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March RJ Update
The exercise of ‘product branding’ and ‘re-branding’ is a very important tool and practice for marketing industry in every sector. Firms specialised in this exercise spend often large sums of money to come up with, for example, the right name (packaging or colour) for a product. You might ask: what does this statement have to do with the Racial Justice Scotland Update? Well, we would like to find a new name for the update, but we do not have enough resources to employ a marketing agency. However we reach a considerable constituency who could help us rebrand the ‘Update’. Therefore we would be grateful for suggestions from you. Please send us an email.
Some of the
highlights this month:
Freedom Walk, 25 March 07, Musselburgh, New Freedom for all Website, More racist incidents in Scotland, Asylum seeker who set fire on himself dies; sign the amnesty for Scottish Asylum seekers petition,
1. Racist
incidents in
Youth stabbed in
'racist' attack
An Asian teenager has been stabbed in the head by one of a
group of white youths in
Race worker's jaw
left broken after thugs abuse black friend
A racial equality worker had his jaw broken trying to stop a
group of white thugs attacking a black man outside a
Police officer quits
after race incident
A police officer has quit the force after being convicted of
a racially-aggravated breach of the peace at a takeaway in
Ferry folk shocked by
racist graffiti
Asian and Middle Eastern-owned commercial premises in
Broughty Ferry have been hit by a spate of “disgusting” racially-motivated
vandalism. Three shop fronts were daubed with BNP and swastika symbols in black
spray paint and one popular restaurant was labelled Bin Laden’s Hide Out. The
racist nature of the graffiti left many shocked and upset last night. 14 March
07, The Courier.
Dunfermline Athletic chairman John Yorkston admits the Fife
club are considering suing former player Max Cream for defamation after he
claimed he was racially abused during his time at
Ban for supporter
accused of racism
A football supporter accused of racially abusing Jason
Scotland, the St Johnstone striker, has been banned from all football grounds
in the
Six days after
Maimed by teenage
'racist' gang
Abdul - not his real name - and his family arrived in
Miss
Miss Scotland Nicola McLean yesterday apologised for calling
black singer Samantha Mumba a "monkey" on live radio. 11 March
Scotland on Sunday.
A teenage boy has been charged with racial abuse after
vandalism attacks at two shops. The shops in Mayfield,
Asylum seekers
targeted by racist
Racist gangs in deprived
2. Developments, Reports and Investigations
Next census is more
than a black or white question
The next national census will offer detail options for their
ethnic background, while the English will be asked if they define themselves as
black or white. The divergence follows a controversy over the choices facing
people in the 2001 census, in which Africans in
New crackdown on
racism
A New-improved tool in the fight against racism was launched
today. The revamped reporting form will make it easier to get evidence and
prevent incidents. Agencies involved include Grampian Racial Equality Council,
Grampian Police, Aberdeen City Council, Aberdeenshire Council, Moray Council,
NHS Grampian and Traveller Information and Education Project. 21 March 2007,
Press and Journal
Did the race-row
councillor cleared by inquiry tell truth?
The Capital's only Asian councillor has been cleared of
wrongdoing by a public standards watchdog over comments he made about
"institutional racism" following his son's arrest. Scotsman
Teen death to become
TV drama
The racist murder of teenager Kriss Donald is to be made in
to a television drama. Granada TV is said to be behind plans to film the story
of the
English Is Second
Language For 10,000 Pupils In
Almost 10,000 pupils in Scottish schools do not speak
English as a first language, according to figures which have prompted calls for
extra support in the classroom. 28 Feb 07, the Herald.
Rising roll of
minority pupils fuels funds plea
The number of eastern European children in north and
north-east schools has grown by more than a quarter in just 12 months,
prompting calls for extra cash to help local authorities cope with the influx.
… The Scotland-wide increase in so-called "white ethnic minority"
pupils was 16%, according to the statistics from the Scottish Executive. But
the figures were much higher in the north and north-east, with an increase of
24% in
Government accused of
failing ethnic groups
The government is failing to tackle deep-rooted divisions
between ethnic groups in
Black pupils are routinely punished more harshly, praised
less and told off more often in English schools than other pupils, an official
report says. 2 March, BBC.
