Racial Violence, Harassment Appears to Worsen in Britain, New Study Says

Thousands of blacks and Asians in Britain are victims of serious racial violence and harassment each year and the problem appears to be getting worse, according to a new study released Wednesday.

The study was conducted by a watchdog group called Runnymede Trust, an educational charity formed in 1968, which collects and disseminates information to the public on race and immigration.

Titled “Racial Violence and Harassment,” the study said that while racist attacks are nothing new in Britain, racial violence and harassment have increased since 1981 “both in terms of the number of incidents and in terms of the level of violence.”

The study, which included Asians--mostly immigrant Indians and Pakistanis--among Britain’s “blacks,” cited a 1981 Home Office report, which estimated that 7,000 racial incidents would be reported in England and Wales in any one year. Other statistics and surveys since then have shown a rise in racial violence, the study added. The Home Office is in charge of British internal affairs.

400 More Incidents

London’s Metropolitan Police statistics for 1985 showed an increase of more than 400 incidents over 1984, the study said.

The study detailed about 62 racial killings in Britain in recent years and noted that they took place in upper- and middle-class areas as well as in economically distressed neighborhoods.

“Few areas in Britain can now be regarded as completely safe for black residents,” the study said. “Racial violence and harassment are serious problems for black people throughout Britain.”