Royal Air Force unlawfully discriminated against white male recruits in bid to boost diversity, inquiry finds

調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn),英國皇家空軍為了促進(jìn)多樣性,違法歧視白人男性新兵



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The Royal Air Force unlawfully discriminated against white men in a recruitment drive aimed at boosting diversity, an official inquiry has found.

一項(xiàng)官方調(diào)查發(fā)現(xiàn),英國皇家空軍在招募新兵時(shí)非法歧視白人男性,以促進(jìn)多樣性。

Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton, the new head of the RAF, said he "apologised unreservedly" to all those affected, including the former head of recruitment who was forced to resign rather than implement an order she believed - correctly - to breach equality legislation.

英國皇家空軍新任司令、空軍上將理查德·奈特頓爵士表示,他“毫無保留地向所有受影響的人道歉”,包括前征兵負(fù)責(zé)人,她被迫辭職,而不肯執(zhí)行她認(rèn)為確實(shí)違反平等立法的命令。

Despite the damning findings, the chief of the air staff said that none of the RAF's senior leadership, including his predecessor Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, on whose watch this happened, would face any kind of sanction.

盡管調(diào)查結(jié)果令人震驚,但空軍參謀長表示,英國皇家空軍的任何高級領(lǐng)導(dǎo)層,包括他的前任空軍上將邁克·威斯頓爵士,都不會受到任何制裁。

Instead, he blamed the debacle on legal advice that incorrectly said a push in 2020 and 2021 to fast-track ethnic minority and female recruits into training slots was positive action - which is a legal way to improve diversity - when it was actually positive discrimination, which is unlawful.

相反,他將這次失敗歸咎于法律建議,這些建議錯(cuò)誤地將2020年和2021年推動(dòng)少數(shù)民族和女性新兵快速進(jìn)入培訓(xùn)崗位的努力稱為積極行動(dòng)——這是提高多樣性的合法方式——但實(shí)際上是積極的歧視,這是非法的。

"We accept that some men were discriminated against," Air Chief Marshal Knighton said.

“我們承認(rèn)一些男性受到歧視的事實(shí),”空軍上將奈特頓說。

Thirty-one men have already been identified as having missed out on a potential £5,000 "golden handshake" to start cyber roles in the RAF.

31名男子已經(jīng)被確認(rèn)錯(cuò)過了在英國皇家空軍擔(dān)任網(wǎng)絡(luò)人員的潛在的5000英鎊的“黃金握手”。

As first revealed by Sky News, the RAF is compensating each of these individuals.

正如《天空新聞》最先披露的那樣,英國皇家空軍正在對這些人進(jìn)行補(bǔ)償。

Air Chief Marshal Knighton acknowledged that there could be more cases and said that the RAF would compensate anyone found to have suffered discrimination.

空軍上將奈特頓承認(rèn)可能會有更多的案例,并表示英國皇家空軍將賠償任何被發(fā)現(xiàn)遭受歧視的人。

Speaking to reporters in his first media briefing in his new post, he said: "I am sure you are going to say, who is responsible, who are you going to fire as a consequence of this?

他在上任后的第一次媒體吹風(fēng)會上對記者說:“我相信你會問,誰應(yīng)該對此負(fù)責(zé),你會因此解雇誰?

"The report doesn't single out individuals or recommend disciplinary or administrative action. My focus as the chief is to make sure we learn the lessons from this and we absolutely do not repeat these mistakes."

“但報(bào)告沒有單獨(dú)針對個(gè)人,也沒有建議采取紀(jì)律或行政措施。作為負(fù)責(zé)人,我的重點(diǎn)是確保我們從中吸取教訓(xùn),絕不重蹈覆轍?!?/b>

Wallace concerned by 'significant error'

華萊士擔(dān)心“重大錯(cuò)誤”

Ben Wallace, the defence secretary, described what happened as a "significant error" and a "cause for regret" for the RAF.

英國國防大臣本·華萊士稱,這是一個(gè)“重大錯(cuò)誤”,是英國皇家空軍“后悔的理由”。
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But he insisted that entry standards were never lowered - as had been claimed by insiders and reported by Sky News.

但他堅(jiān)持認(rèn)為,入伍標(biāo)準(zhǔn)從未降低——正如內(nèi)部人士和《天空新聞》所報(bào)道的那樣。

Yet he said the treatment of Group Captain Lizzy Nicholl, the then head of recruitment who raised the alarm about the unlawful activity and ended up losing her career, needed to be "looked at considerably".

然而,他表示,需要“認(rèn)真審視”當(dāng)時(shí)的招聘主管莉茲·尼科爾上校的處理方式。尼科爾對這一違法行為發(fā)出了警告,最終丟掉了自己的職業(yè)生涯。

He said scrutiny was needed of "why she was ignored, why indeed she was put under that pressure. And I don't want to see anyone put under pressure to do something like what we've seen in the RAF".

