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Two-thirds of BAME Britons back ceasefire and legitimacy of pro-Palestine protests

1 year ago
Two-thirds of BAME Britons back ceasefire and  legitimacy of pro-Palestine protests

Elham Asaad Buaras

Two-thirds (66%) of Black and minority ethnic people (BAME) in the UK support stronger calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and hold greater sympathy for Palestinians, with the majority (54%) backing the legitimacy of pro-Palestine marches, according to a report by leading race quality think tank the Runneymede Trust.

As expected, the survey, titled Understanding Black and Minority Ethnic Perspectives on Protest Rights and Palestine in 2024, discovered substantial support for Palestinians among Muslim communities, with 76% backing additional measures to press for a ceasefire.

This is supplemented by support from other religion groups, notably 60% BAME Christians, with 21% reporting that they ‘neither support nor oppose’, and 4% reporting that they ‘don’t know’, with regards to those statements. In contrast, only 9% of BAME people oppose calls for a cease-fire and more support for Palestinians.

The Runnymede Trust survey of over 2,000 BAME people in the UK also showed that Black and minority ethnic people across the political spectrum support these calls.

Three-quarters (75%) of BAME people who voted Labour in the 2019 general election and two-thirds (66%) of BAME people who voted Conservative support stronger calls for a ceasefire and more compassion for Palestinian people in UK politics.

The polling found that the majority (54%) of BAME people supported the legitimacy of pro-Palestine protests.

Over two-thirds (68%) of BAME people who voted for Labour in the 2019 general election and 59% of BAME people who intend to vote for Labour in the upcoming election support the legitimacy of pro-Palestinian protests.

When disaggregated further, 70% of British Bangladeshi and 71% of British Pakistani communities want more support for public displays of pro-Palestinian solidarity, with the figure rising to 72% of BAME Muslim people.

The polling also shows that 57% of BAME people support a less restrictive approach to protest generally in the UK and support the protection of the right to protest.

This number rises to 64% of BAME people who voted for Labour in the 2019 general election. 54% of BAME people who voted Conservative in 2019 support a less restrictive approach to protest rights in the UK.

The data shows that the views of the majority of BAME people stand in opposition to recent interventions made regarding pro-Palestine protests across the UK, including the actions of the former Home Secretary opposing these.

These findings reflect restrictions on the right to protest enacted in the Public Order Act (2023), which includes strengthened suspicion-less stop and search powers for protest-level violations as well as new criminal penalties for protesting.

“This polling data makes clear that UK political leaders’ position on the events continuing to unfold in Gaza, as well as the delegitimization of the expression of grievances through protests, is woefully out of step with that of the majority of Black and minority ethnic voters. As we prepare for a forthcoming General election, it’s imperative that people of colour’s votes are not treated as ‘safe’ for any party.

Our political leaders must demonstrate that they are able to champion a healthy, pluralistic democracy that reflects a diversity of interests and concerns in ways that do not sacrifice or sideline the voices of minoritized voters,” said Dr Shabna Begum, Runneymede’s interim CEO.

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