>The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions.</p>

<p><img alt="The Conversation" height="1" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/83857/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" width="1" />The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party. These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defence, national security, aboriginal relations and education. Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world.</p>

<p>This article was originally published on <a href="http://theconversation.com" nofollow="" rel="">The Conversation</a>. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/jagmeet-singh-battles-racism-in-canadian-politics-with-love-83857" nofollow="" rel="">original article</a>.</p>


Singh, one of Canada?s most admired politicians, has based his political slogan on a message of universal love and courage.

Within the space of a few moments, Jagmeet Singh became one of Canada’s most admired politicians. His cool-under-pressure reaction to being confronted by an angry heckler is just one of the reasons Singh is considered to be the favourite contender for leadership of the federal New Democratic Party. A video of the Sept. 6 incident at Singh’s campaign event in Brampton, Ont., went viral and has been viewed millions of times in Canada and around the world. Moments into the event, an angry white woman interrupted Singh and shouted Islamophobic and vitriolic statements at him, and physically gesticulated, demonstrating her feeling of entitlement — to space, voice and position - in relation to others at the event. Singh seemed undeterred by the outburst. His response to her rant was to rally his audience to help him relay his campaign message. He asked his guests to chant: “Love and courage.” What is the nature of Singh’s call for love? His political slogan is based on a message of universal love and courage. Singh’s message — and chant that evening — is uniquely situated among the slogans of the three other candidates: Charlie Angus “Got your back,” Niki Ashton “Building a movement, together,” and Guy Caron, “Let’s Build a Progressive and Sustainable Economy.” The dramatic events at the Sept. 6 meeting demonstrate something about Singh, as a person and as a candidate. It also points to new undercurrents of religion and spirituality and its role — not only in Canadian politics but also in the leadership race for the NDP. Singh’s campaign and potential leadership arrive in a climate of increasing hatred, fear and division. His call for universal love is coherent with Sikhism, which challenges the division between daily life and a devotional love that guides all thought and action. How does the language of love and courage relate to a New Democratic Party trying to find its way in a shifting political landscape? Singh’s outward appearance solicits questions from some Canadians — as in the case of the heckler — regarding his secular position: To what degree does Singh’s religion relate to his policy ideas or conduct? Canada: Judeo-Christian values? Canadian political institutions and traditions are imbued with Judeo-Christian values and symbols. Yet the separation of church and state maintains religion does not dictate the making of policy and law. However, in the game of politics, courting ethno-racial, national and religious identified voters has become a central art of party campaign strategists. Political parties of all persuasions have had to navigate this division in a variety of ways. In Canada, the left social democratic tradition, represented now by the NDP, has had less experience with faith-based movements and the religious identity of its leaders than their right-wing counterparts and left-leaning parties elsewhere in the world. Singh’s leadership challenge will likely change that. While Singh is positioned as a secular politician, his ethos, sense of justice and formation of his identity is connected to a Sikh practice. The very essence of the message of universal love and courage is embedded in a Sikh devotion, rather than a secular idea of loving all humankind. Practising Sikhism defines a way of life — one that is contemplative, meditative and committed to spiritualism and positive actions. The Clash of Civilizations To understand the contemporary role of religion in politics, we need to look at one of our turning points: 9/11. The attacks on New York City and the Pentagon served as a marker of the time foreign and domestic policy in North America was called upon to name Islamic terrorism as a universal enemy. Once North America and other western governments embraced the rhetoric of a civilization divide, the psyche of liberal democratic nations split apart. The already tenuous divide between the religious and secular began to rupture further. This reinforced a binary division and emboldened a powerful discourse of racism and Islamophobia. The basic premise is that Islam represents something universally distinct from Christian belief systems. This discourse of racism and difference has gained strength and societal control through the election of conservative governments with moral platforms that build on fears and anxieties of susceptible citizens. Sixteen years of corrosive discourses since 9/11 has led to: Us vs. Them, the Clash of Civilizations and racism. We are now at the point of the normalization of white supremacy . It is no longer an oddity or a left-wing conspiracy theory to discuss the presence of fascism and neo-Nazis — these are events widely circulated in our social media feeds and featured during the evening new . Religious discrimination in Canada Islamophobia and racism are often understood to be twinned structures of oppression. In many ways they are, but there are complex differences between them. They disseminate and exist in different political, cultural and social taxonomies. Islamophobia operates through systems of stereotypes, often misunderstanding or misrepresenting the traditions, religious practices and customs of highly diverse ethno-national and racial communities. Islamophobia has been manufactured in multiple ways in society through popular culture, media, policy and criminalizing targeting Islam and Muslims. Racism is a larger systemic operation of power denigrating one race while validating or elevating another. When the Harper Conservatives were in government, they attempted to map onto Canadian national values a form of social conservatism. This was articulated through a distinction between Canada and the “barbaric cultural practices” of others. The clear lines that were being drawn between what Harper referred to as “old stock Canadians” during a 2015 federal leaders’ debate brought into discourse front and center the relationship between white supremacy and Islamophobia. It connected the dots between a normative white Christian Canadian identity that could stand against the racialized others. Now the Conservative Party has a leader who proudly accepts the label: “Harper with a Smile.”“ Andrew Scheer has the support of social conservatives in the Conservative Party. He has steadfastly supported free speech over the condemnation of Islamophobia and was absent during the House of Commons vote for the Anti-Islamophobia Motion M-103, overwhelmingly passed in the House of Commons. When losing your cool is not an option Singh said his ability to remain cool under pressure was largely owed to his experience of being a brown, Sikh and turbaned man, growing up in the 1980s in Brampton, Ont., just northwest of Toronto. His past experiences of religious and racist intolerance helped to fortify him against racist language and assault. In the moment in which the racist woman yelled at him, she assumed he was a Muslim. Many wondered why Singh did not attempt to correct her misconceived perception; he is not a Muslim, but rather, a Sikh. Suggesting such a distinction in the moment, he said, would only further the misunderstanding that somehow being Muslim means such treatment is considered justifiable. His reaction, he said, should not be to proclaim his religion. By not correcting this misconception, Singh was acting in solidarity against Islamophobia. Sikhs have been affected throughout the post-9/11 discourses of Islamophobia, mainly because of this misunderstood identity. In the U.S., and elsewhere, there has been a rise in hate bias attacks against Sikhs, with the 2012 Oak Creek, Wis., shooting as a visible example. While there are those who, in the similar vein as Singh, has sought to challenge Islamophobia by standing in solidarity, there have also been many instances where Sikhs in America, the U.K. and Canada painstakingly distinguish themselves from Muslims. However, in countless examples, when Islamophobia is experienced in the public sphere against properly identified Muslims, there has been a lack of outcry. In Canada, the shooting deaths in Quebec’s Sainte-Foy’s Mosque, in which Azzedine Soufiane, Khaled Belkacemi, Aboubakar Thabthi, Abdelkrim Hassane, Mamadou Tanou Barry, and Ibrahim Barry were killed, was unmistakably an act of terrorism. Canadians across the country mourned this tragedy. And yet was it recognized as an act of terrorism against the citizens of this state? The day-to-day effects of Islamophobia have led to many Muslims living with heightened experiences of fear and not knowing what they might encounter on a walk to school, a day at work or even waiting for a bus. The left social-democrats of the NDP hold steadfastly to their conception of justice, fairness and equality in a secular world. The ways in which people are encountering the public today, however, is seemingly much murkier than these stark divisions. The issues of racism, religious intolerance and social justice are not central issues for any federal political party. These issues, however, should no longer be viewed as separate from major policy platforms including health, welfare reform, employment, national defence, national security, aboriginal relations and education. Perhaps a political leader such as Jagmeet Singh will be able to navigate these debates with an alacrity and style we have yet to witness in the Canadian political world. This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.

