In the last week, the UK Border Agency (UKBA) detained and intimidated dozens of non-white travelers around London tube stations and demanded to see their papers. This is a horrific example of discrimination and must stop immediately.
Boing Boing reports that concerned onlookers who questioned border agents' methods were told to move on and even threatened with arrest. Officials refused to give their names and some reportedly even removed their badges so that badge numbers could not be reported.
These tactics aren't just in direct violation of UK law, which states that immigration police must identify themselves, advise people questioned that they are not under arrest and that they are not obliged to answer questions. They're also blatantly racist, bigoted ways of instilling fear in all non-white Londoners.
This travesty of justice and fairness must stop! Tell the UKBA to stop racially profiling commuters and travelers.
We the undersigned deplore your recent profiling of non-white passengers on the London tube.
It appears that, in violation of British law, your officers have failed to identify themselves even upon request and have acted without due cause to harass and frighten law-abiding residents of a happily diverse community. They systematically targeted people for "questioning" based solely on race. Even the white neighbors of your victims were alarmed at the rude, aggressive way you treated people who were simply commuting to their jobs.
Please desist from racial profiling and go fight some actual crime!
