The black community will become an “underclass” in Hackney because of “racist” government cuts, according to Ken Livingstone’s former advisor.
Lee Jasper believes council cuts will disproportionately affect black people.
Lee Jasper, who was the former Mayor of London’s director for policing and equalities, believes that ordinary black people will be disproportionally affected and become victims of higher crime rates, poorer schools and be robbed of “hope and opportunity”.
Mr Jasper, head of campaign group Black Activists Against the Cuts, also fears that black and ethnic minority communities will be made scapegoats for the faltering economy.
He said: “It is literally the death of hope and opportunity in the inner cities that gives me my biggest fear. The black community will be pushed into a deep subterranean underclass from which I don’t think we will ever recover.
“There will be further deprivation and alienation of communities who already suffer high rates of unemployment, homelessness, ill-health and crime, and these issues will become completely exasperated by the cuts proposed by Hackney Council.
“I fear that this will push black communities into a social abyss.”
Hackney council refused to comment on the claims made by Mr Jasper, who also believes that there could be a rise in racially motivated violence due to the cuts.
He said: “We have already seen the likes of the BNP and UKIP trying to gain political momentum by blaming Muslim and black communities for the failures in the national economy and this kind of ‘scapegoating’ will get worse.”
“What we are clear about is when employment rises amongst young people – particularly amongst white young people – then racist violence rises along with that.”
Teena Lashmore, a member of anti-cuts group Hackney Unite, also fears that the cuts could lead to “a generation of young black men who have no hope of employment” and a rise in crime.
She said: “For some members of society who are susceptible to criminal behaviour it may be an easy option for them to go out and commit crime because they feel it is justified because they have no other means of an income.
“I think the majority of people who would have never entertained illegal behaviour may feel more vulnerable to being recruited to criminality.
“I don’t think it is going to be an increase in street crime as such, I think it will be an increase in organised financial crime.”
Arpita Dutt, a partner within the employment department at law firm Russell Jones & Walker, added: “Staff are likely to be lost from support, back office or the lower-grades, then there could be a greater impact on black staff or female members of staff who could be working in these roles.”