Jagmeet Singh battles racism in Canadian politics with love

<p>A Georgia police lieutenant who faced being fired over racially charged comments captured on dash-cam footage has announced his retirement, according to local media.</p>

<p>In the video,&nbsp;Lieutenant Greg Abbott told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because &quot;we only kill black people.&quot;</p>

<p>Told she could pick up her cell phone, the woman said she did not want to move her hands because she has seen &quot;way too many videos of cops.&quot;</p>

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<p>&quot;But you&#39;re not black,&quot; Abbott replies in the July 2016 video. &quot;Remember? We only kill black people.&quot;</p>

<p>Police Chief Mike Register told journalists&nbsp;Thursday&nbsp;that Abbott would be removed from the force, saying &quot;there&#39;s really no place for these types of comments in law enforcement.&quot;</p>

<p>&quot;I feel that no matter what context you try to take those comments in, the statements were inexcusable and inappropriate.&quot;</p>

<p>According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Abbott emailed the county announcing his retirement from the force, which he had served for nearly three decades.</p>

<p>The dash-cam video was released after a local television station obtained it through an open records request.</p>

<p>The timestamp on the footage shows it occurred amid a spate of race-tinged violence involving law enforcement, including the fatal shootings of black men Alton Sterling and Philando Castile that came just days apart.</p>

<p>Those deaths sent shockwaves nationwide, fueling mass protests and a fierce debate over race and criminal justice.</p>


Lieutenant?Greg Abbott had told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because 'we only kill black people'

A Georgia police lieutenant who faced being fired over racially charged comments captured on dash-cam footage has announced his retirement, according to local media. In the video, Lieutenant Greg Abbott told a woman scared to move her hands during a traffic stop not to worry because "we only kill black people." Told she could pick up her cell phone, the woman said she did not want to move her hands because she has seen "way too many videos of cops." But you're not black,' Abbott said in video footage caught on his dashboard camera. 'Remember? We only kill black people' × "But you're not black," Abbott replies in the July 2016 video. "Remember? We only kill black people." Police Chief Mike Register told journalists Thursday that Abbott would be removed from the force, saying "there's really no place for these types of comments in law enforcement." "I feel that no matter what context you try to take those comments in, the statements were inexcusable and inappropriate." According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Abbott emailed the county announcing his retirement from the force, which he had served for nearly three decades. The dash-cam video was released after a local television station obtained it through an open records request. The timestamp on the footage shows it occurred amid a spate of race-tinged violence involving law enforcement, including the fatal shootings of black men Alton Sterling and Philando Castile that came just days apart. Those deaths sent shockwaves nationwide, fueling mass protests and a fierce debate over race and criminal justice.