他說,需要審查“為什么她被無視了,為什么她確實(shí)受到了那種壓力。我不希望看到任何人迫于壓力去做我們在英國皇家空軍身上看到的事情?!?/b>

The admission marks a stunning U-turn by the RAF on a scandal first exposed last August by Sky News when it was revealed that Group Captain Nicholl had resigned after refusing to carry out an order to discriminate against white men.

這一承認(rèn)標(biāo)志著英國皇家空軍對一樁丑聞的態(tài)度發(fā)生了驚人的180度大轉(zhuǎn)彎。去年8月,《天空新聞》首次曝光了尼科爾上校因拒絕執(zhí)行歧視白人男子的命令而辭職的丑聞。

She was put into this position after her chain of command, under Air Vice Marshal Maria Byford, who reported to Air Chief Marshal Wigston, insisted that the order was to be carried out despite Group Captain Nicholl saying she had received new legal advice that it was unlawful.

在她的指揮條線上的空軍中將瑪麗亞·拜福德向空軍上將威斯頓報(bào)告,堅(jiān)持要執(zhí)行這一命令之后(盡管尼科爾上校說她收到了新的法律建議,認(rèn)為這是違法的),她受到了如此對待。

Only last February, in evidence to parliament, Air Chief Marshal Wigston assured MPs that there was no unlawful discrimination against white men.

就在去年2月,空軍上將威斯頓在向議會提交證據(jù)時(shí)向議員們保證,不存在針對白人男性的非法歧視。
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'Uncomfortable reading'

“令人不快的閱讀”
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A 72-page report - the result of a non-statutory inquiry ordered by Air Chief Marshal Wigston in the wake of the furore - found that the then head of recruitment had been right.

一份長達(dá)72頁的報(bào)告——由空軍上將威斯頓下令進(jìn)行的一項(xiàng)非法定調(diào)查的結(jié)果——發(fā)現(xiàn)當(dāng)時(shí)的征兵主管是正確的。

It also criticised senior leaders for not relying on reliable forecasts when setting ambitious targets to increase the ratio of women and ethnic minority recruits.

報(bào)告還批評高層領(lǐng)導(dǎo)人在制定提高女性和少數(shù)民族新兵比例的宏偉目標(biāo)時(shí),沒有基于可靠的預(yù)測。

Air Chief Marshal Knighton admitted that the report made "pretty uncomfortable reading".

空軍上將奈特頓承認(rèn),這份報(bào)告“讀起來相當(dāng)令人不快”。

The report sought to find out what happened in the lead up to Group Captain Nicholl's resignation.

該報(bào)告試圖找出導(dǎo)致尼科爾上校辭職的原因。

It also looked into allegations by the officer that she was the victim of institutional bullying because she had been forced to chase impossible diversity targets.

該報(bào)告還調(diào)查了這名軍官的指控,她稱自己是機(jī)構(gòu)欺凌的受害者,因?yàn)樗槐谱非蟛豢赡軐?shí)現(xiàn)的多元化目標(biāo)。

The report cleared the RAF of the bullying allegations but concluded that Group Captain Nicholl had been right to call out the unlawful recruitment practices.

該報(bào)告澄清了英國皇家空軍的欺凌指控,但得出的結(jié)論是,尼科爾上校指出招募行為違法是正確的。
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Diversity goal led to impossible targets

多樣性的目標(biāo)導(dǎo)致了不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的目標(biāo)

The whole affair is frxd by an ambition set by Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston to significantly improve the RAF's diversity - a defining goal of his tenure.

整個(gè)事件的框架是空軍上將邁克·威斯頓爵士設(shè)定的一個(gè)雄心,即大幅提高英國皇家空軍的多樣性——這是他任期內(nèi)的一個(gè)明確目標(biāo)。

But this was translated down the chain of command into impossible recruitment targets.

但這在指揮系統(tǒng)中被轉(zhuǎn)變成了不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)的招募目標(biāo)。
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Sky News even revealed that white men seeking to join the Royal Air Force had been described as "useless white male pilots" in leaked emails that exposed the pressure placed on recruitment officers to improve diversity.

《天空新聞》甚至透露,在被泄露的電子郵件中,尋求加入皇家空軍的白人男性被描述為“無用的白人男性飛行員”,這些郵件暴露了招募軍官在提高多樣性方面所面臨的壓力。

A number of sextion boards to place new recruits on courses - a crucial part of maintaining the fighting strength of the RAF - were also cancelled if they did not include women or ethnic minorities, according to the messages.

據(jù)消息稱,如果不包括女性或少數(shù)民族成員,那么一些為新成員安排課程(這些課程是保持英國皇家空軍戰(zhàn)斗力的關(guān)鍵部分)的選拔委員會也將被取消。
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The unlawful activity happened in that climate under a previous head of recruitment before Group Captain Nicholl took up her role in March 2021.

