John Parry's attack (Argus, April 27) on the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) loses sight of the reality of racism in Britain.

Black people in Britain experience racism daily, both in terms of abuse and deep-seated institutional racism.

Mr Parry cannot deny black people are five times more likely to be stopped and searched by the police than are white people.

Nor can he deny people from ethnic minorities are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than white people - and this gap is widening.

In Britain's great institutions, there are no black generals, admirals or high court judges. Less than two per cent of senior civil servants are from ethnic minorities. This systematic discrimination happens for no other reason than the colour of a person's skin.

In a civilised society, candidates should commit themselves to opposing racism. Those who are not prepared to sign the CRE statement deserve to be called racist.

-Andy Player, Western Street, Brighton