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December 08 Racial Justice Update
A selective digest of news, events and other relevant information from Scotland.
Welcome to December Racial Justice Update.
Wishing you Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Festive Greetings, during this festive season!
Thank you very much for your support and for reading the update for the past year.
From this month’s update:
Racist incident in Falkirk; Black Church Leaders worried about treatment of minorities in mental health; Criticism of Migration Watch ‘findings’; Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill; The Archbishop of York's Temple Address to the Evangelical Alliance at The Royal Society, London.
We welcome contributions to this update. Please contact the editor at the address below.
1. Racist incidents in Scotland:
Police seek racist attack witness
Police in Falkirk have appealed for a motorist who may have witnessed a racist attack to come forward. A 30-year-old man was assaulted by two men as he walked along Garrison Place at about 0300 GMT on Saturday 7 December. Central Scotland Police said the victim managed to flee his attackers. As he ran away in the direction of Central Retail Park after the attack, the driver of a red vehicle stopped and spoke to the man. A force spokeswoman said: "We are keen to trace this person as they may have witnessed the assault." BBC
'Racist' assault probed by police
An assault on a man in Aberdeen city centre is being treated as "racially motivated" by police. The 23-year-old Asian victim required hospital treatment for head injuries after the attack in Windmill Brae in the early hours of Saturday. Grampian Police said the attack, close to the junction with Crown Street, was unprovoked. The assailant is described as being in his early 20s with short brown hair and wearing dark clothing. BBC
Racism ban stands after court bid
East Fife midfielder Kevin Fotheringham has lost his legal challenge against an eight-match ban for racial abuse. The Scottish Football Association imposed the suspension following an alleged incident involving Stranraer's Gregory Tade on 2 January. BBC
Racist gets 99-year Asbo ban from supermarket
A homeless man in Glasgow has been hit with a 99-year super-Asbo in a bid to tackle racist repeat offenders. In the longest Asbo ever imposed, Michael Gilligan was served with the criminal antisocial behaviour order after a series of racially aggravated assaults against security staff at a Gorbals supermarket. Now community safety workers are preparing to use the same laws to curb hate crime across the city. Gilligan, 49, pleaded guilty to the verbal and physical attacks on Afro-Caribbean guards at the Somerfield store at the shopping centre in Crown Street. Evening Times
2. Developments, Reports and Investigations
Black church leaders worry about treatment of minorities in mental health
Black-led churches across the UK are alarmed by findings in the fourth national census of patients in NHS psychiatric hospitals, which indicates that African and Caribbean communities are seriously over-represented. The “Count Me In” 2008 report reveals that detention rates for people from these backgrounds continues to exceed that of all other groups, and that the number of people from ethnic minorities admitted to psychiatric hospitals has risen year on year since 2005. Leaders from the African Caribbean Evangelical Alliance, the Council of Black-Led Churches and local Christians Together groups are among those highlighting the findings and calling for government action. Ekklesia
The Road to Recovery: Neighbourliness and Mercy, Community and Service
The Archbishop of York's Temple Address to the Evangelical Alliance at The Royal Society, London.
Travellers’ sites plan is dropped
Unpopular plans to find four temporary halting sites for travellers in Aberdeen were dropped by city councillors yesterday. Members of the policy and strategy committee unanimously agreed to abandon the search for the sites in favour of an expansion of the council’s existing authorised campsite at Clinterty, near Blackburn. Press and Journal
Pupils act against bigotry at inter-school workshop
The Garscadden and St Brendan's primary pupils joined forces for drama workshop aimed at spreading the anti-bigotry message. The inter-school project was the culmination of a joint scheme between them and campaign group Sense Over Sectarianism. Evening Times
Shameful racism of boxing’s past
It was a freezing day in December 1810 when Tom Cribb defended his bare-knuckle championship of the world against Tom Molineux on Copthall Common. Molineux was a liberated slave, and this was the first recorded world title bout between a Briton and an Afro-Carribean American. There were no gloves 198 years ago, and few rules. This brutal encounter, which lasted 32 rounds, ended when Molineux collapsed with exhaustion, but in dubious circumstances, The fight is reported to have taken place either on December 10th, or 18th. A crowd of some 5000 walked knee-deep through thick mud in torrential rain to the venue near East Grinstead. Historian and former Olympic sprint medallist Professor Peter Radford, has demonstrated Cribb to have been racist, though ironically was known as "the black diamond" because he had worked as a coal porter. Many of Cribb's supporters had bet that Molineux would not last 30 minutes, and as the clock ticked down, Cribb was trapped on the ropes and unable to defend himself. Herald
Murphy joins Scot anti-racism march
Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy joined hundreds of people to protest against racism.