US cop who said 'we only kill black people' loses job

<p>A woman hurled racist abuse at another passenger of Asian origin&nbsp;on a train in the Republic of Ireland, UK&#39;s daily mail online reported.</p>

<p>The abusive remarks was recorded by another passenger and it was uploaded on twitter.</p>

<p>The row began when the woman objected to an Asian passenger placing a bag on an empty seat.</p>

<p>The woman brazenly declared, &#39;hadn&#39;t paid for four seats&#39; and yelled, &quot;respect my f***ing country and get off the seats.&quot;</p>

<p>At that moment another Asian passenger intervenes and calls her an &#39;old lady&#39; which really angers her and then the conversation goes out of hand.</p>

<p>&quot;What did you call me? An old lady? F*** off back to India. F*** off,&#39; she says.</p>

<p>Just then another passenger tries&nbsp;to calm matters but the woman hits back saying: &quot;Look at the ugly head of that fella. That&#39;s the only reason he&#39;s backing you up is because he&#39;s ugly.&quot;</p>

<p>The Irish rail operator, Iarnr&oacute;d &Eacute;ireann told daily mail it was &quot;a shocking and disgraceful incident&quot;.</p>

<p><strong>WATCH FULL VIDEO</strong></p>

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<p>A woman hurled racist abuse at another passenger of Asian origin&nbsp;on a train in the Republic of Ireland (Twitter)</p>
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A woman hurled racist abuse at another passenger of Asian origin?on a train in the Republic of Ireland

A woman hurled racist abuse at another passenger of Asian origin on a train in the Republic of Ireland, UK's daily mail online reported. The abusive remarks was recorded by another passenger and it was uploaded on twitter. The row began when the woman objected to an Asian passenger placing a bag on an empty seat. The woman brazenly declared, 'hadn't paid for four seats' and yelled, "respect my f***ing country and get off the seats." At that moment another Asian passenger intervenes and calls her an 'old lady' which really angers her and then the conversation goes out of hand. "What did you call me? An old lady? F*** off back to India. F*** off,' she says. Just then another passenger tries to calm matters but the woman hits back saying: "Look at the ugly head of that fella. That's the only reason he's backing you up is because he's ugly." The Irish rail operator, Iarnród Éireann told daily mail it was "a shocking and disgraceful incident". WATCH FULL VIDEO A woman hurled racist abuse at another passenger of Asian origin on a train in the Republic of Ireland (Twitter) ×

"F*** off back to India'', a train passenger hurls racist abuse at a passenger in Ireland

<p>With a recent spate of attacks on African students in India, issues of racism have to come to fore.&nbsp;It somehow stems from the fact that &quot;fairness&quot;&nbsp;is related to beauty according to &quot;Indian standards&quot;. From advertisements to cinema, the popular narrative in the country&nbsp;reinforces&nbsp;the concept of &quot;white&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;fair skinned&quot;, &nbsp;&quot;dull&quot;&nbsp;and &quot;black skin&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Taking a dig at Bollywood actors who support the narrative blatantly or via endorsements, Indian actor Abhay Deol on Facebook went all out against the issue.&nbsp;</p>

<p>In a statement on Facebook, he posted:&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="325" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAbhayDeol%2Fposts%2F1515373161815085&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p>He ridiculed the idea of &#39;white beauty&#39; usually overplayed in&nbsp;fairness cream advertisements:&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Deol highlighted how it&#39;s an issue with the Indian mindset for both male and female. Fairness cream ads have a similar take on fair men and the notion is not just limited to a &quot;fair&quot; skinned woman:&nbsp;</p>

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<p>King Khan himself could not save himself from Abhay Deol&#39;s wrath:&nbsp;</p>

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<p>Continuing with his sarcastic posts, Deol throws light on how fairness cream&nbsp;change their dialogue according to geography and reinforce stereotypes:&nbsp;</p>

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<p><iframe allowtransparency="true" frameborder="0" height="493" scrolling="no" src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAbhayDeol%2Fposts%2F1515342155151519%3A0&amp;width=500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" width="500"></iframe></p>

<p>And finally, he doesn&#39;t shy from ridiculing&nbsp;our beloved star Deepika Padukone for endorsing a &#39;&#39;2-in-1&quot; FAIRNESS CREAM&quot;</p>

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<p>Abhay Deol candidly&nbsp;points out that, &quot;You have to stop buying into the idea that a particular shade is better than others. Unfortunately, if you look at matrimonial ads you will see how entrenched in our psyche this belief is. We even use the word &#39;dusk&#39; to describe the colour of someones skin!&quot;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>


From Shahrukh Khan to John Abraham, Abhay Deol spared no one in his recent Facebook posts

With a recent spate of attacks on African students in India, issues of racism have to come to fore. It somehow stems from the fact that "fairness" is related to beauty according to "Indian standards". From advertisements to cinema, the popular narrative in the country reinforces the concept of "white" and "fair skinned", "dull" and "black skin". Taking a dig at Bollywood actors who support the narrative blatantly or via endorsements, Indian actor Abhay Deol on Facebook went all out against the issue. In a statement on Facebook, he posted: He ridiculed the idea of 'white beauty' usually overplayed in fairness cream advertisements: Deol highlighted how it's an issue with the Indian mindset for both male and female. Fairness cream ads have a similar take on fair men and the notion is not just limited to a "fair" skinned woman: King Khan himself could not save himself from Abhay Deol's wrath: Continuing with his sarcastic posts, Deol throws light on how fairness cream change their dialogue according to geography and reinforce stereotypes: And finally, he doesn't shy from ridiculing our beloved star Deepika Padukone for endorsing a ''2-in-1" FAIRNESS CREAM" Abhay Deol candidly points out that, "You have to stop buying into the idea that a particular shade is better than others. Unfortunately, if you look at matrimonial ads you will see how entrenched in our psyche this belief is. We even use the word 'dusk' to describe the colour of someones skin!" (WION)

Actor Abhay Deol takes a dig at fairness cream ads; Deepika, SRK are you listening?

