Furious Priti Patel hits back after Labour accuses her of ‘gaslighting’ BLM

RE: Shared feelings allow us to show solidarity not gaslight other minority communities

Dear Rt Hon Priti Patel MP,

We write to you as Black Asian and Ethnic Minority Labour MPs to highlight our dismay at the way you used your heritage and experiences of racism to gaslight the very real racism faced by Black people and communities across the UK.

In the chamber in response to one of our colleagues, you stated,

“When it comes to racism, sexism, tolerance for social justice, I will not take lectures from the other side of the House.”

We all have our personal stories, of the racism that we have faced, whether it has been being defined by the colour of our skin or the faith we choose to believe in.

Our shared experiences allow us to feel the pain that communities feel, when they face racism, they allow us to show solidarity towards a common cause; they do not allow us to define, silence or impede on the feelings that other minority groups may face.

Being a person of colour does not automatically make you an authority on all forms of racism.

Structures of racism, hatred and inequality have many layers and therefore, whilst it is true, there are some experiences of racism that we all face, there are also some experiences of racism that we all do not face.

Some forms have become acceptable in our communities, others exist under the breaths and many are built on unconscious bias and systemic structures of power.

The murder of George Floyd brought to light, the authentic experiences of Black men, women and children in the US and the UK from Police brutality, through to the structural and institutional racism that unjustly targets black communities in the UK. Those experiences can not be silenced by some shared feeling.

In conclusion, we ask you to reflect on your words and to consider the impact it had towards black communities in the UK trying to highlight their voices against racism.

Rest assured, that Asian and Ethnic Minority colleagues on this side of the house will not use their experiences to silence our Black colleagues, but will use our shared experiences to stand behind them and support their voices to lead us on standing up against the distinct form of racism black communities in the UK and across the globe face.

#BlackLivesMatter

Best wishes,