but deal with proper criminals first.

You don't necessarily need to drink to be racist! Anyone can show racial hatred towards others.

Doesn't sound like a judge,more like a pre-judge!!

So this judge is going to lock someone up for name calling. Racial abuse is not just one sided. He would be better taking real criminals of the streets of Manchester.

The 'surge' in the number of cases is probably more to do with the ludicrous definition of racism the state now insists upon. We can be accused of racism now for crimes against people of the same race as most English people, for example Poles.

The race relations industry needs plenty of raw material and the state gives it to them. This judge is toeing the line of his employer like we all have to do. Is he trying for promotion or something with this public declaraion of political correctness?

Racially aggravated crime is evil but we do not solve the real problems by inventing ever more 'crime' to fit into the category.

Well said Judge, lock these scumbags up. They bring utter shame & embarrassment on our city.

My only worry is though, is the class issue - as is the case with this report. Because while our elitist Establishment & media get very passionate about racism within the "white working classes" - they seem to try their damnedest to ignore "similar & other forms of bigotry" exhibited by other social & ethnic groups. (I guess it's just more acceptable in British society to vilify & pour scorn on the "untrendy" white working classes, eh?)

I'd rather be called racist names rather than be beaten, stabbed, robbed or shot!

Racism is no good but I'd have thought concentrating on repeat and violent offenders would take priority or maybe I'm missing something here!

but racism starts with name calling and it's the escalation with some people to physically attack.

Let me get this straight, if I get assaulted by a group of whites there are no guarantees those who attacked me will get sent down, but if I wasn't white myself and was, say, asian, they then would be sent down?

Assault is a crime, racism is just stupidity. Justice exists to deal with the former, education is for the latter, otherwise we're just in thoughtcrime territory.

And, as an afterthought, will these rules be applied equally? If I get jumped for being white - it's happened before - can I expect those who attacked me to be sent down? My inner cynic says "no"

THEY ARE PROPER CRIMINALS.TRY LIVING IN FEAR OF YOU OR YOU KIDS BEING BULLIED, ASSAULTED ETC BECAUSE YOU LOOK DIFFERENT TO SOME SCUM BAG.

Despite the fact that this country is a less racist place than it was 25 years ago the judge, media and politicians would have us believe that racism is rife. But to add another moral panic to the debate Alan Berg links this rampant racism with binge drinking. The Chavs are on the loose.

Although Mr. Berg, I would assume, is obviously an intelligent man he fails to identify why the number of racially aggravated “attacks” have “soared from 693 in 1998, to 3,637 in 2007.” Since 1997 the New Labour government has created over 3000 new offences. Many of these new offences are concerned with behaviour. In some cases it amounts to thought crime. In terms of racial crime, the simple act of name calling has been criminalised.

So it is little wonder that there will be an increase in these offences when the definition of race crime has been expanded to include the most prosaic of comments about race. The government and the media are obsessed with regulating behaviour and along with Alan Berg wear this obsession with social control as a badge of moral superiority.

Thankfully crimes on the scale of the murder of Stephen Lawrence are few and far between. Unfortunately the repercussion of that murder has spawned the explosion of what is considered a racial crime today. The Macpherson Report even proposed that using ‘racist language’ in your own home should be made a specific criminal offence. This may come about at some time in the future based on past evidence of repressive legislation.

What Macpherson has led to is the explosion of race sensitive policies and procedures across society. The introduction of the ‘racially aggravated’ element to what may otherwise be an ordinary GBH or ABH or common assault further skews the figures.

The most bizarre of the new racially sensitive offences is the offence that is committed by someone who when speaking to an individual who is not offended or harmed by what is being said (it could be banter or a mutual joke) commits an offence because someone else overheard the comment and takes offence.

So not only is our speech controlled and monitored by the powers that be but also by oversensitive individuals. This has led to social paranoia when it comes to ordinary speech, where people check over their shoulder to check who is listening before saying something that could upset the over sensitive. It has also been known to be used maliciously to get back at someone.

What Alan Berg is demonstrating is that of grabbing the high ground of anti-racism, telling the great unwashed that they will be judged on their thoughts not on their deeds.

Wearing the badge of moral superiority, he seeks to impose conformist codes of conduct, dictated by arbitrary and subjective elements in the law. It is less about dealing with real racism and more about demonstrating his right on credentials.

We have more to fear from the thought police than from those that transgress the new definition of racism.

