 |
October 08 Racial Justice Update
A selective digest of news, events and other relevant information from Scotland.
Welcome to October Racial Justice Update.
We welcome contributions to this update. Please contact the editor at the address below.
1. Racist incidents in Scotland:
Police tackle city centre racism
Tackling racial hate crimes is the focus of a police operation in Aberdeen this weekend. Grampian Police said more than half of all recorded racist offences in the force area happen in the city centre. Officers will be working with door staff at pubs and clubs, as well as fast food outlets. BBC Scotland
Soldier in racial attack on Sikh
A Solider pulled a turban from a man's head – and told police he did it because he did not like people who wore them. Raty Yavala, 29, called the Sikh a "Paki b******" during a night out while on leave. Yesterday at Edinburgh Sheriff Court, Yavala was fined £200 after admitted causing the man alarm and distress and acting in a racially aggravated manner. Scotsman
Apology to travelling people urged
Author and traditional storyteller Jess Smith from Crieff is calling for an official apology from the Scottish Government for the treatment of Scotland's travelling community. She made her plea for an apology—similar to that given to the Aborigines by the Australian authorities— in the wake of the publication of a book which details how families were routinely broken up. Never to Return, The Harrowing True Story of a Stolen Childhood, by Sandy Reid, tells of the life of a child who is snatched from his family. Dundee Courier
Race not an issue for Glasgow’s minorities
Black and ethnic minority households in Scotland's largest city are more likely to use parks and libraries, with most also believing that race, ethnic background and religion are not issues in their local areas. Reflecting a younger demographic within non-white households, the survey in Glasgow also found that ethnic minority households are almost twice as likely to use local authority nurseries, primary and secondary schools and are more inclined to be "very satisfied" with council services. Herald
War veteran gets life for racist murder of Orkney waiter
An Iraq war veteran who shot a Bangladeshi waiter dead in a racist murder 14 years ago was jailed for life today. Soldier Michael Ross, 30, was just 15 when he burst into a restaurant on Orkney and shot Shamsuddin Mahmood in front of horrified diners. The Black Watch soldier was told by judge Lord Hardie he must spend a minimum of 25 years behind bars before being eligible for parole. Herald
Still no peace for islanders as killer is given 25 years
… "It's been stuck in everyone's minds for the past 14 years," says street cleaner Michael Baikie, 43, as he removes cigarette butts and pieces of paper blown about by the wind on Kirkwall's seafront. "I don't think anyone could really believe that a teenager from the town would do something like that. Walking into a restaurant, wearing a balaclava, and shooting somebody in the head. It's incredible, really."… Scotsman
Protest over Muslim 'harassment'
A protest has been staged outside Strathclyde Police headquarters over alleged "harassment" of Muslim travellers at Glasgow Airport. About 60 demonstrators claimed that Pakistani and Afghan passengers had been "interrogated" for up to three hours by officers from Special Branch. BBC
Bid To 'poach' Ethnic Minority Police
Strathclyde Police plans to “poach” ethnic minority officers from south of the border in an effort to improve representation on the force, officials have revealed. Herald
St Johnstone’s big plan to show racism the red card
ST Johnstone and Show Racism the Red Card are joining forces for the Annual Day of Action today. Saints supporters attending the home match against Partick Thistle will be given a Saints squad poster. Perthshire Advertiser
2. Developments, Reports and Investigations
Scottish gipsies are distinct ethnic group, rules judge
Scottish gipsies have been recognised as a distinct ethnic group in a landmark legal ruling. The move means that the travelling community is now entitled to the same legal protection as other ethnic minorities, as outlined by the Race Relations Act of 1976. With their newly recognised status, they can bring claims of racial discrimination to employment tribunals, after an appeals tribunal in Aberdeen overturned a previous decision to the contrary. Herald
Ethnicity and the five-year-old
It is sensitive territory but, if we are serious about trying to offer equality of opportunity to all in our multi-racial society, it strikes me as important to venture there. By the age of five, ethnicity already appears to have a significant impact on a child's health, behaviour and cognitive abilities. The latest batch of data from the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS) (the link to the study online is broken today - we'll bring it to you as soon as possible) has been published following the lives of more than 15,000 children who were born in the two years after the millennium. BBC (Mark Easton blog)
