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Parliamentary staff urged to profess feelings online about 'white privilege' after BLM protests

A man with a Black Lives Matter tattoo at a march in Boston in the US. UK Parliamentary staff have been urged to “pledge their support” for BAME colleagues following the death of George Floyd in May in the US - Brian Snyder/Reuters
A man with a Black Lives Matter tattoo at a march in Boston in the US. UK Parliamentary staff have been urged to “pledge their support” for BAME colleagues following the death of George Floyd in May in the US - Brian Snyder/Reuters

Parliamentary staff are being urged to profess their "privilege", write poetry and "draw how they feel" in an online platform set up following Black Lives Matter protests, The Telegraph can reveal.

Officials have been issued an "inclusivity toolkit" by senior figures that states the need for white workers to acknowledge their ethnic advantages and “internalised racism”.

A digital “solidarity and support” wall was set up for staff to admit their privilege, pen poetry, and “pledge their support” for BAME colleagues following the death of George Floyd in May.

George Floyd was an African-American man killed during an arrest after a store clerk alleged he had passed a counterfeit $20 bill in Minneapolis. A white police officer named Derek Chauvin knelt on Floyd's neck for a period initially reported to be 8 minutes and 46 seconds.

Confessional messages posted by those working in the corridors of power include professing “as a white woman I acknowledge my privilege and continue to educate myself”.

Similar admissions, described as “divisive” by MPs calling for a review of public institutions, include “as a white man I am conscious of the privilege I have”.

Through internal messages obtained by The Telegraph, senior staff on the House of Commons executive board assured colleagues that despite impartiality rules, they need not be impartial about racism.

Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally, in memory of George Floyd. Colston was a merchant who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade - Ben Birchall/PA
Protesters throw the statue of Edward Colston into Bristol harbour during a Black Lives Matter protest rally, in memory of George Floyd. Colston was a merchant who was involved in the Atlantic slave trade - Ben Birchall/PA

In the days following the fall of Edward Colston’s statue in Bristol, advice was issued on how workers could best express their support for Black Lives Matter through “attending protests and social media use”.

Documents reveal House of Commons staff leaders promised Mr Floyd’s death would be “catalyst for change” in Parliament, with new unconscious-bias training being rolled out, and more online resources provided on the protest movement rekindled by his killing.

The Parliament diversity group ParliREACH added to these online resources with the digital wall for staff to “acknowledge their privilege”.

Messages include: “I am a white, privately educated, middle-class female”, and: “I am a white man and from that privileged position I now see that I can't ever fully understand the relentless impact of racism.”

There were claims on the wall that support from white “allies” was no more than “performative allyship” and just a gesture towards the BAME communities.

Indeed, staying “apolitical”, according to a chart shared on the wall by Parliamentary staff, was the base of a “pyramid of white supremacy”.

Believing that we “all belong to the human race” was also cited as a part of the pyramid structure which supports “lynching”, “hate crimes”, and “genocide” at its apex.

Amid the poems and message of support for the Black Lives Matter, one person also stated that they could no longer watch US police comedy series Brooklyn Nine-Nine because it sold a “cosy lie” about policing.

Other posts carried claims that “questioning if something is racist” is “racial gaslighting” for making members of the BAME communities question their perception, and sending “anti-racist resources” was a problem.

Inviting members of the BAME communities to talk about their experiences and Black Lives Matter, was also deemed “a form of oppression and racism”.

Away from the wall, the “toolkit” issued to staff offered advice on how to properly interact and ask questions with regard to race, including the template: “Have you ever considered _______?”

It also warns that an example of "structural racism" is a "stereotype of people of colour as criminals in mainstream movies and media".

In The Telegraph on Sunday, Tory MP for Devizes in Wiltshire, Danny Kruger, warns that the "woke consensus" has "taken hold" of "parts of Whitehall, warning the Conservative Party not to "pander" to its supporters with policy.

He writes: "This is a trap that will annoy not just our grassroots and our newly-won ‘Red Wall’ voters, but mainstream opinion everywhere. "

Conservative MP for Harborough, Oadby and Wigston, Neil O’Brien, has suggested a review of the UK’s major institutions, which he believes have become hotbeds for troubling ideology.

He said:  "Some very divisive ideas and campaigns are being given legitimacy by the leadership of taxpayer-funded institutions. 

“From universities to Whitehall to broadcasters some very divisive ideas are being given official status.

“I think there needs to be a wider look at the way these taxpayer-funded bodies deal with these issues.

“What is being pushed by these groups is not in tune with the taxpayers who are paying for it and is often baffling to people outside of that metropolitan worldview. "

A House of Commons spokesperson said: "Racism has no place in Parliament and we are committed to becoming a diverse and inclusive workplace. There are no two sides to racism and we recognise this is an issue on which some of our colleagues may wish to make their voice heard.

"In line with most organisations, Parliament has Workplace Equality Networks including ParliREACH, which provide an opportunity for groups of people to discuss and consider issues relevant to their situation.

"Relevant staff, including senior staff and those in regular and direct contact with Members, are regularly reminded of their responsibility to be impartial on party political matters."