 There are 700 Kurdish asylum seekers in Plymouth |
Reported incidents of racial abuse directed at ethnic minorities in the South West have remained low, despite added tension from the war in Iraq. Devon and Cornwall Police said they had been monitoring the situation and it had been a quiet few weeks.
The Council for Racial Equality in Cornwall has reinforced that message.
The council's spokeswoman, Eileen Bortay, said it had anticipated more trouble, but it has not materialised.
 A single incident is one incident too many  |
Eileen Bortay said: "We certainly have seen no increase in the numbers. "We would perhaps expect four, five or six incidents reported in a month.
"They do vary. It might be school racism or bullying, through to more substantial assaults."
Devon and Cornwall Police said: "Race equality is not only a statutory requirement - it is a goal to which we are organisationally committed to meet the needs of the people of Devon, Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, making our communities safer for everyone."
Devon County Council said: "The relatively small number of minority ethnic people within Devon and the South West is no excuse for failing to challenge racial discrimination or to respect racial diversity.
"A single incident is one incident too many."
In Plymouth alone, there are about 700 Iraqi Kurds, many seeking asylum in Britain.
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