Sharia courts set to bring Muslim law to bear in Scottish cities
Secret talks are under way to bring Islamic sharia law courts to Scotland, The Scotsman has learned. Qamar Bhatti, director of the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal (MAT), which runs the courts, admitted discussions were taking place with lawyers and Muslim community groups in Scotland. The group is believed to be aiming to set up courts in Edinburgh and Glasgow. Scotsman
Church of Scotland backs Islamic sharia law courts
The Church of Scotland last night welcomed the possibility of introducing sharia law courts in Scotland. Rev Ian Galloway, convener of the Church and Society Council, said sharia courts had been unfairly portrayed following the Archbishop of Canterbury's comments in February that it "seems unavoidable" that parts of Islamic sharia law would be adopted in the UK. Yesterday, The Scotsman revealed the Muslim Arbitration Tribunal, based in Nuneaton, Warwickshire, was holding secret talks with lawyers and community groups about setting up sharia courts north of the Border. Scotsman
Hysteria over 'sharia courts' in Scotland is unjustified
The readers reactions: One's ears prick at the hysterical discord that surrounds the issue of sharia law...
Scotsman
Muslim leader says youth need more time to integrate
Scotland’s first Muslim youth development officer has called for changes to the intensive after-school system of teaching school children about Islam, amid fears that it leaves them with little time to integrate with their non-Muslim peers. Faisal Hussein, 27, last week took up the full-time role with the government-backed Scottish Islamic Foundation (SIF) and his aim is to support and extend the support for young Muslims by working with community groups and mosques. Hussein will launch a study into the provision of Madressahs - the Islamic voluntary-run education system - after conceding the intensive after-school lessons led by imams at mosques and family homes leave young people with too little time for community activities which are a key part of integration. Sunday Herald
The thin multi-coloured line
When Hamish Cormack joined the police in 1970 there were only eight women in a class of almost 100 officers, and the young faces taking the oath were uniformly white. This week, as Strathclyde Police celebrated its biggest-ever intake, the men and women lining up to pledge their service reflect a broader range of Scotland's population than ever before. From Mandeep and Manpreet Jassal, the first female Asian twins to join the force, to Angus McKay, at 44 the oldest new recruit, it is clear things are changing. But if Scotland's biggest force is to become fully representative, it still has a long way to go. Herald
Sisters opt for life in twin blue line
Sisters Manpreet and Mandeep Jassal have become the first Asian twins to join Strathclyde Police. The 23-year-olds from Newton Mearns, part of a record intake of 154 recruits, applied to join the force at the same time. Manpreet said: "This is something we wanted to do together and we're ecstatic to be given the opportunity. "I worked as a support worker for adults with learning difficulties but wanted a bigger challenge." Evening Times
Poles apart: the new Presbyterian pulpit war has begun
The island faiths are bent on converting Catholic migrants, but seem to have had little success so far. … “While we have no formal strategy to target the Poles, it would be exceedingly strange if we were not looking to evangelise among that community. We do most of our missionary work in Scotland in Inverness, which is chock-a-block with Poles. It’s becoming a natural constituency for us. They have little to go home to when they come off shift. They have social and spiritual needs that are not being met.” The Times
3. Asylum refugees:
Plan aims to end the detention of young in Dungavel
A more humane way of detaining children of failed asylum seekers will be signalled today by the UK Government with a £150,000 pilot scheme in Glasgow, designed to end youngsters' incarceration at Dungavel. From early next year, up to four families at a time will be housed in separate ex-council flats in the city before they are sent back to their country of origin. Each will have access to basic household amenities such as a washing machine, fridge, furniture, and TV for around two weeks before they are repatriated. Herald
Solution to asylum crisis became ‘Scotland’s shame’
