Equity

Published April 6, 2020

BEATS is an organisation that is dedicated to fighting for equality, better representation of British East and South East Asians, and halting the racism and prejudice that many British East Asians are subjected to in the UK.

On the 13, March 2020 Equity, the actors’ union released an a statement of apology to Laurence Fox.

BEATS is appalled that a trade union that is supposed to support its members instead appeared to have aligned itself with an individual (not actually an Equity member) who displayed deplorable behaviour (gaslighting) towards a woman of colour on BBC Question Time, 16 January 2020.

More worrying still, after the release of the statement by Equity, a torrent of racist, xenophobic abuse was unleashed on social media, specifically targeting Daniel York Loh, the former chair of the Equity Minority Ethnics Committee (now the Equity Race Equality Committee).

Surely, if the statement of apology released by Equity and Laurence Fox is to be believed – that “Equity and Laurence Fox condemn prejudice unequivocally in all its forms” – then we would expect both parties to condemn the perpetrators.

BEATS support and stand by Daniel York Loh and all the members of Equity Race Equality Committee who stood up and spoke out in these uncertain and very troubling times. Particularly with the rise of COVID19 racism directed towards East Asians, we are extremely troubled that Equity did not support and stand by one of their democratically elected committees, a committee set up precisely to advise Equity on matters of race, diversity and inclusion.

The question now stands on how Equity members with an ethnic minority background will be supported within the union, now that they no longer have an official representation board. It is a concern we share with them and other members who have been affected.