My experience of Glasgow’s attitude to grassroots Multiculturalism and Asylum Seekers
Glasgow Unity Demonstration. Source: Indymedia Scotland
By Mhairi McAlpine / @mhairi_mcalpine
One of the first things almost any English visitor to Scotland will notice almost the instant that they get off the train is how “white” our country is. Partly this is because the sun is an infrequent visitor, but compared with England, where almost 10% of the population is of minority ethnic origin, and London in particular with over 30%, Scotland is white, very white.
Leveson Enquiry devotes a mere three hours to media representation of women and Muslims
Marai Larasi, Jacqui Hunt, Anna Van Heeswijk and Heather Harvey gave evidence to the Leveson enquiry yesterday
The press remained relatively quiet about the goings on at the Leveson enquiry yesterday, and the journalists I usually follow for updates were not offering their live tweet services. Perhaps it had something to do with the topics of the day – the representation of women and Muslims in the media.
Over two hundred gather at steps of St Pauls to commemorate the legacy of Dr Martin Luther King
By Koos Couvee / @kooscouvee
Over two hundred people gathered at the steps of St Pauls cathedral today to celebrate the birthday of Reverend Dr Martin Luther King, commemorate his life’s work and share their views on how Dr King’s legacy is relevant today.
The event, a collaboration of community activists, church members, trade union representatives and OccupyLSX, was co-hosted by Lee Jasper.
Video: Best response to My Tram Experience
The My Tram Experience video stirred lots of debate about multiculturalism in London, and if London really was as racist as this woman.
Though a wannabe mini-Nick Griffin applauded that troubled woman’s rants, at TMP Towers, this video has won our award of best response to the racism:
Though many regard this tragic experience as a rarity, unfortunately more videos of racist abuse on public transport have emerged including this one by a different woman who declares herself a BNP supporter.
Racism has a long history in Britain, and under the present economic environment these ideas may become more prevalent and gain more sympathy as it did in 2008.
Migrant Stories: The story of my father, the story of myself
From Migrant Rights’ Network:
Mihir Bose speaking at TEDxEastEnd:
A report from Dale Farm
First the government threatened to cut off their water supply and then Amnesty waded in.
Now they are trying to evict the Dale Farm residents and the UN’s office for Human Rights have called on the UK government not to.
When I went there last Sunday, it was evident that it was wealthy neighbouring homes that were at the forefront of opposition to Dale Farm’s existence. The gated estates encasing silver 4x4s were in stark contrast to the humble but welcoming entrance to Dale Farm and Camp Constant.
“The evictions could start today” – Latest from Dale Farm
Dale Farm residents outside the High Court
From Dale Farm Solidarity
A last ditch effort to stop the eviction at the High Courts has just been turned down. This means that anytime after midnight tonight, Dale Farm could face the bulldozers. Dale Farm residents are defiant, refusing to leave their homes, and supporters from the UK and across Europe are standing with them.
A few thoughts on the UK Riots debates
The events of last week has fuelled lots of discussion on the riots. From Parliament to the streets, we’ve seen blame being laid at the door of bankers to single parents. But if you sought insightful analysis, you’d do better to look at your local street and listen to the young people themselves rather than the usual commentariat or the institutions of power.
Last week’s Prime Ministers’ Questions was held at a record length of over 2 hours… yet it was abymsal as a meaningful discussion and totally barren in terms of containing any revelatory ideas.
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How Abbottgate restored white victimhood in order to brush the issue of racism under the carpet
By Koos Couvee
The media storm Hackney MP Diane Abbott caused last week as a result of her ‘divide and rule’ comment on Twitter is indicative of the ways in which Britain’s political elite is still able to turn issues of race and racism to its advantage and brush the lived reality of so many black Britons under the carpet.
When Diane Abbott tweeted: “White people love playing ‘divide & rule’ We should not play their game #tacticasoldascolonialism”, she was not referring to 19th century colonialism, which is what she later said to defend her comment. Firstly, if that were the case she would have put the sentence in the past tense. Secondly, the tweet came as part of a conversation about present day politics with Hackney based freelance journalist Bim Adewunmi, who had expressed concern to Abbott about what she perceived to be the red herring ‘black community’.
Conservative blogger Harry Cole, who at times also refers to himself as a journalist, eloquently summed up the deep pain and outrage felt by white people as a result of Abbott’s tweet in his debate with race and human rights activist Lee Jasper on Sky News. He told viewers that Abbott’s comments were derogatory to an entire ethnic group, based on the colour of their skin. Indeed, Cole pointed out, racism works both ways and should not have been used as a political tool by the opportunistic Hackney MP.
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