Mr Murphy took part in the annual St Andrew's Day anti-racism march and rally in Glasgow. Scotsman
Marchers join anti-racism rally
Hundreds of people have been taking part in a march and rally against racism, in Glasgow. Organisers at the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said between 800 and 1,000 had joined in the demonstration. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and First Minister Alex Salmond sent messages of support but were unable to attend. BBC
Jail for neo-Nazi terror offender
A neo-Nazi found with bomb-making materials at his flat and who harassed a mixed-race couple has been jailed for more than seven years. Grimsby Crown Court heard Nathan Worrell, 35, had bomb ingredients and far-right propaganda at the property. BBC
See also:
Racist bomb plotter jailed
A Grimsby man who was planning to make home made bombs to target ethnic minorities has been jailed for seven years. BBC video report
3. Asylum refugees:
Theologian will argue that fair asylum is a touchstone for human rights
A leading British theologian will make an appeal for humanity and justice to be at the centre of the asylum system in a lecture to be given at Westminster Abbey in Central London tomorrow night. The lecture marks the Sixtieth Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, made in1948. It takes place on Wednesday 10 December 2008 at 6.15pm in Westminster Abbey. Admission is free and tickets are not needed. Canon Nicholas Sagovsky’s talk, entitled 'Asylum: A Touchstone for Human Rights', will discuss the present and future operation of the UK asylum system, and call for the consistent application of human rights throughout as a 'touchstone' of an open and democratic society. Ekklesia
Zimbabwean asylum seekers ‘trapped’ in UK
Thousands of Zimbabwean asylum seekers in Britain are trapped in a “catch 22 situation” because they are unable to work and cannot go home, a former Home Office minister said yesterday. Labour’s Fiona Mactaggart said many Zimbabweans had been denied asylum because they did not meet the “conventional standards of a well-founded fear of persecution”. Press and Journal
Immigration centre 'is unsafe'
Inspectors have delivered a damning report on an immigration detention centre, saying it has "lost direction and purpose" and inmates feel unsafe. Relations between staff and inmates at Oakington Immigration Reception Centre, near Cambridge, was at an all-time low and the use of force up, they said. Chief prison inspector Anne Owers said her findings were "disappointing." BBC
4. Immigration
Migration Watch is twisting the truth
New figures reveal that immigrants are not taking British people's jobs – despite what Sir Andrew Green's thinktank says. Guardian
English course for immigrants to be expanded
An English language project, using major European investment to provide training and employment opportunities to 250 immigrant workers living in the Highlands and islands, is to be expanded to more towns for another year. The English for Speakers of Other Languages course has been introduced at North Highland College and various further education and learning centres in the north and west of Scotland after securing more than £107,000 from the European Social Fund. Press and Journal
Migrants benefit wealthy host nations, UN and churches told
The falsehood according to which wealthy host countries are "victims" of migration needs to be challenged, as in fact their economies benefit from the exploitation of their work, an international consultation says. This was one of the points made at a meeting convened mid-November by the World Council of Churches (WCC) in New York City, in which speakers condemned the trend to treat migrants as commodities and stressed that migrants are human beings, created in the image of God. Ekklesia
Immigrants must earn the right to claim benefits
Immigrants will have to earn the right to claim benefits under new UK Government proposals. Immigration Minister Phil Woolas said: "Entitlement to benefits should be for citizens of our country. People must show they are here to work."
Economic immigrants would have to earn the right to a passport by serving a five-year "probationary citizenship", he said. Those who stay out of trouble and do voluntary work will become eligible for benefits one or two years after that. Edinburgh News
5. Publications and Resources:
Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill
UKBA
Right to Divide? Faith Schools and Community Cohesion
A Runnymede Trust research by Rob Berkeley
The report available to download:
Summary
Full Report: the full report
What if Damian Green had been seeking asylum?
It is hard to recall a recent event in parliament which has produced more comment, and outrage than the detention and questioning by the police of Conservative immigration spokesperson Damian Green, and the searching of his Westminster office for evidence of malfeasance and a possible national security breach under a provision of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act. MPs and commentators left, right and centre have been united in their belief that these events constitute a serious undermining of the sovereign role of the House of Commons as an elected assembly, the work of a member or minister in “the normal course of duty”, and the ‘privileged’ relationship between MPs and their constituents – including their ability to receive confidential documents from members of the public and make statements in the House without fear of prosecution. By Simon Barrow Read the rest of the article in Ekklesia
Britain's Foreign Bastard Child
'Not white enough for the British, not black enough for Mugabe'
NCADC
Building a New Home: Migration in the UK construction sector
IPPR Report
Faith in the Nation Religion, identity and the public realm in Britain today
IPPR Report
Collecting equality information: Guidance on asking questions on Ethnic Groups
Scottish Government
Asylum Matters report
105 page report analysing the problems faced by asylum seekers in bureaucratic limbo pending outcomes. Recommendations to ensure a fairer asylum system that lead to fairer outcomes and respect the dignity of those seeking asylum.
The Centre for Social Justice
Migrants Rights News December 2008 edition
From the contents: 2008 – a Year in Immigration...; Simplification Bill timetable delayed as Government changes tack; The Illegal’s community play premiers in London; Review of Housing and immigration, etc…
See the newsletter here
Events:
Henry Martyn Centre, Lent Term Seminars 2009
12th Feb 2:15pm Rev Kumar Rajagopalan – Regional Minister for Racial Justice, London Baptist Westminster College Association.“Oneness in Christ: Perspectives on Prejudice in Britain and India.” Contact: Polly Keen pk262@cam.ac.uk, Henry Martyn Centre, Westminster College, Cambridge, 01223 741088, www.martynmission.cam.ac.uk
Knowledge Exchange on Public Policy: Dimensions of persistent inequality in Scotland
A knowledge exchange programme supported by the Scottish Funding Council
Park Inn Hotel, 2 Port Dundas Place Glasgow G2 3LD; Thursday, 15th January, 10.00 – 4.00
Editor
Nelu Balaj