November 26, 1968 - Race Relations Legislation

Britain improves race relations legislation. Up until the 1960s, Britain – like so many Western countries – was known for its practice of banning non-white people from public places. That changed in 1965 when the country passed its first race relations act. It made race discrimination in such public places as hotels and movie theatres an illegal offence. Three years later, on November 26, 1968, that ruling was superseded by the Race Relations Act, which made discrimination based on ethnicity illegal in housing, employment and public services, as well. The law soon drew fire for not applying to government services such as the police. The government had just passed tougher immigration laws with the new Immigration Act, hence it felt that between the two pieces of legislation, life was now “fair but tough” on immigrants. Still, legislators did strengthen the laws in 1976, improving protections and founding the Commission for Racial Equality. After a sensationalized death and inquiry involving racial discrimination, the act was amended in 2000 to ensure that discriminatory police action, too, was illegal.

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