Covid-19 reveals the deadly consequences of failing to tackle racial inequality

Socialists of Colour is a collective of activists campaigning for racial liberation and anti-racist policy both within and beyond the Labour Party. It was established because we believe that Labour has not adequately campaigned and supported the policies necessary to counter institutional racism. We campaign in Labour because we still believe that the party is the best vehicle to achieve many of our political aims. The 2019 Labour race and faith manifesto, a radical and innovative document that could have tackled colonial injustices and economic racial inequality, confirmed our view. We want to see a Labour Party that is passionately anti-racist, not just in policy but in actions, solidarity and rhetoric too.

In the coming months, we will be campaigning and producing educational resources on the impact of Covid-19 on BAME communities. The virus does not discriminate and everyone is at risk of catching it. But years of the Conservative government failing to tackle social, economic and health racial inequality has resulted in serious and often fatal consequences for people of colour.

Firstly, we have seen a disproportionate number of deaths among BAME people, notably within our NHS staff. The death rate amongst ethnic minorities is especially high for nurses and dentists, where they account for 71% and 94% of deaths – despite only making up 20% and 44% of the respective workforces. Due to the campaign led by the British Medical Association and Shadow Women and Equalities Secretary Marsha De Cordova, the government has committed to reviewing why ethnic minorities are dying at a disproportionate rate. But we know many of the answers to this question without the review.

In 2016, the richest 1% of the population in the UK owned 29 times more wealth than the poorest 20%. We know that, in our capitalist society, wealth correlates to wellbeing. Having stripped the NHS bare, many people cannot get the treatment that they need. There are certain diseases more prevalent in ethnic minority communities. There are high rates of hypertension in black communities, and Asians are more likely to suffer from diabetes than people of other ethnicities.

However, it would be misleading to assume that the reason for the disproportionate impact of Covid-19 on people of colour is due to genetics. Ethnicity is a social construct, there is no gene to be black or Asian. Ethnic minorities are overrepresented in the essential work category, which puts them at higher risk of catching coronavirus. This includes working in the NHS, in the transport sector and supermarkets. Despite being classed as key workers and essential to keeping our society running during the lockdown, this labour is often low-paid and insecure.

Disproportionate rates of poverty mean a large proportion of ethnic minorities live in dense, overcrowded urban areas – especially in major cities such as London and Manchester. Cramped and inadequate housing, often with multiple generations living under one roof, means social distancing is impossible. Analysis from The Guardian based on ONS figures found that for every 10% increase in ethnic minority residents, deaths from Covid-19 increase by 2.9 per 100,000 people. The London boroughs of Harrow and Brent have had some of the highest rates in the country, with 37 and 32 deaths per 100,000 people respectively. BAME people account for 58% or residents in Harrow, and 64% in Brent.

Secondly, the Coronavirus Act 2020 has increased the powers of the police to a concerning level. These powers include the ability to detain you if they believe you are infectious. They also allow the restriction of your right to move around and be part of a gathering. Whilst this may seem a necessary move to reduce transmission, we know that the police do not treat ethnic minorities – in particular black people – equally. Although the two Race Relations Acts made stop and searching citizens based on their ethnicity illegal, it still takes place to a worryingly high degree.

According to government data, there were only four stop and searches for every 1,000 white people in 2019. This figure increased to 11 per 1,000 Asian people, and shot up dramatically when it came to black people with 38 stop and searches taking place per 1,000 black individuals. Despite this, according to the Runnymede Trust’s Race and Policing in England and Wales report published in 2015, only 9% of the one million stop and searches a year actually lead to an arrest. And it is well known that over 99% of complaints regarding racism provided by ethnic minorities are dismissed by the Met Police. Knowing these facts, these police powers are more akin to targeted harassment of ethnic minority communities than safe and lawful policing of society.

Thirdly, we must appreciate the brunt of the damage caused by the pandemic will be faced by the Global South, which includes countries in Africa, South and Latin America and Southeast Asia. Countries that are underdeveloped compared to Western standards. This is often exacerbated by political and economic interferences from richer and more powerful countries like the USA, such as sanctions and withholding access to the international markets. The healthcare and social security systems of countries in the global south are low or even non-existent, meaning that the effects of the virus will be heavily felt throughout the population, especially by the poorest. These countries may have to borrow from organisations such as the International Monetary Fund – a global organisation but heavily influenced by the USA – or richer countries to adequately fight the virus.

This leaves the Global South susceptible to being buried under high interest rate debt that they may be paying off for decades to come. In previous years, richer countries have provided human and financial assistance to their poorer counterparts to help them deal with health crises. But as states such as the UK realise the impact of austerity on their capacity to protect their own population from the virus, and countries such as the US succumb to right-wing, insular and racist ideologies, internationalist solidarity and a condition-free approach to the pandemic is uncertain. We thank Preet Gill for supporting the Jubilee Debt Campaign in calling for the cancellation of the Global South’s debt. These countries do not deserve to be savaged by debt while they are dealing with the economic and social consequences of this pandemic.

The Labour Party should be front and centre in defending people of colour during this pandemic. Labour is the party that over 70% of ethnic minorities voted for, and without this support, they would have lost dozens more seats last year. Labour is also the party that claims to represent socialism and equality. That means it is Labour’s responsibility to stand up to the government and loudly campaign for the interests of people of colour. Many Labour MPs have stood with their communities in this pandemic, and have run some brilliant campaigns. We are also pleased to see that Keir Starmer has appointed Doreen Lawrence to lead a Labour review into the disproportionate number of BAME deaths. The Labour leader said: “We cannot afford to treat this as an issue to investigate once the crisis is over. We must address it now.” And we completely agree.

Tackling racial inequality cannot wait, and must be at the forefront of Labour’s political agenda. It also must not be sidelined once the mainstream press has lost interest in the inequalities faced by our communities. People of colour deserve to live in a country where they are not made more likely to die from Covid-19 due to government policy and negligence. We deserve to live in a country where increased police powers do not put our communities at risk. The Global South does not deserve to be financially crushed by debt while it is struggling with the economic consequences of the pandemic. Please follow Socialists of Colour on Twitter to stay up to date with our activities. We will be releasing details on how to join our collective soon, and we hope that you can get involved.