Party Vibe

A lot of people are racist without realising it. For example, a lot of people think that to complain about racism now is ridiculous: ‘we live in a modern society, with anti-racism laws in place, so there clearly isn’t a problem’; but there obviously is. Back in the seventies, when there were jobs aplenty, unemployment amongst minority ethnic groups, particularly black people, was in the region of 20 – 25%. White Britain (me included here) thought we had it rough under Thatcher when it rose to 10% a decade later (UB40 – One in Ten, remember).
Some people think they aren’t racist because they have one non-white friend (or probably workmate), and because they talk to them (even though a good deal of that is probably piss-taking) they think they aren’t racist, even though they spout racist crap (about US terror attacks, or Sangatte / immigration in general). A common line is “I’m not racist, I just call a spade a spade”, as if that is some kid of virtue.
People who should know better are taken in by the kind of crap they read in the Daily Mail, which is one of the most viciously racist propaganda rags on the shelves. Someone I know who is quite left-wing, having attended SWP meetings and gone banging on doors spreading the gospel according to Marx, recently started following the Mail’s editorial line in general conversation. Taken in hook, line, and sinker in spite of his general anti-racist views. He bollocked his daughter many, many years ago when she was but a teenager, and had through youthful ignorance stood around listening to some National Front scum at a street rally, and taken a leaflet home.
The incident you quote is not the first and won’t be the last. The police service IS institutionally racist despite protestations to the contrary. A year or two before Mr Alder was killed, there was another case (I think somewhere up North, and the surname Eccles sticks in the mind; although that may be totally wrong) wher a black guy was restrained on the floor (of a police cell, if I remember correctly; could have been outside, though). I seem to remember something about a knee in his back, possibly pulling back on his chin (this could be a bit wide of the mark, was a long time ago now, but the incident did happen, and it was similar if not identical to the way I have portrayed it). I think they were acquitted, or rather never faced charges, because the report made out that there were some slight physiological differences that made blacks more susceptible to choking during what was deemed to be official procedure. That is, they had said they had restrained him according to guidelines; but of course they would, wouldn’t they. Presumably, that was unwitting racism, too. I wonder if the guidelines were changed in response to the incident.
I could go on, but that’s my blood pressure up for the day, and I’ve got work to do.
Andy W:rant:

A few blinding pieces of Sun wisdom from the 80s to put the Danish cartoons into context.
After the shooting of WPC Yvonne Fletcher, the Sun followed up a story of a Libyan diplomat who was inside the Libyan People’s Bureau at the time of her death in April 1984. A huge banner headline read: ‘Arab pig sneaks back in’ – bear in mind that to Moslems or Jews the pig is an unholy animal.
This was not an isolated comparison. In 1986, after the Syrian ambassador was expelled from the UK for allegedly being implicated in the plot to blow up an Israeli aeroplane, the Sun ran the headline ‘ Get out you Syrian swine’.
On immigration, two more pearls of wisdom in the same week of June 1986 show the sheer hypocrisy of the rag. At the time the Labour party wanted to scrap ‘discriminatory immigration laws’; Shadow Home Secretary Gerald Kaufman predicting a resulting rise in immigration of ‘maybe a thousand a year’. The Sun leader ran: ‘Alas, that’s one thousand a tear too many … we can’t afford ANY increase in immigration’(Sun’s emphasis in capitals).
Six days later, the Sun was ruminating about a hypothetical ‘bloodbath’ in South Africa, deciding that should the 800,000 white South Africans should have ‘the right to re-settle here’. This was a responsibility that ‘we must not shirk … we owe them nothing less’.
If you want to read more of the same, this is taken from a very interesting book; only two short chapters and 37 pages long; very easy reading.
It is called ‘your daily dose: Racism and the press in Thatcher’s Britain’, by Nancy Murray and Chris Searl. Cheap too. ISBN 0 85001 035 7
I have an excellent download from human rights organisation Article 19. I talked of the Daily Mail yesterday. They appear to have taken up the lead set by the Sun. Here’s a gem from them as the Sangatte story reached its height, and the UK and French governments did a deal that split responsibility for the amassed Sangatte asylum seekers:
‘once the German army had positioned giant guns here to lob shells across the Channel. Yesterday, the French sent us asylum seekers’.
This is the link for it if anyone is interested. Loads more of the same stuff couched in easily digestible language:

http://www.article19.org/pdfs/publications/ refugees-what-s-the-story-case-study-.pdf
Andy W
The link isn’t working as it should. Tried sorting out, but I’m crap at this sort of thing. If anyone else can amend it, great. Otherwise, when you arrive at Article 19 home page with this link, use search facility, and enter “Sangatte”.

Yes, can’t disagree with that GL. You reminded me of an old saying that I will inevitably get wrong and bastardise. Please correct it if anyone can. It ran along the lines of:
First they came knocking on the doors trying to find Jews. The Jews complained, but I did nothing. Then they came knocking on the doors looking for the Moslems. The Moslems complained and I did nothing. Then they came knocking on doors looking for black people. Black people complained and I did nothing. Then they knocked on all the doors looking for trade unionists. The trade unions complained and I did nothing. Then they came knocking on doors looking for communists. Communists complained and I did nothing. Finally, they came knocking on my door looking for me. I complained, and there was no-one left to listen to my complaints and do anything to help me.
Something like that, anyway.
Andy W