Ad campaign targets Scottish racism
A major advertising campaign aimed at combating racism was launched by the Scottish Executive today - as a new survey found one in four Scots admit they are racist.
More than half of those taking part in a System Three poll said they would be worried if more people from ethnic minorities arrived in Scotland.
Nearly half of the 2,000 people polled also did not believe terms such as “Chinky” or “Paki” were racist.
Launching the £1m (€1.59m) advertising campaign, which will feature on television, radio, in cinemas and on buses and billboards throughout the country, Scottish social justice minister Margaret Curran said it was essential that racist views were tackled.
She said: “I don’t believe that anyone wants to live in a Scotland where a family or individual’s potential is determined, not by their abilities, but by their postcode or the colour of their skin.
“We are under no illusion, Scotland has some way to go before it is free of prejudice and discrimination.
“But unless we rid ourselves of these evils, our pursuit of social justice, equality of opportunity, and economic prosperity will be seriously compromised.”
First Minister Jack McConnell said the Executive’s ambition of creating an economically prosperous Scotland was not possible unless racism is overcome.
He said: “For a growing economy, we need a growing population. We must therefore make the most of all our talent and ensure that Scotland is a welcoming place for people from all cultures, nationalities and backgrounds.”
The theme of the advertising campaign is One Scotland. Many Cultures and features a series of short broadcasts highlighting the need for the country to embrace its ethnic diversity.
One features a group of people from a range of ethnic backgrounds working together to hoist a St Andrew’s flag.
Another contrasts the worldwide opinion of Scotland as a friendly, welcoming country with incidents of intolerance and racism in everyday Scots life.
The billboard campaign, which will run until the end of October, will feature posters declaring that Scotland is ‘A small country, not a country of small minds’, as well as others which say there is ‘No place for racism’.
An interactive website has also been established to support the advertising campaign.
Yvonne Strachan, the head of the Scottish Executive’s equality unit, said the number of racist incidents in Scotland had “increased quite considerably” to around 3,000 in the past year, proving the need for the campaign.
She added: “Scotland is a country of cultures, we are multi-ethnic and that is to be celebrated.”
Elsewhere in the results of the System Three poll, which was conducted from July last year and was done via computers to ensure anonymity, it is revealed that 30% of those who took part strongly agreed that ethnic minorities must do more to fit in to Scottish society.
However, approximately 79% of those surveyed said they believed they were warm and friendly to those coming from other backgrounds.
Chris Eynon of System Three said the poll indicated that there was an overall denial that racism is a major problem in Scotland.
And he acknowledged that while there will be some whose minds will not be changed by the new campaign, he believed it would go some way to changing society’s attitude towards racism.
He said: “We don’t expect this campaign to impact on the hardcore racists. We’re trying to change the majority view, which will eventually lead to these people realising that they’re attitudes are not helpful, they’re unwanted and they’re completely anti-social.”
The Commission for Racial Equality Scotland (CRES), which helped develop the campaign, said the Executive was “sending out a clear message” against racism.
Dharmendra Kanani, head of CRES, said: “The effect of the campaign is to hold up a mirror to people’s everyday actions and behaviour and underlines the responsibility every person has to strip out racism from their behaviour and therefore from the society of which they are a member.”
Bosses at the Scottish Refugee Council said newcomers to the country were often those who felt the brunt of prejudice.
Sally Daghlian, chief executive of the organisation, said: “Everyone in Scotland must face up to the uncomfortable reality that we are not always a welcoming and tolerant country.
“Racism isn’t just about the minority who throw stones, it is also about ingrained prejudices and assumptions.”
