The committee has been drawing up plans for a new law to tackle this and other forms of discrimination. There is no date set yet for debate on its proposals.
Bailiwick Law Enforcement came out in support of the right to peaceful protest yesterday, following a statement by the National Police Chiefs Council on the subject.
Mr Floyd, 46, died after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes even after he pleaded that he could not breathe.
Protests erupted across many US cities and also internationally, with rallies on Wednesday in Australia, France, the Netherlands and in the UK, where thousands gathered in central London.
‘The death of George Floyd in the United States has moved people all over the world. Many have been moved to protest for an end to racial inequality in all its forms. And it means governments all over the world are also having to look at their own societies and how they can learn from this,’ a statement from the five members of ESS said.
‘To think we are somehow so different from other communities and there is nothing for us to learn is to bury one’s head in the sand. With the global focus now so acutely on tackling racism, this is not acceptable.’
Racial discrimination is still not prohibited here, 51 years after the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination was extended to the island.
‘This must change.
‘It can change, and it can change soon, if our fellow States members move to quickly debate and support proposals our committee has prepared and put before them.’
ESS had to compromise on its proposals to cover all forms of discrimination after some saw them as heavy-handed and necessary.
It watered them down to cover discrimination on the grounds of disability, race or being a carer, with other areas to follow.
Debate on its report was delayed by Covid-19.
‘We’ve all waited long enough. Nothing, not even the threat of this terrible virus, should stop us now.’
Policy & Resources president Gavin St Pier reached out on Twitter to try to understand the issues more, with many suggestions of educational resources.
Deputy St Pier said: ‘The response has been both considerable and wholly supportive. I’ve been touched by the accounts that I’ve had, some of which do make very uncomfortable reading. I am far from alone at being horrified at the events in the US.
‘For those who engaged with me it seems, for the most part, that mercifully not many experience overt racism and racial discrimination in Guernsey. Though I’m not so complacent to think what clearly happens elsewhere never takes place here.’
He said that any incident was one too many. ‘I am sorry for those who have had that experience. I regret and am embarrassed that it does happen in our island.’
‘I want to better understand how everyday or casual racism manifests in the lives of residents from black or minority backgrounds; and how the stereotypes and implicit bias impact people of colour in our community.’
The NPCC said it stood alongside all those across the globe who are appalled and horrified by the way Mr Floyd lost his life.
‘In the UK we have a long-established tradition of policing by consent, working in communities to prevent crime and solve problems. Officers are trained to use force proportionately, lawfully and only when absolutely necessary. We strive to continuously learn and improve. We will tackle bias, racism or discrimination wherever we find it.’
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