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March – April 08 Racial Justice Update
A selective digest of news, events and other relevant information from Scotland.
Welcome to this month’s update.
Any comments and contributions are welcome!
1. Racist incidents in Scotland:
Race thugs put Pole in hospital after attack
A gang of racist thugs including women launched a vicious hate attack on a Polish man. The screaming mob of six set upon their victim in the street and battered him to the ground. The 37-year-old Pole was in hospital last night with extensive face and body injuries.
Daily Record
Twist in hotel 'racism row'
Current former members of staff at a Fort William hotel have hit back at astonishing claims of racism and theft made by one of the establishment's former owners. … But in a bizarre twist Mr Iftikar said the reason the hotel was in a "mess" was because staff were "racists" and "thieves". He also admitted staff were told there was no money for wages to force them to quit. Lochaber News
Race attack police hunt trio
Police have released CCTV images of three men they want to speak to in connection with a "nasty" racist attack in the city. The 26-year-old Asian victim suffered a fractured jaw and required hospital surgery after the assault. Scotsman
Family's 'hell' Over Son's Assault Charge
The father of a Down’s syndrome teenager with a mental age of five said yesterday his family had been through “pure hell” after his son was charged with a racist assault. Herald
Race tensions growing in immigrant communities
A hidden racism problem is blighting Scotland with tensions between the new wave of Eastern European immigrants and the settled Asian population, the country's leading race relations experts have warned. Scotsman
Race chief warns of ‘cold war’
Uncontrolled immigration has led to a “cold war” between ethnic communities, according to the head of Britain’s race watchdog. Trevor Phillips, chairman of the Equality and Human Rights Commission, believes the policy failures risk fostering racism among millions of educated professionals. Press and Journal
Speaking from experience: Bob Holman on racism
Forty years ago, when Enoch Powell delivered his "rivers of blood" speech, I was a lecturer in Birmingham. Of course, racism was widespread at the time - but Powell put his finger on a button that unleashed fear and fury. At one meeting, I tried to debate with him. I can still see his bulging eyes and sweating face as he tore me to bits. … The churches are now more likely to criticise racism than reinforce it. Herald
2. Developments, Reports and Investigations
Police miss target for mirroring communities
Despite their failure, police forces believe great progress has been made in tackling internal racism. This week sees the 15th anniversary of Lawrence's ... Guardian
School race doll branded 'return of the golliwog'
A doll being used in a primary school to promote racial harmony was compared to "the reintroduction of the golliwog" by a human-rights lawyer yesterday. The life-size toy, named Asim, aims to teach children as young as four about the similarities and differences between white and Asian people. It has been introduced in five primary schools in Clackmannanshire. Scotsman
'Too white, too male'
The body in charge of selecting judges and sheriffs is to carry out a major investigation aimed at ending the virtual monopoly that white men have on the bench. Scotsman
3500 Pupils Can't Speak English
Scottish teachers are having to cope with unprecedented numbers of pupils who have difficulty speaking English following a sharp increase in immigrants and asylum seekers. Herald
Racism rife in Commons, says MP
Dawn Butler, one of only two black women in the House, speaks out about the discrimination she has suffered from politicians of all parties. … 'I thought people in Parliament would be progressive. It is still a shock that they are not,' she said. 'Over the past 400-plus years, the only black people - and black women in particular - in Parliament have been there to cook and clean. For some politicians, it's still a shock to come face to face with a black woman with any real power. Racism and sexism is Parliament's dirty little secret.' Guardian
Just what happens if the migrants all go home?
Herald
An immigration crackdown is last thing on Earth we need
Evening News
Smith to launch new border agency
Evening News
Rivers of blood? No. Just a divided idea of what Britishness means
Britain has a vibrant tradition of racism, and the quest to define our nationality is beginning to go seriously awry. Guardian
Churches urge a vote against extremism and racism on 1st May
By agency reporter Three UK Free Church Christian denominations are urging voters to take a stand against racist and extreme political parties as election. Ekklesia – UK
3. Asylum refugees:
Boy, 2, locked in Dungavel with his mum
A Glasgow asylum seeker and her two-year-old son have been locked up in Dungavel and threatened with deportation. Originally from Uganda, Sharon Sylvie Nasuna and Shaun want to be allowed to return to Kennishead, the community they now call home. Concerned neighbours and friends today called for Sharon and Shaun to be released, branding their detention "appalling and inhumane". Evening Times
Continuing Conflicts that Create Refugees, March 2008
Eight actual or potential conflict situations around the world deteriorated in March 2008, and four improved, according to the new issue of CrisisWatch. NCADC, Download the full report here
4. Immigration
Welcoming migrants is not optional, says world church body
Migration is a fact of life, an instinct to survive and an inevitable consequence of globalization - something we can neither turn our backs on it nor control, declared a statement of participants at a faith-led public hearing in Beirut. WCC
Minister enters row on immigration
Immigration minister Liam Byrne has pledged to put national interests "centre stage" as a report was published dismissing the Government claim that immigration is good for the economy. Scotsman
Immigration 'small benefit' to UK
BBC
The crowded house fallacy
The claim that Britain is full up as an argument against immigration is superficially attractive but fundamentally flawed. Guardian
Angus Community Shocked By Horrific Death Of Migrant
The horrific death of one of the thousands of migrant workers who have made their home in Angus has shocked the community. Herald
Woman Found On Beach Is Migrant Worker
The woman whose severed head and hands were found on a Scottish beach has been identified as an Eastern European migrant worker. Herald
The workers paying £650 a month to live in a Glasgow slum
Herald
5. Publications and Resources:
Immigration, faith and cohesion
This research analyses new data from three local areas, Birmingham, Bradford and Newham, where relatively large numbers of recently arrived Muslim migrants and established Muslim residents are living alongside people of other faiths and of no faith. It is based on 319 interviews with individuals from 40 countries of origin, including the UK.
Joseph Rowntree Foundation
Points-based system: guidance for employers and sponsors
This page contains guidance documents for employers and sponsors on the points-based system. Changes relating to the Points Based System and churches/religious organizations. UK Border Agency
Tacking Racist Incidents Toolkit
Positive Action in Housing has produced new model racial harassment procedures for Scottish housing providers. This has resulted in the production of a free online web resource http://www.challengeracism.com which offers:
• practical advice
• model policies
• template forms
• current legislation best practice examples
The toolkit and its guidance is clear and user friendly. It will assist workers in housing associations and advice centres to support victims of racial harassment against a framework of accepted best practice.
'The failures of multiculturalism', in The Secular State and Islam in Europe (2007)
‘While multiculturalism constrains the kinds of clashes of opinion that could prove politically fruitful, it also unleashes the kinds of conflicts that are socially damaging. It transforms political debates into cultural collisions and, by imprisoning individuals within their cultures and identities, makes such collisions both inevitable and insoluble.’ Kenan Malick website
Events:
Churches’ Refugee Network Conference 2008
- with Enabling Christians in Serving Refugees (ECSR)
Walking with Strangers … towards the Healing of Nations
Saturday 17 May 11.00 am - 4.15 pm (coffee and registration from 10.30)
Carrs Lane Church Centre, Carrs Lane, Birmingham B4 7SX
Costs: £15; concessions £10; free to refugees and asylum-seekers.
More information and registration forms from Wendy Cooper (020 7916 8632; wendy.cooper@urc.org.uk)
Editor
Nelu Balaj