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UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson: "There are very serious racism-related problems in our society that we must address"
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Tolga Akmen / dpa
Samuel Kasumu, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson's advisor on racism issues, has announced his resignation.
Downing Street announced on Thursday.
The day before, a government-commissioned report by a commission on Racism and Ethnic Inequalities (CRED) was published, which sees no structural racism in British society.
A government spokesman confirmed Kasumu's departure from office in May, but stressed that the decision was unrelated to the release of the CRED report.
The Commission on Racism and Ethnic Inequalities (CRED) was only set up last year after the protests of the "Black Lives Matter" movement.
The report "seems to glorify slavery"
The 264-page report caused outrage in the UK.
It describes that, although prejudice still persists in the country, it is not "institutionally racist".
Johnson said the paper will help educate politicians about "the real nature of the barriers and discrimination that minorities undoubtedly feel".
"There are very serious racism-related problems in our society that we need to address," he added.
Kasumu's exit speaks volumes, despite the government's denials that it was linked to the report, said Marsha de Cordova, spokeswoman for equality for the opposition Labor Party.
The report "appears to glorify slavery and suggests that institutional racism does not exist, although there is evidence to the contrary," she said.
mjm / afp