<p>One of the UK&#39;s largest buy-to-let landlords gave instructions to agents handling his properties not to rent to &quot;coloured people&quot; because the smell of curry &quot;sticks to the carpet&quot;, reports <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/landlord-bans-coloured-people-curry-smell-racism-fergus-wilson-kent-a7653851.html#gallery" target="_blank">The Independent.</a></p>

<p>The landlord is Fergus Wilson--his Kent properties alone are thought to number 1,000 across the Ashford and Maidstone area. He is estimated to own properties valued at&nbsp;&pound;250 million, and has been included in The Sunday Times rich list.</p>

<p>His instructions about who he wanted and didn&#39;t want as renters&nbsp;were leaked to the media: He told agents not to rent to battered wives, single parents, low income and zero hours workers, or plumbers.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Mr Wilson took to the pages of The Sun to defend this, saying: &quot;To be honest, we&#39;re getting overloaded with coloured people. It is a problem with certain types of coloured people--those who consume curry--it sticks to the carpet.</p>

<p>&quot;You have to get some chemical thing that takes the smell out. In extreme cases you have to replace the carpet.&quot;</p>

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<p>Wilson has also sent an email to agents at Evolution Properties: &quot;No coloured people because of the curry smell at the end of the tenancy.&quot;</p>

<p>Wilson evicted 200 tenants in 2014 for being on housing benefit, The Independent report claims. Mr Wilson has confirmed he issued this order.</p>

<p>He received sharp backlash on social media, with dozens calling Wilson &quot;vile&quot; and &quot;disgusting&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>A spokesman from the anti-racism charity group HOPE&nbsp;spoke to The Independent, characterising&nbsp;the directive as an &quot;unacceptable throwback&quot; to the 1960s, and commented on the dynamic between a landlord&#39;s personal biases and the public role they fulfill as landlords:</p>

<p>&quot;You simply cannot treat people like this and deny them a place to live due to their skin colour.</p>

<p>&quot;This is the unacceptable face of the housing crisis. There is something broken in the system when such a powerful figure can get away with such an appalling policy.&quot;<br />
&nbsp;</p>

<p><strong>Rental law in UK</strong></p>

<p>While banning any group of people from renting property isn&#39;t currently a criminal offence, racial discrimination by landlords contradicts civil law, meaning that a tenant could successfully take Mr Wilson to court, claims the campaign group Generation Rent.</p>

<p>The groups&#39;s interim director said: &quot;The law needs to change. It shouldn&#39;t be up to individual renters to have to proactively fight the worst landlords operating in the market.</p>

<p>&quot;Robust landlord licensing that applied to all private lets would mean that the worst landlords could simply be denied a license if found to discriminate--whether that be on grounds of race, gender, or other life circumstances.&quot;</p>

<p>Earlier this year, Wilson has defended the basis on which he decides who can rent his properties.</p>

<p>&quot;We have said nothing against lesbians and homosexuals or coloureds.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;As long as they pay the rent. We are in business to make money so we make a selection based on a sensible business plan.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&quot;If a person came in wearing pink socks and defaulted on rent, and it became a regular probem, then we would stop renting to people who wear pink socks.&quot;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Fergus Wilson is estimated to own properties valued at??250 million, he has been included in The Sunday Times rich list

One of the UK's largest buy-to-let landlords gave instructions to agents handling his properties not to rent to "coloured people" because the smell of curry "sticks to the carpet", reports The Independent. The landlord is Fergus Wilson--his Kent properties alone are thought to number 1,000 across the Ashford and Maidstone area. He is estimated to own properties valued at £250 million, and has been included in The Sunday Times rich list. His instructions about who he wanted and didn't want as renters were leaked to the media: He told agents not to rent to battered wives, single parents, low income and zero hours workers, or plumbers. Mr Wilson took to the pages of The Sun to defend this, saying: "To be honest, we're getting overloaded with coloured people. It is a problem with certain types of coloured people--those who consume curry--it sticks to the carpet. "You have to get some chemical thing that takes the smell out. In extreme cases you have to replace the carpet." Wilson took to the pages of The Sun saying: 'To be honest, we're getting overloaded with coloured people. It is a problem with certain types of coloured people -- those who consume curry -- it sticks to the carpet × Wilson has also sent an email to agents at Evolution Properties: "No coloured people because of the curry smell at the end of the tenancy." Wilson evicted 200 tenants in 2014 for being on housing benefit, The Independent report claims. Mr Wilson has confirmed he issued this order. He received sharp backlash on social media, with dozens calling Wilson "vile" and "disgusting". A spokesman from the anti-racism charity group HOPE spoke to The Independent, characterising the directive as an "unacceptable throwback" to the 1960s, and commented on the dynamic between a landlord's personal biases and the public role they fulfill as landlords: "You simply cannot treat people like this and deny them a place to live due to their skin colour. "This is the unacceptable face of the housing crisis. There is something broken in the system when such a powerful figure can get away with such an appalling policy." Rental law in UK While banning any group of people from renting property isn't currently a criminal offence, racial discrimination by landlords contradicts civil law, meaning that a tenant could successfully take Mr Wilson to court, claims the campaign group Generation Rent. The groups's interim director said: "The law needs to change. It shouldn't be up to individual renters to have to proactively fight the worst landlords operating in the market. "Robust landlord licensing that applied to all private lets would mean that the worst landlords could simply be denied a license if found to discriminate--whether that be on grounds of race, gender, or other life circumstances." Earlier this year, Wilson has defended the basis on which he decides who can rent his properties. "We have said nothing against lesbians and homosexuals or coloureds. "As long as they pay the rent. We are in business to make money so we make a selection based on a sensible business plan. "If a person came in wearing pink socks and defaulted on rent, and it became a regular probem, then we would stop renting to people who wear pink socks." (WION)

