The Metropolitan Police is institutionally racist in how it investigates terrorism

Maybe you remember the Steven Lawrence case from a few years ago where the investigation of the murder of a young black man by the Metropolitan Police attracted huge criticism. I think the inquiry into that case was when the term "institutional racism" emerged.

There are two aspects to institutional racism but, to the best of my knowledge, the Metropolitan Police has begun to remedy only one of the two aspects. The other aspect of the Metropolitan Police's institutional racism is running rampant.

Let's first look at the two aspects of institutional racism (as it applies to the Metropolitan Police):

1. Failure to treat groups equally before the law in investigating crimes against particular groups (the Steven Lawrence scenario)

2. Failure to treat groups equally before the law in investigating crimes by particular groups (the Terrorism Act 2000 scenario)

Let me illustrate how institutional racism of the second type is rampant in 2010 in the Metropolitan Police. I'll illustrate it by reference to the Terrorism Act 2000 which is, as readers, will recall is directly relevant to the legal case which demonstrates that the Iraq War was "terrorism" as defined in Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

I've explained elsewhere that I believe that British military personnel in Iraq committed offences under various sections of the Terrorism Act 2000. The actions of those military personnel were "terrorism" as defined in Section 1 of the Terrorism Act. If you doubt that then spend a little time to look at the definition of "terrorism" in Section 1 of the Act and ask yourself how what was done by British military personnel in the Iraq War differs from "terrorism" as defined in Section 1 of the Terrorism Act 2000.

I know that offences by military personnel and civil servants under the Terrorism Act 2000 have been drawn to the attention of the Metropolitan Police. How many investigations so far? Zero, so far as I know. It follows that the number of attempted prosecutions is zero too.

If the same offences related to terrorism (as defined in the Act) had been carried out by Moslems, there would have been dawn raids, highly publicised arrests and trials. The whole shebang!

If "people like us" can break the law with seeming impunity while "people like them" have the judicial book thrown at them then there is something deeply sick about how the Metropolitan Police is applying the Terrorism Act 2000.

The Metropolitan Police is grossly institutionally racist in how it is investigating criminal offences committed by different groups.

In a modern democracy that needs to change so that criminal behaviour is investigated and prosecuted equally irrespective of the societal group whose members are carrying out criminal activity.