Priti Patel recalls childhood racial slurs as she condemns 'hooliganism' towards police

The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel rejected claims made by the opposition on Monday that the British government had ignored racial discrimination by describing her own personal experiences of racial and religious prejudice.

During an exchange in the Commons, Patel, Britain's first Home Secretary of Indian origin, recounted experiences at school in which she had been referred to as a ''Paki.''

Following a weekend of protests across the UK as part of theBlack Lives Mattercampaign,Patelcondemned a "lawless minority" who "regrettably turned to violence" during the demonstrations.

She denounced the "hooliganism" towards "courageous" police officers in central London.

In a statement to the House of Commons, the home secretary revealed 200 protests took place across the country, with more than 137,500 people in attendance and 135 arrests as of Monday morning.

She urged the public not to attend future protests amid the continuingcoronaviruspandemic and claimed it was "not for mobs" to tear down statues, following the toppling of a monument to aslave trader in Bristol.

Patel had been responding to Labour MP Flo Eshalomi, who asked if the government understood the anger that led to the destruction of the statue of 17th-century slave trader Edward Colston, which was pulled down by protesters in Bristol on Sunday.

"I will not take lectures from the other side of the House. I have already said repeatedly there is no place for racism in our country or in society," said Patel.

The pulling down of the 18-footbronze statue during a Black Lives Matter protest on Sunday has sparked a debate in Britain about racism, history and memory.