What is racial discrimination?
Racial discrimination is not the same as racial prejudice. You
don’t have to prove that the other person meant to discriminate
against you; you only have to show that you were not treated as
well because of what they did or said.
There are four types of racial discrimination:
Direct racial discrimination
- such as racist abuse and harassment
Indirect racial discrimination
- can mean being told you have to do something which can’t be
justified on non-racial grounds. This might include employees being
told they cannot wear anything on their head even if their religion
says that they have to
Victimisation
- has a special legal meaning in the Race Relations Act. You have
been victimised if you are treated less favourably because you have
complained about racial discrimination or supported someone else
who has
Harassment
- this applies to situations when discrimination is on grounds of
race, ethnic or national origins, but not colour or nationality.
However, harassment based on the colour of your skin or the country
you are from amounts to less favourable treatment and may be
unlawful direct discrimination
If you think you have experienced any of these, you should act
quickly. Contact
the North Kensington Law Centre to find out what happens
next.