Among UK's biggest landlords, he tells agents: Don't rent to 'coloured' people, curry smell 'sticks to the carpet'

<p>Defense attorneys urged a South Carolina jury on Wednesday (November 30) to look beyond a shocking video of a white police officer shooting a fleeing black motorist to death last year and consider all the evidence presented at the former policeman&#39;s murder trial.</p>

<p>Lawyers were making their closing arguments to jurors who will decide whether Michael Slager, 35, committed a crime when he killed 50-year-old Walter Scott in North Charleston.</p>

<p>Slager testified on Tuesday that he was afraid when he shot Scott, who state prosecutors said fled a traffic stop because he was behind on child-support payments and feared he might be arrested.</p>

<p>Attorney Andy Savage told the jury of 11 white people and one black person to consider not just the video, captured by a bystander and viewed by millions of Americans, but all the evidence presented since testimony began earlier this month.</p>

<p><em>Warning: Video contains graphic violence and language.&nbsp;</em></p>

<p><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XKQqgVlk0NQ" width="560"></iframe></p>

<p>&quot;Setting the false narrative aside, let&#39;s look at the truth,&quot; he told jurors in a Charleston courtroom.</p>

<p>Earlier on Wednesday, the jury visited the empty lot in North Charleston where the shooting occurred, taking in a final bit of evidence in a case that intensified national debate about racial bias in law enforcement. The April 4, 2015, incident began when Slager stopped Scott&#39;s car for a broken brake light, and Scott fled. Slager chased the man, first firing a Taser stun gun at him and then drawing his firearm after a tussle.</p>

<p>Savage said Slager shot him &quot;in fear of his life&quot;, noting that the officer did not know at the time that Scott was unarmed.</p>

<p>He said the video transformed Slager into a national symbol for a wave of controversial police killings of black men in cities including New York, Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri. Slager was fired, arrested and charged with murder.</p>

<p>Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told jurors that they had to find Slager acted with malice to convict him of murder.</p>

<p>&quot;It can be meanness. It can be ill will. It can be just a plain and reckless indifference to human life - like eight shots in the back,&quot; she said.</p>

<p>Prosecutors contend Slager did not appear to be in danger when he hit Scott with five of those shots. The jury could also weigh a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Slager, who faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted of murder.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(Agencies)</p>


11 white and 1 black jurors were told to take all evidence into account, not just the video of the killing seen by millions of Americans

Defense attorneys urged a South Carolina jury on Wednesday (November 30) to look beyond a shocking video of a white police officer shooting a fleeing black motorist to death last year and consider all the evidence presented at the former policeman's murder trial. Lawyers were making their closing arguments to jurors who will decide whether Michael Slager, 35, committed a crime when he killed 50-year-old Walter Scott in North Charleston. Slager testified on Tuesday that he was afraid when he shot Scott, who state prosecutors said fled a traffic stop because he was behind on child-support payments and feared he might be arrested. Attorney Andy Savage told the jury of 11 white people and one black person to consider not just the video, captured by a bystander and viewed by millions of Americans, but all the evidence presented since testimony began earlier this month. Warning: Video contains graphic violence and language. "Setting the false narrative aside, let's look at the truth," he told jurors in a Charleston courtroom. Earlier on Wednesday, the jury visited the empty lot in North Charleston where the shooting occurred, taking in a final bit of evidence in a case that intensified national debate about racial bias in law enforcement. The April 4, 2015, incident began when Slager stopped Scott's car for a broken brake light, and Scott fled. Slager chased the man, first firing a Taser stun gun at him and then drawing his firearm after a tussle. Savage said Slager shot him "in fear of his life", noting that the officer did not know at the time that Scott was unarmed. He said the video transformed Slager into a national symbol for a wave of controversial police killings of black men in cities including New York, Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri. Slager was fired, arrested and charged with murder. Solicitor Scarlett Wilson told jurors that they had to find Slager acted with malice to convict him of murder. "It can be meanness. It can be ill will. It can be just a plain and reckless indifference to human life - like eight shots in the back," she said. Prosecutors contend Slager did not appear to be in danger when he hit Scott with five of those shots. The jury could also weigh a lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter for Slager, who faces a maximum of life in prison if convicted of murder. (Agencies)

Closing arguments presented in trial for ex-cop who killed unarmed black man, Walter Scott

<p>Two white South African farmers briefly appeared in court on Wednesday on assault charges after an online video emerged showing them pushing a black man into a coffin and threatening to burn him alive.</p>

<p>Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson, both 28, were remanded in custody after their lawyer decided not to apply for bail.</p>

<p>Magistrate Jongilizwe Dumehleli said the pair should return for another court hearing on January 25.</p>

<p>The men face charges of kidnapping and assaulting 27-year-old Victor Mlotshwa over an incident that occurred in August at a farm near the town of Middelburg in the eastern province of Mpumalanga.</p>

<p>They were arrested on Monday after the video, apparently shot on a mobile phone by one of the two white men involved, went viral last week.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The 20-second clip shows one of the assailants shoving a black man, clearly in distress, into the wooden coffin and trying to force down the lid.</p>

<p>&quot;Come, come. We want to throw the petrol on,&quot; said one of the men, speaking Afrikaans, according to the News24 website.</p>

<p>They are also accused of threatening to put a snake in the coffin.</p>

<p>Mlotshwa told ENCA television he was walking to the town of Middelburg and decided to use a short cut when the two men spotted him.</p>

