New legislation allowing long-term residents to obtain Bermuda status will inevitably prove discriminatory towards black Bermudians, according to Lynne Winfield of the anti-racism group Curb.

Ms Winfield said the announcement last week by Michael Fahy, the Minister of Home Affairs, had caused instant upset, especially for black residents already taking the brunt of the recession.

“There is concern for immigrants but there does not seem to be a balancing concern for Bermudians here who are suffering or leaving the country,” she said. “Everybody is suffering from the recession, but I don’t know of one single white person who has left. I am sure there must be some, but all I can tell you is from my own experience.”

Bringing in pathways to status for residents who have lived here for 20 years, and permanent resident’s certification for 15-year residents, was potentially “destabilising for the country”.

Asked if the island could see unrest, she said: “People I have met outside of Curb are very, very frustrated and very, very angry. There is rising anger in our community, and this kind of push without a consultative process of reform is piecemeal.”

She said some form of quota system should be in place without “opening the floodgates”, adding that while Curb was sympathetic to immigrants, the latest move mirrored the discriminatory practices of the past aimed at boosting the white voting population.

She added that with black workers getting “fired first and hired last”, Friday’s announcement by Senator Fahy was “irresponsible”.

• To read Ms Winfield’s full statement, visit our Opinion section