Race Relations Act anniversary events get under way in Scotland

The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) in Scotland will this month mark the 25th anniversary of the passage of the 1976 Race Relations Act (RRA) with a public event at the Scottish Parliament. More events will be held throughout Britain next year, 25 years after the Act's actual enforcement.

The RRA, which established the CRE, was extended earlier this year by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act (see Labour Research July 2001). Dharmendra Kanani, head of the CRE in Scotland, said: "It is very appropriate that we should be marking the 25-year anniversary of the Race Relations Act in the year which sees the introduction of the most significant extension of that legislation since it first came into being."

On 14 September delegates from ethnic minority communities will hold a public debate in the Scottish Parliament, discussing the way forward for racial equality in the light of the new legislation. The event is being jointly organised with the Scottish Parliament's Equal Opportunities Committee.