Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:05 pm on 19 October 2021.
In Wales and England, the police are nine times more likely to use their stop-and-search powers and almost eight times more likely to use tasers on black, Asian and minority ethnic people than white people. The percentage of black people in Welsh prisons is higher than the general Welsh population. And according to the Independent Office for Police Conduct, a higher percentage of black, Asian and minority ethnic people feel a lack of confidence in the ability of police in dealing with complaints fairly. We in Plaid Cymru have argued that devolving powers over justice and policing would empower us here in Wales to make the improvements that need to be made. What is the Government's solution?
Now, I'd like to look at one of the subclauses of the motion because I think it encapsulates the spirit of the motion more broadly. The first clause supports,
'the global fight to root out racism and racist ideology and strive towards a more equal Wales, tackling systemic and structural race inequality'.
As a modern nation that contributed to the existence of the British empire—and we heard very powerful evidence from Altaf Hussain in this regard—it is no surprise that systemic racism continues within our society, but it's also worth noting that anti-racist attitudes and resources within Welsh culture and society, such as the works of Leonora Brito, Charlotte Williams, Hazel Carby, Glenn Jordan and others, do provide resources to challenge and undermine racism. This clause also recognises the link that exists between structural and systemic racism on the one hand and racist ideology on the other. Racist ideology can be very apparent at times, but it can be more subtle too, as politicians, journalists and others in positions of influence use dog whistles, hiding their real racist motivations and pushing the boundaries of discussion towards reactionary hatred.
We all have a moral responsibility to be proactive in our anti-racism. We must take more effective action to ensure that there is no space in our politics, in our media, in our workplaces or in our institutions for ideologies that bring forward racism and inequality. How can we ensure that our national institutions reflect modern Wales in all its diversity? Well, as we reform the Senedd in order to serve the people of Wales more effectively, we should truly consider, for example, the demands for quotas and other steps in order to increase the representation of black and minority ethnic people—