race relations legislation

   Four Race Relations Acts have been introduced in the United Kingdom, those of 1965, 1968, 1976 and 2000. All have been introduced by Labour administrations. The Commission for Racial Equality and earlier similar bodies have supported the use of legislation in this field, believing that: it is necessary to offer an unequivocal declaration of public policy; a law supports those who do not wish to discriminate but who may feel compelled to do so by social pressure; a law gives protection and redress to minority groups; a law provides for peaceful and orderly adjustment of grievances and release of tensions; and a law reduces prejudice by discouraging the behaviour in which the prejudice finds expression. The early statues between them defined what was meant by discrimination and made it illegal in public places, made it an offence to practise racial discrimination in areas such as private clubs (as well as the familiar ones of education, employment, housing and the provision of goods and services), outlawed indirect as well as direct discrimination, and made it an offence if the effect of what was done or said was to discriminate against someone, even if that was not the intention. The Race Relations Act 2000 tightened the law further, extending the scope of previous legislation to the police, those working in the prison service and other formerly exempted groups.