Police forces in the UK and across Europe are suffering from a growing “culture of extremism,” according to a report warning of an increase in officers sharing racist and far-right content online. The report, from the Institute of Racial Relations (IRR), says the British police have a growing extremist problem and highlights the problems across Europe. In France, 81% of gendarmes said they would vote for far-right politician Marine Le Pen.
In France, Belgium, Germany and Hungary former high-ranking police officers have become candidates for mayor and far-right parliament.
In the UK, a number of recent cases involving metropolitan police have further damaged the reputation of a force accused for a long time of being “institutionally racist”. It includes agents sharing WhatsApp images of two murdered black sisters. It was found that another group of officers, at a station in central London, had joked about the rape, killing black children and beating their wives.
Last month, the Met received special measures following scandals such as the murder of Sarah Everard by a Met officer on duty, the search of innocent black children and arrest and search controversies, including that of the Olympic sprinter. British Bianca Williams.
Liz Fekete, director of the IRR, said: “Our conclusion that the dehumanizing mentality and the general feeling of impunity and right shown in police WhatsApp groups is a symptom, not a cause, of authoritarian tendencies. in the police, it will certainly make it an awkward read. ”
Fekete added: “Racism has become entrenched in the police as the base is relocated as victims of society and is organized on an increasingly extremist agenda.”
The report also warns that the avatar and “thin blue line” tag are still seen on police officers ‘Twitter channels, including a safer neighborhood team in London, and have been seen on officers’ uniforms. of Manchester. In the United States, the thin blue line avatar and the “blue lives matter” movement are associated with white nationalism, with officers on duty and retirees involved in the siege of the Capitol.
Fekete warned that the blue thin line had become a “besieged and misunderstood minority group” with a proliferation of victim narratives representing grassroots agents as the harmed party in the debates on police racism and the use of the force.
The report also warns of a link between racist attitudes and operational practice, especially in relation to predictive policing and racial profiling. Last December, concerns were raised about Operation Pima del Met, in which 61% of people identified in intelligence reports as the “most prolific or violent criminals” in London were black.
Ilyas Nagdee, of Amnesty International, said the investigation was important, especially because discussions on “alternative approaches to public safety” gained ground.
Mark Rowley was introduced last week as the new Met commissioner, a figure whose previous position as head of the fight against terrorism means he is well versed in the challenges posed by extremism, both inside and outside the force.