NORTH of Ireland police tactics have hit Britain. CS gas, water cannon and plastic bullets mean a shift to more repressive forms of policing in the fearful response of the ruling circles to the youth who took to the streets during the summer.
While the media spoke of marauding gangs and criminal elements disturbing the peace, A Sivanandan in the most recent issue of Race & Class gives a different view of happened TeSStanCE.
The summer disturbances are the latest on a lonE ust or black struggles, terness and pain all the way.
Black people whether from the Caribbean, Inald, rakistan, from Mother Africa, the 1950s-70s with a bitter taste of British colonialism in their mouths and a determination to defeat British colonialism in their minds.
Once here they had another, although not new, problem. They had to contend with a united racism which Mother with her son Gurdip Chaggar, Socialist Challenge 10 December 1981 daily file.
- black filled with bitAsians from East Africa or came to England during cut straight across the A racism made so warm a home for itself in British culture that it blunted class conflict.
Subjected to racial attcks, poor housing, super exploitation by the bosses, resistance by black people was an inevitable outcome of their In 1954, the persistant racial violence surged up into two days of "warfare in Camden Town which culminated in a petrol bomb attack on the house of a West Indian family.
Four years later, the black community in Nottingham erupted into violence to be followed in Notting Hill, where teddy boys directed by Mosleyites and the White Defence League had for weeks been 'nigger hunting' while the police casually looked on.
The police were to play an even increasing role in brutalising the black community.
The feeling of absolute hatred for the police is never more ingrained than in the minds of the young West Indians.
In 1973, the police received the OK from the courts — who had just given a 20 year sentence to 16 year old West Indian for "mugging' they went on the offensive with the Sus law. victim of racist murder in Southall 1976 individually, by police. the streets.
blue injure just like me and you.
shown to be questionable -ту.
governments and the trade unions.
and population.
gles for community rights.
bans.
forward on a variety of issues migration.
ing black women's movement.
historical perspective. however, what comes next?
socialism.
EX/I/ Numbers 2/3, £1.50 Anwar Ditta - a successful From then on black youths were assaulted presence felt.
It was the year blacks said enough was enough, and struck ty. They smashed official indif died in a fire bomb attack attacked their communities other major cities, enraged by harassment, discrimination and with police the fight against racism. WHAT EVER else may be said about 1981 no one will deny that this was the year that Britain's three million strong black community made its back hard at this racist, unjust socie ference to the murderous attacks they have suffered from right wing forces when they campaigned to get the truth out about the New Cross Massacre where 13 young people Asian youth in Coventry and Southall fought police when fascists And Thatcher's Britain was truly exposed when youth in Brixton and deprivation fought pitched battles Racist immigration policies were hammered when Anwar Ditta won her campaign to bring her children to Britain. Here activists in the black movement describe some aspects of