Dog-free zones needed in countryside to tackle racism, Welsh government told
14 November 2024, 14:08
The Welsh government has been told to ban dogs from the countryside in a bid to tackle racism.
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It comes as part of the government's plans to end racism in Wales by 2030, ensuring that "all areas" of public life are transformed.
The recommendations were given in a report submitted by environmental group Climate Cymru BAME.
Dog-free areas should be created in local green spaces to make them more inclusive, the report says. However, the point is not elaborated on.
Other recommendations include encouraging ethnic minorities to volunteer in the environmental sector and climate change advocacy.
The report is being used to help "support policy teams" that are "developing and implementing" anti-racism plans.
It was produced following calls for an evaluation of "racism relating to climate change, environment, and rural affairs".
The Welsh Conservatives have hit out at the report, labelling it "nonsense".
Leader Andrew RT Davies said: "Divisive nonsense submitted as part of Labour's so called 'Anti Racist Wales Action Plan'.
"The whole thing should be scrapped."
Speaking to the Telegraph, he added: "Labour is stuck on yesterday’s thinking, the kind that is being roundly rejected globally. Time to turf them out."
As a result of reports published to date, the Welsh government has concluded that ethnic minorities face "barriers" to the outdoors created by "exclusions and racism".
Separate recommendations from the NWAS have also called for "dog-free areas".
It said that during one of its focus groups, "one black African female stated that she feels unsafe with the presence of dogs".
A Welsh government spokesperson said it is "committed to creating an anti-racist nation by 2030".
"Our anti-racist Wales action plan is built on the values of anti-racism and calls for zero tolerance of all racial inequality," they said.
