Race relations 'at new low'

Gurbux Singh: "Moment of real aberration"

The "vilification" of asylum seekers is contributing to race relations in Britain reaching a new low, according to former race watchdog chairman Gurbux Singh.

The terror threat, pending war with Iraq, the emergence of the extreme right and the "collapse" of the asylum system are also breeding prejudice, he said.

We are actually vilifying asylum seekers as terrorists, as spongers, as people living off the state

Gurbux Singh

Mr Singh was speaking out for the first time since he stepped down as chairman of the commission for racial equality following a drunken attack on police officers at Lords' cricket ground.

He called for a "fundamental review" of the asylum system and the UK's responsibilities to international agreements.

'Spongers'

"It is generally accepted now that the whole asylum seeker system is in a state of collapse," Mr Singh told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

"It's ineffective, decision making is too slow, people fall out of the system, people simply disappear.

"We need to differentiate between genuine asylum seekers and economic migrants, but at the same time we are actually vilifying asylum seekers as terrorists, as spongers, as people living off the state.

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"What we now need, surely, is a fundamental review of our entire system of asylum seeking, including, perhaps, a review of the international agreements that we are trying to discharge our responsibilities under."

Mr Singh called on ministers to provide "real leadership" to confront the problem.

"There is evidence that mainstream political parties are finding it difficult to tackle head-on the sort of issues that confront ordinary people," he said.

Wrong image

While politicians should not shy away from telling the truth about terrorists, the picture being painted of Muslims and asylum seekers was not accurate, said Mr Singh.

"If there are asylum seekers who are terrorists, then clearly that must be stated. If there are asylum seekers that are sponging off the state, that must be stated," he said.

"Nobody is suggesting that it should not be the case.

"But I would suggest that the majority of asylum seekers do not fall into those categories and yet the way in which asylum seekers generally are projected is that they are.

"That is what I think is most worrying."

'Under siege'

Mr Singh argued that the Muslim community felt vilified in the same way.

"We need to be frightened of Muslim extremists," he said.

"When I talk to Muslim friends now, they all feel a sense of siege, that they, who are ordinary, decent people who live in this country, who have lived in this country for many, many years, they feel that they are being tarred with the same brush...

"We can't be frightened of saying there are Muslim terrorists, but the reality actually is that we shouldn't tar the entire community with that label."

'Aberration'

Mr Singh said he had "actually paid a reasonable price" for the spat with police at Lord's cricket ground that forced him out of his job.

Describing the incident as a "moment of real aberration", he said: "I have lost the job that I very much wanted and I thought I was doing reasonably."

Mr Singh was fined £500 for threatening behaviour, but he refused to be confirm or deny reports that he received a £120,000 payout when he left the post.

He would only say: "There was a financial settlement and I am not willing to go into the terms of that financial settlement."

Mr Singh was replaced by broadcaster and politician Trevor Phillips who is currently the Labour chairman of the London Assembly.