Obviously, 'racism' as a term is not in itself - as you've pointed out - inherently bigoted; one can discuss racism as an issue in modern society without being bigoted. However, an individual who is racist is, virtually by definition, bigoted: it's not possible to consider one race as inherently superior to another race, or seek to rid one's own culture of a particular race (as has happened to Jews and blacks many times through history), without being so.
This is not a lefty stance - one would find agreement in the UK from not only Communists and all sectors of the Labour and LibDem and SNP and Plaid Cymru and Sinn Fein parties, but also the maority of Tories as well.