<p>&quot;I was in a hurry I had to use some path, a footpath, that was the shortest to go to Middelburg,&quot; he said.</p>

<p>&quot;They accused me of trespassing. Then they beat me up and I had to run away,&quot; he said, adding he tried to flee but they caught him.</p>

<p>&quot;They tied me with cable tie and took me to the nearest farm. They beat me up and forced me into the coffin.&quot;</p>

<p>The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party and the ruling African National Congress held separate rallies outside the court to protest at the alleged assault and racism in South Africa.</p>

<p>Racial controversies have erupted regularly on social media in recent years in South Africa, which is still beset by deep-rooted inequality 22 years after the end of white-minority apartheid rule.</p>

<p>(AFP)<br />
&nbsp;</p>


The video showing the two men assaulting a black man and threatening to burn him alive has highlighted the regular racial attacks in S Afric

Two white South African farmers briefly appeared in court on Wednesday on assault charges after an online video emerged showing them pushing a black man into a coffin and threatening to burn him alive. Willem Oosthuizen and Theo Martins Jackson, both 28, were remanded in custody after their lawyer decided not to apply for bail. Magistrate Jongilizwe Dumehleli said the pair should return for another court hearing on January 25. The men face charges of kidnapping and assaulting 27-year-old Victor Mlotshwa over an incident that occurred in August at a farm near the town of Middelburg in the eastern province of Mpumalanga. They were arrested on Monday after the video, apparently shot on a mobile phone by one of the two white men involved, went viral last week. The 20-second clip shows one of the assailants shoving a black man, clearly in distress, into the wooden coffin and trying to force down the lid. "Come, come. We want to throw the petrol on," said one of the men, speaking Afrikaans, according to the News24 website. They are also accused of threatening to put a snake in the coffin. Mlotshwa told ENCA television he was walking to the town of Middelburg and decided to use a short cut when the two men spotted him. "I was in a hurry I had to use some path, a footpath, that was the shortest to go to Middelburg," he said. "They accused me of trespassing. Then they beat me up and I had to run away," he said, adding he tried to flee but they caught him. "They tied me with cable tie and took me to the nearest farm. They beat me up and forced me into the coffin." The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) opposition party and the ruling African National Congress held separate rallies outside the court to protest at the alleged assault and racism in South Africa. Racial controversies have erupted regularly on social media in recent years in South Africa, which is still beset by deep-rooted inequality 22 years after the end of white-minority apartheid rule. (AFP)

South African farmers in court for shoving black man into coffin

<p>In Canada, the woman who hopes&nbsp;to replace Stephen Harper as leader of the&nbsp;Conservative Party&nbsp;and one day become prime minister is a&nbsp;brazen&nbsp;Trump sympathiser.&nbsp;</p>

<p>The day after it was&nbsp;announced&nbsp;that America will soon be led&nbsp;by a racist and&nbsp;xenophobic sexual predator, Kellie Leitch rushed to show solidarity.</p>

<p>Leitch&#39;s former press secretary, Andrew McGrath, posted&nbsp;an encouraging response on Twitter, as well as the full text of&nbsp;Leitch&#39;s praise for&nbsp;p*ssy grabber Donald Trump.</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
<div class="twitter-block" draggable="false">
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">Got this from my old boss. I&#39;m so disappointed in you, <a href="https://twitter.com/KellieLeitch">@KellieLeitch</a>. You were Status of Women Minister - shame on you. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cpcldr?src=hash">#cpcldr</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cdnpoli?src=hash">#cdnpoli</a> <a href="https://t.co/hYYMYgzvH8">pic.twitter.com/hYYMYgzvH8</a></p>
&mdash; Andrew McGrath (@a_mcgrath1) <a href="https://twitter.com/a_mcgrath1/status/796326335253716992">November 9, 2016</a></blockquote>
<script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>
<a class="close-mark close-div" href="#" id="jqclosemark">&times;</a></div>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><b>Culturally barbaric&nbsp;hotline</b></p>

<p>During the 2015 federal election, Leitch was the mastermind of&nbsp;proposal&nbsp;to establish a &quot;culturally barbaric hotline&quot;, where people could call in to report practices they found culturally &quot;barbaric&quot;. If they suspected a child or woman could fall victim to a forced marriage, polygamy, or female genital mutilation, the hotline was there supposedly for them.&nbsp;It was pointed out that a phone number already exists for when something wrong needs to be reported&nbsp;-- the police.</p>

<p>The culturally&nbsp;barbaric hotline&nbsp;was pushed&nbsp;as the Conservatives were not just peddling anti-Niqab rhetoric, but as the main force driving their federal election&nbsp;campaign. Keep in mind, a niqab is a piece of clothing almost nobody wears in Canada, and even the conservatives only wanted it banned&nbsp;in limited instances, like a citizenship ceremony.</p>

<p>Turning&nbsp;an&nbsp;issue that affects almost <em>literally </em>nobody in Canada into the largest issue of a Canadian&nbsp;election makes no sense,&nbsp;unless the real goal is not to regulate&nbsp;clothing&nbsp;but to&nbsp;woo&nbsp;Canadian Islamophobes. Only since discrimination isn&#39;t nice,&nbsp;conservatives like Leitch&nbsp;try to appear like they are&nbsp;upholding&nbsp;Canadian values in the very act of&nbsp;destroying them.&nbsp;It&#39;s a pernicious trick.</p>