Migrants 'should
learn English'
People who are seeking to come to the
Polish immigrants
voice complaints of work exploitation
Thousands of Polish immigrants in Scotland face exploitation
at work, the Polish Consul General warned yesterday after more than 200 people
turned up to a meeting in the capital last night. 20 Feb, Scotsman.
Britons flocking to
live in
English test for
foreign spouses
The terrible fate of
trafficked child
Shocking details of how children are being trafficked into
The future’s bright for mixed-race Britons, but some people
are still stuck in the past. Herald, 18 Feb 07.
In the face of
fundamentalism
When they
come to writing up the death of multiculturalism in
Would-be citizens
should do community work
Gordon Brown's idea to ask would-be immigrants to perform
community service received a mixed welcome from welfare charities and
opposition parties today. The chancellor, stepping outside his Treasury brief
in preparation for his anticipated move to Number 10, told a seminar on
"Britishness" that it was right to consider asking men and women to
perform community work before being granted citizenship. But the Joint Council
for the Welfare of Immigrants said it would put immigrants in the same category
as criminals. And the Liberal Democrats called it a "gimmick". The
SNP accused him of "going further than Norman Tebbit". 22 Feb 07
Guardian.
3. Election report
Academic predicts BNP
gains in May local elections
Professor Michael Thrasher of
4. Asylum
refugees:
Asylum seeker who set
fire to himself dies in hospital
Uddhav Bhandari, a Nepalese asylum seeker who set himself on
fire after being refused permission to stay in the country, has died, fuelling
anger at
An asylum seeker set himself on fire today in a protest
after an immigration hearing in
Memorial service for fire protest asylum seeker
A memorial
service is to be held in
The Scottish Executive has rejected plans to grant
immigration officers enhanced powers to arrest suspected illegal immigrants. 21
Feb 07, Scotsman.
Hugh Henry,
the Scottish education minister, has asked the Home Office to bear in mind that
the children of failed asylum seekers facing deportation are often well
integrated into Scottish society. 22 Mar. 07, Scotsman
'
Over 2,600 signatures have been collected for
Positive Action in Housing's online petition condemning dawn raids and calling
for an amnesty for Scottish asylum families resident in
A special case for
Scotland
Once again there appears to be a cross-border clash of
cultures on the issue of failed asylum-seekers. The Home Office has launched a
new fast-track system for deciding asylum applications and pledged that the
backlog of existing cases will be cleared within five years. In
Refugees from
From Refugees To Entrepreneurs
New figures
show there is substantial interest from one-time asylum seekers in investing in
the city that first gave them refugees, Herald.
Wanted: 13,000
migrants
5. Marking the
Bicentenary of the abolition of the slave trade
Scottish ch
Slave Trade still demands an unambiguous apology, Kobia says
"People of African descent in the diaspora and in
Africa await an unambiguous apology and clear sign from European nations that
acknowledges their participation in this terrible part of colonial
history" that was the slave trade, World Council of Churches (WCC) general
secretary Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia has told UK prime minister Tony Blair. WCC, 22 March 07.
Why I am saying sorry
for
The state failure to issue an apology for a crime as
monstrous as the slave trade diminishes
As
Link: Slave
Month-long march in
chains begins
Campaigners bound in chains have set off on a 250-mile
march, from
6. Publications:
Interim statement of
the Commission on Integration and Cohesion on 21st of February
In a speech Darra
Singh the chair of the commission highlighted the findings of the commission. The commission reported a number of barriers
to integration
5,000 child sex
slaves in
About publication: 'Contemporary slavery in the
A review of the nature and extent of slavery in the
The review looks at:
* Defining the nature and scope of modern slavery
* The international context
* Slavery in the
* Sexual trafficking
It concludes with recommendations for action at the
international, national and legislative level, for service delivery and for
further research.
(PDF), Summary; Press release.
In defence of
multiculturalism, IRR
'Reporting asylum:
The UK Press and the Effectiveness of PCC Guidelines', a report by Kate Smart, Roger Grimshaw,
Christopher McDowell and Beth Crosland, the Information Centre about Asylum and
Refugees in the UK (ICAR), Download pdf file, 1.1mb
The Home Office has published its cross-Government
enforcement strategy aimed at those in the