Dear Jen, Thanks for the very helpful advice regarding the racial situation in the UK. There is much that I could have written about the Goan boy bashing incident in South Shields on 10 Aug. After reading the letter in the Herald, I scoured the media and came across the following:
We want to live in peace 12 Aug: South Tyneside Gazette. young Muslims faced racist verbal abuse and violence by yobs around South Shields town centre in the aftermath of this week's security threat The Gazette has learned that minor incidences of trouble are believed to have broken out in the town centre during Thursday and yesterday, after yobs began targeting anyone with a different colour skin. Although none of the incidents have been reported to police, members of the Muslim community have appealed for calm and understanding Inspector Simon Charlton, from South Shields police, said: "I am disappointed that the incidents haven't been reported to us, that is something I will have to look in to further. Full text at http://www.southtynesidetoday.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=1111&Art icleID=1692065 I therefore wrote to Inspector Simon Charlton but the case was not helped by misrepresentations of the facts. We must highlight racist incidents in the UK without being paranoiac. Some of the recent incidents reported in Goan Voice UK are: 1. UK: 'Terror' hype sparks racist backlash against Asians 26 Aug: Socialist Worker. Asian men and women across Britain are facing a racist backlash. Full text, 396 words, at http://www.socialistworker.co.uk/article.php?article_id=9545 2. Jason Lobo: £450k to probe £90 bill 12 Aug: The Sun (UK). A cop today attacked bosses for wasting £450,000 investigating him over an expense claim for just £90. PC Jason Lobo was suspended on full pay for three years while a probe was carried out into the petrol bill. A court cleared him of any wrongdoing last year but Lancashire police pressed ahead with their own investigation ... PC Lobo, 37, from Blackburn, is now suing the force for racial discrimination. Full text at http://www.thesun.co.uk/article/0,,2-2006370347,00.html Jason Lobo is a former British international runner. He was the UK 800m champion and took part in the 1998 Commonwealth Games and 1999 World Championships. 3. Claude Moraes says he was 'treated like a terrorist while travelling' 24 Aug: The Independent (UK). Claude Moraes, a member of the European Parliament who claims he has repeatedly been treated as a suspected terrorist while travelling has warned the European Union against moving towards a system of "ethnic profiling" following the alleged plot to blow up transatlantic planes. He has told how he has twice been detained and subjected to a full body search at airports for "travelling while Asian" Writing in tomorrow's issue of the left-wing weekly Tribune, Mr Moraes says that the frequent "stops and searches" he faces are an inconvenience to him but "nothing compared" to the problems faced by ordinary people who have been "strip-searched" because of the "profiling" he says already takes place. Full text, 548 words at http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article1221299.ece The Claude Moraes home page is at http://www.claudemoraes.net/ Eddie Fernandes _______________________________________________ Goanet mailing list [email protected] http://lists.goanet.org/listinfo.cgi/goanet-goanet.org
