Race discrimination: "National origins" means more than nationality acquired at birth

The meaning of "national origins" in the Race Relations Act 1976 is not limited to the concept of nationality in a legal sense, and thus to the citizenship that an individual may acquire at birth, holds the Inner House, Court of Session in BBC Scotland v Souster 7.12.00 Inner House, Court of Session. A racial group may be defined by reference to its communal origins and tradition, which may be either "national" or "ethnic". Moreover, it is possible to adhere to, and thus become a member of, a racial group defined by reference to "national origins".