A few months back, an all-party Select Cttee called for the scrapping of the 'sus' law. This was clearly in response to the anger and indignation building up in the Black community which had erupted on the streets in places like Bristol. What was the reaction of Tory Minister for Race Relations, Timothy Raisin? Speaking in the House he commented: 'I don't think we should adapt the criminal law to suit particular ethnic groups.'. In other words, thumbs down. Far from curbing harassment of the Black community - under blatently racist laws - the Tory government intends increasing it. The 'fishing' raids - as the press have dubbed them -bear ample witness to this.
This 'fishing' expedition led to seven people being charged with various offences under the 1971 Immigration Act. One old man of 62 was deported without being given the chance even to return home!
ISOLATED?
Similar raids have taken place elsewhere. In one, over 50 immigrant workers were snatched in an army-type operation in which vans were posted outside a factory and police dogs used to patrol a neighBouring railway line to forestall any escapes.
This type of behaviour - random raids on Black workers who have to prove they have a 'right' to be in Britain - is being increasingly used to intimidate and harass the Black community.
Whitelaw's curbs give police the green light to harass Black community It is, in effect, turning them into second-class citizens who feel the need to carry a passport with them everywhere in case of police victimisation. As in South Africa -with its vicious apartheid regime -an unofficial version of the "pass laws' is being introduced. NATIONALITY Tories against Black people.
the racist curbs of the 1971 Act, ing electoral promises.
ust. While they have been careful screws on the Black community. less persons.
FIGHT-BACK raids have met with growing outrage, as at Kilburn where Black groups - backed up by the Trades Giving the green light to the pol- in Britain. ice to harass the Black community is not, however, unexpected. It is in Camden. merely another installment in the general campaign launched by the Just before the election, Thatcher warned of the country being swamped by an 'alien culture' and Willie Whitelaw promised to toughen up The 'fishing raids' are merely fulfillAnother promise that seems likely fice to be fulfilled shortly is the Nationality White Paper due out in AugRULE? not to leak any specific proposals -for fear of a mass outcry - it seems clear that this will also tighten the According to expectations, it may drastically effect the civil rights of CARL new Nationality Act.
Black people here and turn thousands of British subjects into stateThe Tory oftensive has not, however, gone unanswered. The fishing Council and Labour Party - organplanned.
LABOUR Such moves show that Blacks in Britain have no intention of meekly submitting to the Tories' racist proposals. The most recent example of this defiance was the decisrefuse co-operation with the police and to leada fight for Black rights.
What is important, in the coming