在尼科爾上校于2021年3月接任之前,違法招募行為是在前任負(fù)責(zé)人的領(lǐng)導(dǎo)下發(fā)生的。

In the recruitment year to March 2020 and the year to March 2021, a total of 161 ethnic minority and female recruits were "pulled forward" onto initial training ahead of white men.

在截至2020年3月的招聘年度和截至2021年3月的招聘年度,共有161名少數(shù)民族和女性新兵被“提前”到白人男性之前接受初步培訓(xùn)。
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"We found that concerns were raised at the time by R&S [recruitment and sextion] staff but that those who led the initiatives believed that they were 'pushing the boundaries' of positive action rather than acting unlawfully," the report said.

報(bào)告稱:“我們發(fā)現(xiàn),當(dāng)時(shí)R&S(招募和選拔)工作人員提出了擔(dān)憂,但那些領(lǐng)導(dǎo)這些舉措的人認(rèn)為,他們只是在‘突破積極行動(dòng)的界限’,而不是在違法行動(dòng)。”

Group Captain Nicholl, however, sought new legal advice in May and June 2022 that clearly said these activities were "contrary to the Equality Act 2010, which provided reasonable justification for the Former Group Captain R&S to state that acts of positive discrimination had taken place in RY20/21 [recruitment year 2020-21]".

然而,尼科爾上校在2022年5月和6月尋求新的法律建議,明確表示這些活動(dòng)“違反了2010年平等法案,該法案為該名前招募和選拔上校聲稱在20/21年度(2020-21募兵年)發(fā)生了積極的歧視行為提供了合理的理由”。

Despite this advice, she was still under pressure to prioritise women and ethnic minorities ahead of white men.

盡管提出了這些建議,她仍然面臨著優(yōu)先考慮女性和少數(shù)民族而不是白人男性的壓力。

The report described how this advice was "either not seen or understood" by the most senior echelons of the RAF - two-star officers and above.

報(bào)告描述了這一建議是如何被英國皇家空軍的最高階層——兩星及以上將官——“無視或不被理解”的。
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There was also resistance from the top to the challenge that Group Captain Nicholl made.

尼科爾上校的質(zhì)疑也遭到了高層的抵制

The report said: "We found that the chain of command's reaction to the former Group Capt R&S was overly defensive and not properly considered whether she might have been justified in what she said regarding previous acts of positive discrimination or the legality of what she was asked to do; and that insufficient effort had been made to determine the facts."

報(bào)告稱:“我們發(fā)現(xiàn),指揮系統(tǒng)對該名前招募和選拔上校的反應(yīng)過于自衛(wèi),沒有適當(dāng)考慮她之前所說的積極歧視行為是否合理,或者她被要求做的事情是否合法;而且沒有做出足夠的努力來確定事實(shí)?!?/b>

Former RAF boss should 'correct the record'

前英國皇家空軍老大應(yīng)當(dāng)“糾正記錄”

Tobias Ellwood, the chair of the defence sext committee, said he and his colleagues would be considering whether to ask the previous chief of the air staff to correct the record after he previously denied any unlawful discrimination had taken place.

國防特別委員會主席托比亞斯·埃爾伍德表示,他和他的同事們將考慮是否要求前空軍參謀長糾正這一記錄,此前他曾否認(rèn)存在任何非法歧視。

"I do hope that Mike Wigston, now conveniently retired, recognises how perhaps he misled parliament in coming in front of our committee and should now take this opportunity to correct the record," Mr Ellwood said.

埃爾伍德表示:“我確實(shí)希望,現(xiàn)已方便地退役的邁克·威斯頓認(rèn)識到,也許他是怎么來到我們的委員會面前忽悠了議會的,并且現(xiàn)在應(yīng)該借此機(jī)會糾正這個(gè)錯(cuò)誤。

"Discrimination was taking place and that was illegal."

“歧視那時(shí)就已經(jīng)發(fā)生了,這是違法的?!?/b>
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He also said those responsible for the unlawful activity should be held to account.

他還表示,應(yīng)該追究那些對違法行為負(fù)責(zé)的人的責(zé)任。

"You simply cannot have a report such as this which outlines the systemic, deliberate failures that were being done, a pursuance of something that was illegal…. You cannot simply gloss over or even retire from the RAF without comment being made, without some form of reprimand occurring to ensure this doesn't happen again."

“你不可能滿意這樣一份報(bào)告,它(僅僅)概述了正在發(fā)生的系統(tǒng)性、故意的失敗,以及對違法行為的追求(卻不追責(zé))……你不能簡單地掩飾,甚至從英國皇家空軍退役了而不作出評論,不進(jìn)行某種形式的譴責(zé),以確保這種情況不會再次發(fā)生?!?/b>

James Heappey, the armed forces minister, told Sky News last year that any evidence of positive discrimination would be investigated and would not be tolerated.

英國武裝部大臣詹姆斯·希皮去年對《天空新聞》表示,任何積極歧視的證據(jù)都將受到調(diào)查,而且是不能容忍的。

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