6 days ago
Getting on with police is white privilege, solicitors told
Getting along well with the police is an example of white privilege, solicitors have been told in new anti-racism guidance.
The Law Society, which represents more than 200,000 solicitors in England and Wales, has published new advice to help legal professionals use 'more inclusive' language.
Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, branded it 'dangerous' and has written to the Law Society calling for it to be withdrawn.
The guidance said racial categorisation is based on white supremacy and 'was developed as an attempt to prove biological superiority and maintain dominance over others'.
It also said a person who is 'non-racist', rather than 'anti-racist', is 'a bystander of the problem', and urged people to apologise if they 'get terminology wrong and cause offence'.
The term 'ethnic minority' is discouraged, with 'minoritised ethnic', 'racially minoritised' or 'global majority' suggested instead.
Solicitors are also instructed to 'accept and acknowledge that ethnicity is an integral part of a person's identity and treat it as such'.
The guidance also listed examples of white privilege, which it described as 'the innate advantage white people have within society solely based on their race'.
The examples included 'people that look like you are largely represented within media', 'you can easily find products which match your skin tone and hair type', and 'your history is a part of the curriculum'.
It also listed 'you generally have a positive relationship with the police' as an example.
Mr Jenrick said the guidance promoted 'dangerous ideas' and that the organisation should be 'colour-blind and merit-based'.
He said it runs contrary to 'the principle of equal treatment' and 'seeks to divide people on the basis of race and ethnicity'.
'It is unacceptable for the Law Society to promote this kind of ideology, particularly as other legal bodies back away from these ideas,' Mr Jenrick said in a letter to Law Society president Richard Atkinson.
'I urge you to withdraw this guidance immediately.'
The Law Society has been contacted for comment.
It comes after a row over new guidance directing judges to consider the lives of offenders from ethnic minority and other backgrounds before sentencing.
Opponents claimed the changes could lead to a 'two-tier justice system' in which people from minority groups are treated more leniently.
The guidance, which the Sentencing Council argued would ensure courts had comprehensive information to decide on an appropriate punishment, was later abandoned after ministers tabled legislation to override it.