Racism is ugly and I dont like it but its how its said that matters. I have umpteen English, Asian and Black friends and we all have the banter but its not racism. Cut the banter out and we are in trouble. I am a Pakistani and love England- but lets not take things so seriousely. As much as you can - when in Rome. Farooq.

rocketmanu,spot on and don't you thinkthe British public are easily brainwashed.

I just wish a Judge would "vow to lock up" the criminals that effect the lives of law abiding citizens on a daily basis - the ones that break into houses and steal innocent peoples belongings, the ones that rob or vandalise cars, the ones that carry knives and stab innocent people, the ones that fight and intimidate innocent people on the streets, the ones that use innocent people's heads as footballs, the ones that attack shop assistants with hammers/machetes and so on and so on.....

Calling somebody a racist is in itself a form of racism.Its a way of keeping one groups opinion quiet.Could this be said in germany where its illegal to do a nazi salute or speak about Hitler in some circumstances.The same goes for people who disrupt marches by groups like the BNP.In old money its called "OPPRESSION".Its a difficult postion really ,no middle ground.

Mr Berg is actually quite a decent fellow - and I will never forget his comments about the Jeremy Kyle show assault matter he dealt with. Mr B has shown himself to be quite a switched on bloke not living in an Ivory tower somewhere far away.

I only fear his sincerity and resolve in this matter will be twarted by sentencing policy and lack of prison spaces. People are leaving prison on tag after a QUARTER of their sentence MINUS 18 days!! Gleve given a healthy 18 weeks inside will walking out after little over a bulemic 1 month!!
One must question with such farcical actual prison time whether Gleve and others really get punished as they should.

Does the term racists just refer to namecalling. what about the actual legislation that forces companies to give special emphasis to people of ethnic background regarding job applications, benefits and housing etc and provide diversity coordinators etc, is that not a form of negative racism

""Despite the fact that this country is a less racist place than it was 25 years ago the judge, media and politicians would have us believe that racism is rife.""....
Theowolfe.

I wouldnt blame the judges as much as the Guardian reading Sociologists - who have a vested interest in keeping racism alive and kicking. Racism is the life blood of a whole host of organisations living on lucrative government grants. As the doomsday Global Warming sceanario is perpetuated by scientist and institutions dependent on the bosom of Government funding - so anti-racist organisations survive by keeping the teat of racism flowing with the milk of taxpayers contributions.
Turkeys don't vote for Christmas !

Mad Welsh Scotsman and local lad,good posts.

Alcohol abuse and drug addiction is the trigger for probably the majority of crime in this country, not just racist crimes. Alcohol is the real evil.

I see the threat of jail is upsetting the MEN's resident racists.

"I see the threat of jail is upsetting the MEN's resident racists."
Andy., Bury

This is a good demonstration of the state of public discourse when it comes to race, religion, global warming etc: especially race.

People like Andy feel free, almost obliged, to behave like Tomás de Torquemada and call people racist without any evidence. This is an attempt to shut people up and close down debate.

Whenever there's a story about racial criminality you always get people on here subtly trying to defend it. I'm not some do-gooder either I was an NF activist in my youth so I know what I'm talking about, racism is a very sick and evil thing (as is playing the race card at every opportunity incidentally) and should be punished severely, it is a form of harassment and we don't tolerate harassment.

I make a refreshing change to the reactionary bilge of reactionary racists or apologists who plague this place and whine like bilio when their racism or apologism gets pointed out. I don't defend Muslims but nor do I attack them from a position of huge ignorance like all the BNP morons do. Funny how Muslims are raised when this story is about race. Why it reminds me of that famous case involving the party leader in West Yorkshire a while back. The fella who got off a race hate charge by using the gaping loophole that is attacking a religion predominantly followed in this country by people of Asian heritage. The fact that the racist/far right nationalist types love to proudly wallow in their ignorance and also often struggle with their own language does, however, amuse me.

What doesn't is when they seek confrontation. When they are or apologise for known thugs who run groups like the EDL. When they attack people purely because they are of a different race. When they whine when a judge points out that he will use his powers to sentence those who break the law. If you can't do the crime.... don't be an obnoxious, aggressive, racist git. It's easy when you think about it. All we've got to do is teach numb racists how to think and the problem's cracked.

I'm sure the lawyers are rubbing their hands at his comments, every race related crime he presides over now will be claimed to be unfair.