<p>While the Conservatives were preoccupied with nonexistent Muslim problems,&nbsp;Canada voted for Liberal&nbsp;Justin Trudeau.&nbsp;</p>

<p><br />
<strong>&quot;Canadian Values&quot;</strong></p>

<p>But only months ago, the Collingwood Ontario Member of Parliament resufaced with a&nbsp;proposal&nbsp;to screen&nbsp;immigrants for so-called &quot;Canadian values&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Canada&nbsp;enshrines freedom of conscience in its constitution, and leaves it to the law to say what people can and can&#39;t do. The notion of screening immigrants for&nbsp;<em>values</em>&nbsp;is profoundly anti-Canadian. Practically it&#39;s unimplementable, and holding people accountable for their thoughts&nbsp;instead of actions rings of totalitarianism.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Plus, Canadian Conservatives opposed gay marriage until 2015. Conservatives like Leitch don&#39;t get to pretend she embodies Canadian values on Wednesday after begrudgingly accepting&nbsp;them Tuesday.</p>

<p>&quot;Culturally barbaric hotlines&quot; and &quot;Canadian Values&quot; are&nbsp;nothing but racist dog whistles, and it&#39;s toxic.&nbsp;A Conservative colleague of Leitch, Deepak Obhrai,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.hilltimes.com/2016/11/10/obhrai-received-emails-telling-leave-canada-leitch-released-immigration-plan/87344">opposed her Canadian Values&nbsp;scheme</a>.&nbsp;In return&nbsp;he received emails from Canadians with various iterations on&nbsp;the theme,&nbsp;&quot;go back to your country&quot;. Obhrai&nbsp;has lived in Canada since 1977. He is in his country, thank you.</p>

<p>Anybody&nbsp;who expresses even the slightest sympathy for Donald Trump must be&nbsp;automatically disqualified&nbsp;from pronouncing on &quot;Canadian values&quot;.&nbsp;</p>

<p>(WION)</p>


Kellie Leitch said Trump brought 'an exciting message that needs to be delivered in Canada as well'. No, it needs to be extinguished

In Canada, the woman who hopes to replace Stephen Harper as leader of the Conservative Party and one day become prime minister is a brazen Trump sympathiser. The day after it was announced that America will soon be led by a racist and xenophobic sexual predator, Kellie Leitch rushed to show solidarity. Leitch's former press secretary, Andrew McGrath, posted an encouraging response on Twitter, as well as the full text of Leitch's praise for p*ssy grabber Donald Trump. Got this from my old boss. I'm so disappointed in you, @KellieLeitch. You were Status of Women Minister - shame on you. #cpcldr #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/hYYMYgzvH8 — Andrew McGrath (@a_mcgrath1) November 9, 2016 × Culturally barbaric hotline During the 2015 federal election, Leitch was the mastermind of proposal to establish a "culturally barbaric hotline", where people could call in to report practices they found culturally "barbaric". If they suspected a child or woman could fall victim to a forced marriage, polygamy, or female genital mutilation, the hotline was there supposedly for them. It was pointed out that a phone number already exists for when something wrong needs to be reported -- the police. The culturally barbaric hotline was pushed as the Conservatives were not just peddling anti-Niqab rhetoric, but as the main force driving their federal election campaign. Keep in mind, a niqab is a piece of clothing almost nobody wears in Canada, and even the conservatives only wanted it banned in limited instances, like a citizenship ceremony. Turning an issue that affects almost literally nobody in Canada into the largest issue of a Canadian election makes no sense, unless the real goal is not to regulate clothing but to woo Canadian Islamophobes. Only since discrimination isn't nice, conservatives like Leitch try to appear like they are upholding Canadian values in the very act of destroying them. It's a pernicious trick. While the Conservatives were preoccupied with nonexistent Muslim problems, Canada voted for Liberal Justin Trudeau. "Canadian Values" But only months ago, the Collingwood Ontario Member of Parliament resufaced with a proposal to screen immigrants for so-called "Canadian values". Canada enshrines freedom of conscience in its constitution, and leaves it to the law to say what people can and can't do. The notion of screening immigrants for values is profoundly anti-Canadian. Practically it's unimplementable, and holding people accountable for their thoughts instead of actions rings of totalitarianism. Plus, Canadian Conservatives opposed gay marriage until 2015. Conservatives like Leitch don't get to pretend she embodies Canadian values on Wednesday after begrudgingly accepting them Tuesday. "Culturally barbaric hotlines" and "Canadian Values" are nothing but racist dog whistles, and it's toxic. A Conservative colleague of Leitch, Deepak Obhrai, opposed her Canadian Values scheme. In return he received emails from Canadians with various iterations on the theme, "go back to your country". Obhrai has lived in Canada since 1977. He is in his country, thank you. Anybody who expresses even the slightest sympathy for Donald Trump must be automatically disqualified from pronouncing on "Canadian values". (WION)

Anti-Canadian Canadian politician hails Trump victory

<p>The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America&#39;s biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions.<br />
<br />
On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police.<br />
<br />
Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table.<br />
<br />
In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump&#39;s comment were divisive and unproductive.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don&#39;t nip it in the bud,&quot; Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP.<br />
<br />
&quot;If common sense doesn&#39;t step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames,&quot; he said, speaking of Trump.<br />
<br />
Rehab said there was fear in Chicago&#39;s Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes.<br />
<br />
In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said.<br />
<br />
&quot;There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,&quot; James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference.<br />
<br />
Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making &quot;clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background.&quot;<br />
<br />
Bennett chimed in: &quot;I would encourage people to watch Chicago&#39;s example.&quot;<br />
<br />
<strong>Sending a message</strong><br />
<br />
Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people.<br />
<br />
&quot;We&#39;re trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other,&quot; said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group.<br />
<br />
&quot;Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning,&quot; Johnson told AFP.<br />
<br />
On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was &quot;not the worst thing to do.&quot;<br />
<br />
&quot;I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We&#39;re not using common sense,&quot; Trump said.<br />
<br />
African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person&#39;s race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime.<br />
<br />
&quot;He questions Muslims&#39; assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values,&quot; Rehab said.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(AFP)</p>


