HOME Secretary Priti Patel has said she will “not be silenced” after being accused by a number of BAME Labour MPs of using her "heritage and experiences of racism" to "gaslight other minority communities"
Patel shared on Twitter the letter she was sent by shadow minister for community cohesion Naz Shah.
The letter contained a number of co-signatures from a number of BAME colleagues in the Labour Party.
The Home Secretary was criticised for saying in the Commons that she would “not take lectures” from opposition MPs when it came to racism.
Patel’s comments came in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests which started in the US before spreading to the UK after George Floyd was killed by a police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
READ MORE: Scotland needs diversity after George Floyd case so no-one is left behind
The letter to Patel responds: "Our shared experiences allow us to feel the pain that communities feel, when they face racism, they allow us to show solidarity towards a common cause; they do not allow us to define, silence or impede on the feelings that other minority groups may face.
"Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism."
Sad to have just received this letter.
— Priti Patel (@pritipatel) June 11, 2020
I will not be silenced by @UKLabour MPs who continue to dismiss the contributions of those who don't conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave. pic.twitter.com/gBhLvtKKwt
Patel tweeted: “Sad to have just received this letter. I will not be silenced by @UKLabour MPs who continue to dismiss the contributions of those who don't conform to their view of how ethnic minorities should behave.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel