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Dear Dr Starkey
Re: Inquiry into Community Cohesion and Migration I would like to submit this letter as evidence to your inquiry into the impact of recent inward migration on the cohesion of local communities.
In particular, I want to raise one specific point relating to how tension in community cohesion could be caused by new technologies such as social networking websites like www.facebook.com
Harrow is the most religiously diverse borough in England and Wales. Ethnically the borough is also one of the most diverse. For instance, it has the 2nd highest Indian population (22% of total population) and there is an increasingly complex ethnic mix with long established communities living alongside new communities such as the Somali community, where the rate of unemployment is significantly higher than other groups. Over 70% of Harrow's maintained school children are from black or minority ethnic communities with 139 different languages spoken in schools. Although such a diversity of religion and race can cause tension between the various groups, Harrow is one of the most cohesive communities in the country.
In November, Harrow Council was confronted with the issue of racism on the prominent social networking website facebook. Over 100 people joined a group called 'I'm from Harrow and I'm not Asian'. This site contained a number of comments that have been condemned by Leaders within the Asian Community as racist or inciting race hate.
The issue was also reported in the Harrow Observer. Within this local newspaper article the Police said that they would treat any allegations of racism very seriously and investigate fully. However, neither the Police nor the Harrow Council for Racial Equality were able to formally intervene or investigate this unless they received a formal complaint from an individual who had been affected.
This was duly done by Harrow Council's Race Hate Co-ordinator but before the police could investigate the complaint, the facebook group was in fact taken over by an individual who changed the title to 'I'm from Harrow and I am Asian'.
Although this action has effectively ended this individual case, we are concerned that the lack of traditional, formal means of redress, such as police investigation or even a civil injunction against facebook. They are not able to respond appropriately or timely enough for these new faster moving social networking sites. Although this may be a limited example, we believe that because so many people are now using facebook- thought to be as many as 75 million across the world- other public bodies may also be confronted by this in the future. We would therefore like the select committee to look into, or at least raise this as a possible issue, as a new area for tension in community cohesion.
As the Lead Member for Equalities and Chair of the Equalities Forum at London Councils, I am also aware that this issue could affect the other 32 boroughs across the Capital, as well as potentially, local authorities across the country.
I would therefore urge you to investigate this matter and I look forward to hearing from you shortly.
Yours faithfully
Cllr Anjana PatelPorfolio Holder for Community and Cultural Services Harrow Council
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