NOTE
Dear _____,
As one of your constituents, and an ally to the Black community, I am writing to you today with the hope that you will respond to my request to take action on the following points:
Firstly, the UK Government is complicit in the injuries and deaths caused as a result of the excessive force used by US police officers attacking unarmed protestors. These protesters should not have to fear injury and death whilst protesting for Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the countless other innocent Black lives that have been taken away by brutal police officers. For example, a pregnant woman in Austin was shot with a rubber bullet whilst she was peacefully protesting, and this resulted in her miscarrying. This is just one account of the many abhorrent acts of violence that have been committed using tear gas and rubber bullets.
Given that the UK is known to export such items to the US, and there is a very real chance that they are being used by barbaric police officers to mercilessly harm protestors, the UK Government is morally obliged to suspend the sales of these items to the US.
Secondly, President Trump’s belligerent response to the protestors is deeply worrying, and should be overtly condemned. The UK Government cannot be beguiled by Trump’s post-Brexit economic deals, and it must instead put humanity at the forefront of its policies. Black lives are important, Black lives deserve respect, and Black lives deserve justice. Trade deals with an undeniably racist President should not be placed higher than the importance of Black lives.
Thirdly, the investigation into Belly Mujinga’s death was simply not good enough. Belly’s safety was ignored by the Government. She was not provided with any PPE, and was therefore a victim of not only a hate crime carried out by the callous individual who spat on her, but also a victim of the UK Government’s sheer negligence. Belly and her family deserve justice. How can the investigation into Madeleine McCann’s disappearance be funded for over thirteen years, but the investigation into the attack that led to Belly contracting Covid-19 be so quickly dismissed?
Furthermore, whilst the Public Health England report confirmed that Black, and Asian, and minority ethnic groups are at a disproportionately higher rate of dying from Covid19; the report simply restated previous findings, without delivering an action plan to address the issue. Moreover, the report did not contain an explanation for the reasons behind this, and is therefore inadequate.
The British Medical Association (BMA), described it as “a missed opportunity” to initiate urgent action. Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the BMA’s Chair of the Council, expressed how the report makes no progress towards implementing concrete action to protect BAME communities, who have been some of the worst-affected people throughout this pandemic. Not only are these people nearly 50% more likely to be arrested in London under coronavirus laws, they are also more likely to die from the virus.
Every week, people have taken to the streets to clap for our NHS, but where is that same energy for the staggeringly high proportion of BAME healthcare workers who have lost their lives due to Covid-19? I have many British Pakistani family members working for the NHS, and doing all that they can to protect the lives of others, even when they don’t feel like they are protected.Why is the Government not doing more to protect these workers by investigating the reasons behind these deaths? My suspicion is that the Government’s inability to provide PPE when it was needed the most is just one of the ways in which they are complicit. The Government must do more, and promptly deliver an honest, uncensored and clear investigation into the reasons behind these deaths.
Finally, it would also be beneficial to have these finds, and advice from this, and future reports affecting Asian communities to be available in several languages, including - but not limited to: Punjabi, Urdu, Gujrati, and Bangla. By making the findings more accessible, this will hopefully enable greater awareness and understanding amongst Asian communities in the UK.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter; I would be more than happy to provide further information on some of the incredible activists that are driving for the changes outlined above.
I hope you will consider the demands above, and fight for justice.
Yours sincerely,
____________