International Development Minister Alasdair Allan says the Scottish government is determined the advance race equality, tackle racism and remove barriers of ethnic minorities realising their fullest potential.

Racism must be tackled head on, the minister states.

Mr Allan says £2.6m has been provided specifically to tackle racism.

He also refers to work on tackling discrimination towards Gypsy/Traveller communities.

"Strong action needs to be taken against all offenders," the minister says, calling for all members and political parties to adopt a zero tolerance approach.

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It's been another week in which racism in Scotland has returned to the headlines.

This time, a Labour councillor, Jim Dempster, has been suspended by his party afterhe admitted making an Islamophobic comment about Transport Minister Humza Yousaf.

On Saturday, hundreds of people from all backgrounds marched through the middle of Glasgow, to highlight racism.

Many of those who took part had their own stories to tell.

Read more here.

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International Development Minister Alasdair Allan highlights the Scottish government's Race Equality Framework for Scotland 2016-2030, external and the Race Equality Action Plan 2017-2021, external.

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Tory MSP Maurice Corry points to the Islamaphobic comments made about Transport and Islands Minister Humza Yousaf by a Labourouncillor.

Jim Dempster, who admitted making an Islamophobic comment about Mr Yousaf, has been suspended by his party.

Mr Dempster told transport officials at a meeting that "no-one would have seen [Mr Yousaf] under his burka".

The Dumfries and Galloway councillor has apologised to Mr Yousaf, saying he was ashamed and embarrassed and could offer no defence or explanation.

Mr Yousaf said the "Islamophobic outburst" was "utterly outrageous".

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Last September we reported on a new approach being called for to tackling hate crime in a report from Victim Support Scotland (VSS).

The 93-page report, external said dealing with hate crime should involve collaboration between different organisations to support victims and their communities.

This would mirror the current approach to public health issues, it said.

The report, launched at a conference in Glasgow on hate crime, called for groups currently excluded from existing laws to be given legal protection.

In 2016-17, there were a total of 5,708 hate crime charges, external in Scotland.

These included 3,349 racial, 673 religious, 1,075 LGB, 40 transgender and 188 disability hate crimes.

Green MSP Patrick Harvie argues it is important that local community leadership is used as part of the response to the "rising tide" of racism.

For many, Brexit has been "fundamentally" a racist project, promoting intolerance towards migrants, asylum seekers and refugees, Mr Harvie argues.

He notes the reference result triggered an increase in racist hate crime and he expresses concern that there will be a further increase once Brexit is complete.

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Clyde midfielder Ally Love has been given a five-game "excessive misconduct" ban after being accused of making racist remarks.

Love, 26, was charged by the Scottish FA after comments made to Annan Athletic's Rabin Omar were reported to referee Scott Millar.

Love was making his Clyde debut against his former team on 2 January.

Both League Two clubs submitted statements to the SFA before compliance officer Tony McGlennan charged Love.

The judicial panel disciplinary tribunal initially met last Thursday, with the hearing adjourned to allow for more evidence.

Labour MSP Anas Sarwar thanks Fulton MacGregor for his work on this issue and for bringing this debate.

Mr Sarwar says we must accept everyday racism, everyday anti-Semitism and everyday Islamophobia exist in Scotland.

The Labour MSP highlights the CPG on tackling Islamophobia which he will chair.

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He says: "Wake up, wake up everyday racism is real, it is impacting on people every day, none of us are immune to it."

Mr Sarwar raises the issue of racial abuse and the case of Clyde midfielder Ally Love who has been suspended by the SFA for five games after being accused of racist remarks, which the Labour MSP reads out.

He says this punishment is not enough and the club should suspend the player, not send him on diversity training.

Transport Minister Humza Yousaf and Labour MSP Anas Sarwar have told BBC Scotland that racism and Islamophobia are getting worse in Scotland.

Appearing together on the BBC's Sunday Politics Scotland, they both said they frequently received violent death threats via social media and in emails.

The MSPs said members of the Muslim community and other faiths had reported increasing levels of abuse.

