The British Ministry of Defence said on Wednesday it would investigate claims of racist behaviour towards black Commonwealth soldiers serving in the British Army.
The move comes as Belize-born Marlon Clancy announced he was setting up an independent union for 6 000 Commonwealth soldiers in the army to help them deal with racism.
Clancy told the BBC he had complained without success about racist bullying and intimidation for the seven years of his British army service.
But the Defence Ministry said there was ”absolutely no evidence” that racism was endemic in the service and that it had received just 26 complaints of racist behaviour from its 130 000 army personnel and reservists last year.
”We investigate all substantive allegations of racism and would encourage anyone who has experienced inappropriate behaviour to come forward,” it said.
Clancy recounted one experience in particular.
”One day I was made to get really drunk and I woke up being taunted by senior soldiers dressed as Ku Klux Klan members, taunting me, calling me a nigger and other words like that,” he said.
He had reported the incident but the complaint was dropped for lack of evidence after witnesses failed to come forward.
”Commonwealth soldiers are third-class soldiers,” he said. ”First you have the British-born white soldier, then you have the British-born black soldier, then last you have the black Commonwealth soldier,” he added.
Lawyer John Mackenzie, a specialist in military personnel cases, told the BBC there was a need for a special union because service staff were not reporting racist incidents.
”The experience appears to me of most, if not all, black Commonwealth soldiers, is that they are in effect a sub-class of soldier who are treated consistently with racist abuse,” he said.
”Their promotion is blocked, they are blocked access to courses and they are denied basic rights that are available to white soldiers.”
The union, to be called the British Commonwealth Soldiers’ Union, would not be able to strike or conduct negotiations.
The ministry said promotion was always based on merit and that an analysis had shown promotion rates for Commonwealth and UK-recruited soldiers were broadly comparable.
It said there was no evidence to support the claim that access to training courses was barred to Commonwealth soldiers.
”The army goes to great lengths to ensure that all soldiers, irrespective of their race or ethnic origin, have been given the opportunity to fulfil their full potential,” the ministry said.
”We are very conscious of the additional challenges faced by Commonwealth soldiers and their families.
”This is why we have put in place special provisions, including leave arrangements that allow Commonwealth soldiers to return to their home countries.”
Recruitment from Commonwealth countries has risen in recent years as the army struggles to attract soldiers from Britain, with numbers rising from 430 in 2000 to about 6 000 today.
Some have won the highest accolades for their service.
In 2005 Grenada-born Private Johnson Beharry became the first living recipient of a Victoria Cross for 36 years after he saved himself and the crew of his armoured vehicle from ambushes in Iraq. — Reuters