Discrimination in London firefighters: Union 'skeptical' of promised changes

“We have long expressed our concerns about many of the issues raised by this report, and we therefore remain skeptical about the changes that officials will put in place regarding their own behaviors,” reacted the firefighters’ union Fire Brigades Union (FBU) in a statement.

The London Fire Brigade (LFB) has been challenged by an independent report exposing the racism, misogyny and harassment suffered by many firefighters in its ranks.

It lists numerous testimonies from current and former members of the brigade.

Among the extracts cited by British media are the examples of a Muslim firefighter whose colleagues put bacon and sausage in the pockets of his coat, of a woman whose helmet had been filled with urine, a other than her male co-workers made fun of her weight by imitating the sound of a truck backing up, or the sound of a black firefighter finding a noose on his locker.

For the FBU union, "the report shows that the agents feared the consequences if they spoke out", he adds.

"There is no place for discrimination, harassment and bullying in the squad and from today it will be crystal clear to officers what behaviors are unacceptable and what the consequences will be," he said. reacted Friday evening the head of the LFB Andy Roe, who wants to "rebuild confidence among his agents and with the communities we are here to serve".

In accordance with the twenty or so recommendations of the report, he intends to put in place "zero tolerance" with immediate sanctions, better consideration of testimonies of possible bad behavior, the obligation for agents to carry cameras on them when 'they go to people's homes, and training sessions to raise awareness among brigade officials.

The investigation must be a "decisive moment" for the firefighters, London Mayor Sadiq Khan also reacted on Friday evening, describing the reported facts as "odious".

- "National survey" necessary -

On Saturday, the head of the LFB investigation, former prosecutor Nazir Azfal, said he had been approached since the revelations of his report by several people working in other public organizations and complaining of similar facts.

“I was approached, shockingly, by (people) from the BBC and (…) the NHS”, the public health system, he said.

He called for the creation of a “national inquiry, particularly regarding misogyny, as it is an issue that has not had the attention it deserves.”

Before the London Fire Brigade, a report last month denounced "institutional" racism within the justice system, reflected in the decisions made and the lack of diversity within the justice professions.

These two investigations recall the scandal that smeared the London police at the end of the 1990s, with the publication in 1999 of a report which also pointed to institutional racism within it.

Since then, the London police continue to be regularly singled out for cases of racism and discrimination.