News In Focus
20 May 2008
Law proposed to stop discrimination against troops
The UK Government is proposing new laws which will make it illegal to discriminate against service personnel wearing military uniform.
The move follows several incidents where soldiers and RAF personnel wearing uniform suffered intimidation and harassment, including one occasion where the London department store Harrods refused to allow an uniformed Army officer entry into the shop after a Remembrance Day parade.
The proposal is part of a series of recommendations in a study carried out on the orders of Prime Minister Gordon Brown. It explores ways in which the relationship between the military and members of the public can be improved.
The study was carried out by Quentin Davies MP who said that discrimination directed against those wearing military uniforms should be made an offence and that assaults or threats of violence against the same group should be considered an aggravated offence.
Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth said discrimination against military personnel was "totally and utterly unacceptable".
The report also recommends that troops should be encouraged to wear their uniforms on all appropriate occasions.