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Suella Braverman has been accused of using "racist rhetoric" by a former Conservative co-chair of the party. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi denounced a series of comments made by the Home Secretary, saying "this must stop". The Tory counterpart did not say which specific comments she was referring to as racist, but noted Ms Braverman's comments about small boats crossing the English Channel and her distinction from British Pakistani men due to concerns about gangs of grooming.
This follows letters sent to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak asking him to act on Ms Braverman's rhetoric, including from the British Pakistan Foundation, which accused the Home Secretary of trying to portray all British Pakistanis in a "divisive way." and dangerous."
Speaking to LBC, Lady Warsi said: "I think the Prime Minister needs to send a very strong message that this kind of rhetoric, whether it's in small boats, whether it's what she said over the weekend that is not based on evidence." . , unqualified, in no way explanatory, has to stop.
"And you know, again today we woke up to a story where she's going after the police for taking golliwog dolls out of a pub."
Later in the interview, he said: “I don't think any of my colleagues can use their skin pigment as some kind of defense mechanism to say they're not racist. You know that brown people can be racist too.
Asked if he called the interior minister a racist, he replied: "I call his rhetoric racist." I am."
He continued: “I say this as someone who experienced racism growing up, you know, in the '70s and '80s. It's not a term I use loosely.
“And it's definitely not a term I easily use when talking about another woman of color. Another colored parliamentarian. But I think one way or another we have to denounce this.
The Tory pair also told the Mirror: "I really felt that with the change in leadership with Rishi Sunak becoming prime minister, we were going to go back to some level of adult politics." I just think the Home Secretary keeps dragging it down the drain.
She said: "I think we have to make it clear that this is not going to be our strategy for the next 18 months: racist rhetoric and mob riots."
Further criticizing Ms Braverman's comments, Lady Warsi added: "There is either a problem of deliberately divisive rhetoric or a competition problem, but either way the Prime Minister needs to get this under control."
Essex Police have denied being directly reprimanded by the Home Secretary for sending five officers to seize a collection of dolls believed to be racist from a pub.
On April 2, Ms Braverman was speaking about government measures to tackle sexual harassment gangs when she singled out British Pakistani men as one of the main sources of concern.
Ms Braverman has been criticized for repeatedly alluding to cases, including in Rotherham and Rochdale, involving groups of men of predominantly Pakistani origin.
He described a "dominance of certain ethnic groups, and I mean British Pakistani men, who have cultural values that are totally at odds with British values, who view women in a demeaning and illegitimate way and pursue an outdated and downright abhorrent in terms of the way they behave."
His language has been criticized by some activists, with the NSPCC stressing that consideration of race alone can create new "blind spots".
A Home Office spokesman said: “The Home Secretary has made it clear that all despicable child molesters must be brought to justice. And she won't shy away from speaking hard truths, especially when it comes to grooming young women and girls in British cities that have been neglected by the authorities for decades.
“As the Home Secretary has said, the vast majority of British-Pakistanis are upstanding and law-abiding citizens, but independent reports have been unequivocal that in cities like Rochdale, Rotherham and Telford, sensitive cultures have meant that thousands of girls have been abused under the noses of the communes and the police.
"That is why we have announced a series of measures, including a new police task force and mandatory reporting, to ensure this horrific scandal never happens again and to bring gang members to justice for the victims."
PA wire
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