Bengaliness Research Initiative (BRI) and International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF) in a joint statement have called upon Sir Kei Starmer and Jonathan Ashworth to retract their statements in full and issue a sincere and unreserved public apology.
“We are outraged and appalled by the recent comments made by Sir Keir Starmer and Jonathan Ashworth of the Labour Party, which have unjustly targeted the Bengali community in the UK,” said the joint statement.
Their prejudiced comments singled out a community that has made significant contributions to British society and its economy, including its public services, not to mention that modern Britain was built largely with the wealth syphoned off from the region historically known as the Bengal, the organizations said.
During World War II, one of Britain’s finest hours in its struggle against fascism, millions of military recruits from Bengal fought side by side with the British army in addition to contributing to the war efforts with immense resources and supplies from Bengal imperilling her people including suffering a great famine in which millions perished.
“Therefore, eight decades after the defeat of fascism, hearing such fascist dog-whistling from current British leadership is particularly troubling. Starmer and Ashworth’s comments demonstrate both ingratitude and ignorance of their history,” said the two organizations.
The Bengali community has endured unimaginable atrocities throughout history, particularly under British colonial rule.
The Bengal Famine of 1770, which resulted in the deaths of approximately 10 million people, and the Bengal Famine of 1943, which claimed the lives of over three million, were catastrophic events directly linked to colonial British policies.
The Bengali community also has a history of fleeing their homeland to escape atrocities, such as during the 1971 Liberation War, when millions faced displacement as a result of genocide perpetrated by Pakistan. Even in modern Britain, the Bengali community has been subjected to racial prejudice and violence (e.g. the Murder of Altab Ali etc), the organizations said.
These tragedies are stark reminders of the historical struggles of the Bengalis through the ages that left deep impressions in their collective psyche and memory.
“It is our grave concern that such callous singling out by Starmer and Ashworth may lead to further discrimination and violence towards an already marginalised community and inflict dehumanisation in consequence, if not checked and corrected. Two top leaders of the same political party repeating the same racial stereotyping against the same ethnic group, and both dodging any clear and sincere reversion from their statements may be indicative of ‘Bengaliphobia’ harboured by sections of the party’s current leadership,” said the statement.
If not that, to the least, it is a coincidental political blunder of the worst possible kind. To minimise this blunder and express genuine intent, Labour must immediately initiate actions to apologise for Britain’s colonial past and start a dialogue on ways of paying reparations, it said.
Instead, the unapologetic “concerns” expressed by Sir Keir Starmer, appearing on a community TV channel and quoting clichés about “deep-rooted relations between Labour and Bangladesh,” are echoed as nothing but insincere lip service.
The Bengali community has made significant contributions to British society, and their rights and dignity must be upheld, the organizations said.
“As the survivors of centuries-long oppression, widespread dehumanisation and multiple genocides, we stand in solidarity with not just the Bengali community in Britain, but any marginalised community facing racial stereotypes anywhere, and continue to advocate for justice and equality.”
BRI is a voluntary educational initiative working to facilitate education, necessary training and relevant hands-on experiences for volunteers interested in research works focused on Bengal, Bengali and Bengaliness.
International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF) is an independent global network of experts, justice advocates and organisations committed to ending impunity for international crimes, ensuring justice for the victims of these crimes, and upholding the rule of law and human rights.