'There is never a time to divide Americans and that is especially true at a time of deep national pain,' they said

The leaders of Muslim and gay rights groups in Chicago, one of America's biggest cities, on Monday joined forces to slam Donald Trump in the wake of the Orlando massacre, saying now was not a time for divisions. On June 12, 49 people were killed and 53 others wounded in the shooting at a gay nightclub in the central Florida city. The shooter Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old Muslim American of Afghan descent, was killed in a shootout with police. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, has since renewed calls for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States and controversially suggested on Sunday that profiling of Muslims was not off the table. In Chicago, which has both a large Muslim population and a vibrant lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, leaders said Trump's comment were divisive and unproductive. "We're scared, because it starts rhetorically, and then more people accept it if you don't nip it in the bud," Ahmed Rehab, the leader of the Chicago chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations, told AFP. "If common sense doesn't step in right now, people are capable of mass hysteria, and he is fanning those flames," he said, speaking of Trump. Rehab said there was fear in Chicago's Muslim community, one of the largest in the United States, that they could potentially become targets of hate crimes. In the past week, there have been two threats emailed and phoned into area mosques, he said. "There is never a time to divide Americans, and of course that is especially true at a time of deep national pain," James Bennett of Lambda Legal, an LGBT group, told a press conference. Rehab told reporters that his group and Lambda Legal planned to meet every two weeks with the goal of making "clear statements on a mutual agenda of equal civil rights of all people regardless of their background." Bennett chimed in: "I would encourage people to watch Chicago's example." Sending a message Illinois is home to an estimated 400,000 Muslims and 370,000 LGBT people, most of them located in the greater Chicago area, which has a population of about 5.2 million people. "We're trying to send a message that this is not the time to try to pit communities against each other," said Brian Johnson, CEO of Equality Illinois, a gay rights group. "Any public official or media personality who says such things that would not only suggest divides, but suggest putting in place actual divides, is deeply concerning," Johnson told AFP. On Sunday, Trump said profiling of Muslims, and racial profiling more generally, was "not the worst thing to do." "I hate the concept of profiling. But we have to use common sense. We're not using common sense," Trump said. African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims and other minorities in the United States have complained bitterly for decades about the practice in which police use a person's race, religion, national origin or ethnicity as grounds for suspecting them of committing a crime. "He questions Muslims' assimilation into America. I question his assimilation into our American values," Rehab said. (AFP)

In Chicago, Muslim and gay rights leaders take on Trump

After humans, robots too seemed to have joined the bandwagon of bias and racism.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
In the first international beauty contest judged by an &ldquo;all-robot jury&rdquo;, Beauty.AI,only one of the 44 winners was dark-skinned, the Guardian reported today. &nbsp;<br />
<br />
The creators were startled by the results that pointed that apparently, robots did not like people with dark skin.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
About 6,000 people from across 100 countries had submitted their photos on YouTube hoping that artificial intelligence supported by complex algorithms to identify attractiveness, unlike humans, would not be governed by prejudices.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Beauty.Ai, created by a&nbsp;group called &ldquo;Youth Laboratories and supported by Microsoft, was based out of an algorithm that did include enough minorities to establish standards of attractiveness, Alex Zhavoronkov,&nbsp;Beauty.AI&rsquo;s chief science officer, was quoted as saying in the report.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Although the group did not build the algorithm to treat light skin as a sign of beauty, the input data effectively led the robot judges to reach that conclusion, the report says.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
Computer science experts and social justice advocates have expressed concerns on the growing use of prejudiced artificial intelligence systems that can have &ldquo;devastating consequences&rdquo; on the people of colour.<br />
<br />
The incident has sparked a renewed debate on how algorithms are reflecting human biases, often yielding unintended and offensive results.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
(WION)

In the first international contest judged by an all-robot jury, only one out of the 44 winners was dark-skinned

After humans, robots too seemed to have joined the bandwagon of bias and racism. In the first international beauty contest judged by an “all-robot jury”, Beauty.AI,only one of the 44 winners was dark-skinned, the Guardian reported today. The creators were startled by the results that pointed that apparently, robots did not like people with dark skin. About 6,000 people from across 100 countries had submitted their photos on YouTube hoping that artificial intelligence supported by complex algorithms to identify attractiveness, unlike humans, would not be governed by prejudices. Beauty.Ai, created by a group called “Youth Laboratories and supported by Microsoft, was based out of an algorithm that did include enough minorities to establish standards of attractiveness, Alex Zhavoronkov, Beauty.AI’s chief science officer, was quoted as saying in the report. Although the group did not build the algorithm to treat light skin as a sign of beauty, the input data effectively led the robot judges to reach that conclusion, the report says. Computer science experts and social justice advocates have expressed concerns on the growing use of prejudiced artificial intelligence systems that can have “devastating consequences” on the people of colour. The incident has sparked a renewed debate on how algorithms are reflecting human biases, often yielding unintended and offensive results. (WION)

Robots don't like dark skin?

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