It was described as "Scotland's shame" and its role in detaining children of failed asylum seekers brought widespread condemnation - but if the pilot scheme announced today succeeds, Dungavel's notoriety will be consigned to the history books. The South Lanarkshire detention centre was controversial from its opening in 2001, but it was the plight of the Ay family, first raised by The Herald, that highlighted the personal suffering of families caught in the system. Herald
Call for no more kids at Dungavel
Politicians today demanded reassurances no child will ever be held at the Dungavel detention centre after the launch of a new pilot scheme. A new initiative is starting in Glasgow where four asylum-seeking families will be housed in former council-owned homes before they are deported. The families will be free to leave the house and access private washing and cooking facilities, with some supervision. Evening Times
Politicians demand no child is held at Dungavel
Assurances that no child will be held at the Dungavel detention centre have been demanded by politicians following the announcement of a new pilot programme. Yesterday, The Herald revealed that Scottish Secretary Jim Murphy is to establish a pilot scheme in Glasgow where four asylum-seeking families will be housed in former council-owned homes before they are deported. Herald
4. Immigration
Immigration farce will damage Scottish NHS
Changes introduced to streamline the complex immigration rules in the UK have had unforeseen consequences for doctors from overseas who have completed their undergraduate medical training in Scotland. These changes mean doctors who have been educated and begun their training in Scotland could be prevented from accessing speciality training posts. Edinburgh News
MacAskill clashes with immigration chiefs over reforms
Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill clashed with senior immigration officials yesterday over the impact that major reforms to UK asylum law would have in Scotland. Setting out the Scottish Government's "clear lines in the sand", Mr MacAskill said he was opposed to detaining children prior to removal from the country and wanted to see asylum seekers integrated into communities from "day one" of their arrival in the UK. Speaking at a conference organised by the Scottish Refugee Council in Glasgow, the minister also backed the idea of allowing people to work while their asylum claim is being processed. Herald
Immigration limit plan slammed
Immigration minister Phil Woolas is under fire after calling for a limit on the number of migrants coming to Britain.
In his strongest comments on the subject since taking up the job earlier this month, Mr Woolas said that increasingly tough economic conditions made immigration "extremely thorny". Scotsman
Migrant quotas questioned
Opposition parties will tomorrow seek a parliamentary clarification on the Home Office's migrants policy after the new immigration minister, Phil Woolas, signalled a rethink and a call for quotas to be introduced. The Home Office spent much of Friday and yesterday denying that Woolas had let the cat out the bag and admitted the government was planning a reform of the Australian-style immigration points system. Sunday Herald
Minister denies bid to cap migrant numbers
Immigration Minister Phil Woolas has declined to commit himself to a specific cap on immigration despite his earlier pledge that the UK Government would not allow the population to exceed 70 million. Amid demands from the Tories for an annual limit on non-EU immigration and calls for a limit on the numbers allowed to permanently settle in the UK, Mr Woolas stressed there should be no "automaticity" between working in the UK and getting citizenship. Herald
5. Publications and Resources:
New one-stop shop for cohesion launched
UK Government Communities Department
ENAR Shadow Reports 2007:
Racism in the United Kingdom PDF file
Events:
Managing Migration: A public sector dialogue on migration to Scotland
14 November 2008
Teacher Building, St Enoch Square, Glasgow
Organised by COSLA
More information from:
Eilean Feeney, Tel 0141 314 3700
eilean@cosla.gov.uk,
http://www.asylumscotland.org.uk/events_more.php?id=18
Immigration Information Event: Fresh Talent/Post Study Immigration Information session
30 Oct 2008, 2-4pm, 14 Forth Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3LH
Organised by Edinburgh & Lothian Racial Equality council,
For booking and further information contact
Mizan Rahman
Community Development Officer
Edinburgh & Lothians Racial Equality Council (ELREC)
14 Forth Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3LH, Tel: 0131 5560441 Fax: 0131 5568577. E-mail: mrahaman@elrec.org.uk, www.elrec.org.uk
IF YOU NO LONGER WISH TO RECEIVE THIS UPDATE PLEASE LET ME KNOW
Editor
Nelu Balaj