Dewsbury: Uniting and organising against racism

After the London bombings…

Dewsbury: Uniting and organising against racism

EVENTS HAVE moved very rapidly in Dewsbury, Yorkshire, since the
attempted bombings in London on 21 July. The press continues to try and
find terrorist links with Batley or Dewsbury although they are becoming
more tenuous.

Mike Forster, UNISON (personal capacity)

Through the public-sector union UNISON, we decided to hold an
impromptu public meeting for Muslim women in Dewsbury in the last week
of the school term. Several union members had reported that they were
getting verbal harassment at work from pupils or even parents.

I faxed a leaflet over to Sabera, the local union steward. Only a few
were handed out but they struck a chord. The title of the leaflet was:
‘no to terrorism, no to racism.’

Over 60 people attended. After a brief introduction, the meeting was
handed over to the women. Almost everyone reported that they had
received abuse since the bombings. Taxi drivers had taken their cars off
the roads after 8pm afraid they might be attacked especially after
several death threats. Women wearing the hijab felt especially
vulnerable and there were reports of people having them tugged from
behind. Mothers were afraid to let their kids play out over the holidays
because of threats in the parks or playground.

Despite there having been several meetings in the area, everyone felt
anxious. However, there was also a feeling that most white people were
still friendly but a small minority were very vocal.

Positive

A number of positive ideas then began to come through: "We need
a leaflet to go to all areas pointing out we all condemn the bombings
but we shouldn’t be condemned for what some fanatics did supposedly in
the name of Islam"… "We need emergency helpline numbers for
those under threat to get in touch"… "We need a peace walk
or demonstration to show we are for peace and against terrorism."

The meeting elected an action committee to take these ideas forward
which met the following week. The committee has decided to call itself
‘Peace and Unity in the Community’.

A public meeting has been called appealing to all sections of
Dewsbury on 24 August at the town hall. A peace march is to take place
on Saturday 3 September.

There was a discussion about the role of local Labour MP, Shahid
Malik, who is telling Muslim mothers they are responsible for rooting
out extremism in their children and families. This has upset and angered
many women who feel insulted by this patronising attitude.

Some of the committee members are veterans of the anti-war movement
three years ago and can see the very clear link between the Iraq and
Afghan conflicts and the bombings. They fear Malik could split the
Muslim community when it is vital there is unity and a clear
understanding of the roots of terrorism. This will be the theme of the
rally, although Malik has been invited to speak.

Despite the summer break, the committee is moving into gear. The
rally has to be a big success. It will send out a clear message that the
community can unite against racism and give all Muslims the confidence
to go about their daily business without threats or intimidation.

The Socialist Party will continue to act as an important catalyst,
stepping into the vacuum, to ensure that the racists and especially the
BNP are kept at bay.


Political climate engenders race hate attacks

WHILE THOUSANDS of police guarded London’s Underground and main
railway stations, supposedly to deter would-be suicide bombers, the
capital’s streets have seen a 600% increase in faith/race-hate crimes,
including assaults.

One in six people abused or attacked were not Muslim but were simply
of Asian appearance. This alarming rise in race-hate crimes in London is
repeated in other areas such as West Yorkshire, West Midlands and
Merseyside.

After the 7 July London bombings, Tony Blair rejected the idea that
terrorism is inherent in the Muslim faith but then went on to insist
that the Muslim community "root out its extremists". Moreover,
the government has done nothing to counter the ‘demonising’ of Muslims
which is daily propagated in the media, especially in the tabloid press.
Now, leading Tory politician Gerald Howarth is adding fuel to the flames
by telling Muslims who disagree with the British government’s Middle
East policies to leave Britain.

Government ministers such as Hazel Blears call for ‘a debate’ within
the Muslim community on terrorism, yet they refuse to discuss terrorism
with what is happening in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya and Palestine –
the issues that have enabled terrorist groups to recruit alienated young
Muslim men. This anger will be compounded by the stop-and-search tactics
of the police who are now racially profiling young Asian men.


Police racially target in stop and search

SOCIALIST PARTY member and CWU union official Pav Alam recently
attended a meeting of CWU Eastern region where he raised the key role
that trade unions have to play both against terrorism and racism. He
added that the unions are the only organisations capable of building
unity amongst workers, which gained a lot of support at the meeting.

On the way to the meeting, Pav was stopped and searched by police at
King’s Cross. Pav said: "I had a rucksack and it was noted I had
‘articles on terrorism’ in my bag. Apart from union papers for the above
meeting I had a copy of Socialism Today and the Independent. No doubt
this now becomes part of their ‘intelligence’."


Liverpool:

Echoes of the Stephen Lawrence murder

THE RACIST murder of Anthony Walker, a young black man murdered in
Huyton, Merseyside two weeks ago, shocked many through its explicitly
racist nature and brutality.
Raph Parkinson, a Socialist Party member and national executive
committee member of the public-sector union UNISON spoke to the
socialist about the tragic events, in a personal capacity.

"It takes my mind back to the events around Stephen Lawrence
who was murdered by racists in London some years ago.

"UNISON, the public-sector trade union, gave support during
those times to the Lawrence family and UNISON still has a strong
anti-racist position.

"Now, politicians at national and local level need to
understand that their policies may contribute towards the social
conditions which create an environment for racism and terrorism to
exist.

"We must not allow recent events to divide our communities,
and the trade union movement must play a leading role in uniting local
communities to have the confidence to stand up against these evils
within our society."