This included on the street and while engaged in work.

Some of the abuse Mr Yousaf and Mr Sarwar have encountered was highlighted recently.

Earlier this week, a Dumfries and Galloway Labour councillor who admitted making an Islamophobic comment about Mr Yousaf was suspended by his party.

Read more here.

SNP MSP Tom Arthur speaks about Scotland's connections to the slave trade and calls for efforts to increase awareness of this.

We are seeing a rise in "vitriolic populism" across the globe he says, adding many minority groups are being blamed for economic inequality.

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Hate crime legislation in Scotland is being reviewed by the High Court judge, external Lord Bracadale who said he hoped to ensure legislation was fit for the 21st Century.

He has been asked to consider whether current laws are fit for purpose and if new categories of hate crime, such as age and gender, should be created.

The judge has published a consultation paper and requested responses by November.

He said: "Hate crime legislation is a key way in which our society recognises the impact that hate crime can have on victims and our communities.

"Since I was appointed by Scottish ministers to review hate crime legislation, I have deliberately spent time listening to victims and representatives of communities affected by hate crime, as well as those who work in the criminal justice system."

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Tory MSP Annie Wells highlights this year's theme of promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect.

Ms Wells says culturally Scotland is not immune to everyday racism and it must be stamped out.

She calls for vastly improved data collection across Scotland.

2018 Theme: Promoting tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity in the context of combating racial discrimination

"Every person is entitled to human rights without discrimination. The rights to equality and non-discrimination are cornerstones of human rights law. Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, external states that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. And based on Article 2, everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of race or any other kind.

"Yet racism, xenophobia and intolerance are problems prevalent in all societies, and discriminatory practices are widespread, particularly targeting migrants and refugees as well as people of African descent."

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States are urged, external to take comprehensive measures to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, and to promote tolerance, inclusion, unity and respect for diversity.

Every day, each and every one of us can stand up against racial prejudice and intolerant attitudes. In the lead-up to the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, external in December 2018, join us in fighting racism and standing up for human rights!

#StandUp4HumanRights #FightRacism #JoinTogether #AfricanDescent

SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor welcomes steps taken to tackle racial discrimination in Scotland, including education and training.

Racial crimes were the most commonly reported hate crimes in the last year, he notes.

The MSP says poverty is higher among ethnic groups and there is a lack of public services which take cultural and religious differences into account.

Ethnic minority communities also face more barriers to work, Mr MacGregor says.

"We all need to do our bit" to tackle racial discrimination, he concludes.

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Mr MacGregor uses his motion to condemn all forms of racism and racial discrimination in Scotland.

The SNP MSP says that the UN has urged taking comprehensive measures to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerances.

He welcomes the publication of the Scottish government's Race Equality Framework for Scotland 2016-2030, external and the Race Equality Action Plan 2017-2021, external, and notes the calls for there to be regular updates on actions taken to fully eradicate racism and racial discrimination in Scotland.

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The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is observed annually on 21 March.

On that day, in 1960, police opened fire and killed 69 people at a peaceful demonstration in Sharpeville, South Africa, against the apartheid "pass laws". Proclaiming the Day in 1966, the General Assembly called on the international community to redouble its efforts to eliminate all forms of racial discrimination (resolution 2142 (XXI)), external.

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In 1979, the General Assembly adopted a Programme of activities to be undertaken during the second half of the Decade for Action to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination(A/RES/34/24), external. On that occasion, the General Assembly decided that a week of solidarity with the peoples struggling against racism and racial discrimination, beginning on 21 March, would be organized annually in all States.

Since then, the apartheid system in South Africa has been dismantled. Racist laws and practices have been abolished in many countries, and we have built an international framework for fighting racism, guided by the International Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. The Convention is now nearing universal ratification, yet still, in all regions, too many individuals, communities and societies suffer from the injustice and stigma that racism brings.

Read more here., external

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SNP MSP Fulton MacGregor will now lead a debate on the UN International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, external.