22nd April 2001

The same week as the Sunday Mirror caused caused controversy for reporting that Sarfraz Najeibs father thought that the alledged attack on his student son by two Leeds Untied footballers & co. was racially motivated, the British Students Association, a fascist organisation, claimed they had "Huge Momentum" at Leeds University. Although the police originally suspected the alledged attack on Najeib was racially motivated, the crown prosecution service decided to prosecute on lesser charges. The trial judge also delivered a slap in the face to equality campaigners claiming there were 'Severe Flaws' in the McPherson report set up in the wake of the Stephen Lawrence inquiry, which sets the rules governing how racial discrimination is treated.

The Free Speech Society at Leeds University was recently prevented from holding a meeting led by rightwing activist Mark Collett. He said
"I have seen a huge growth in nationaism at Leeds University and accross the country as a whole. The BNP is gathering huge momentum at leeds and in many other institutions."

Unfortunately he is probably right, as over the Easter weekend there was what can only be described as a 'Race Riot' in the predominately Asian Lidget Green area in neighbouring Bradford. Community leader Abid Hussain told the Eastern Eye that;
"40 white skinheads sparked off the violence, attacking an Asian wedding at the Coach House pub. We rang the police, but when they came, they let the attackers go."
Disturbances continued for over six hours, with four pubs thrashed, cars set alight, and Asian householders barracading themselves in. The police have been criticised for arriving late, not taking things seriuosly and only making three arrests.

At the moment there is a scarily rapid growth of far right groups, and this is mirrored in universities. Along with the BSA, the Patriotic Students Association, Students for Britain, and the National Student Front have targetted universities. Besides Leeds, they seem to be focussing in the East Midlands at Derby, Leicester and Nottingham. Recently an attempted march by the National Front was broken up when confronted with a counter anti-fascist demonstration over twice its' size in Nottingham. Home Secretary Jack Straw was petitioned to stop another fascist march in Leicester last weekend. He refused, simply saying they would have to pick an alternative route. This route was kept secret, playing right into the fascists hands hindering the ability of anti-fascist campaigners to put on an effective protest. This has happened during a week in which Robin Cook and the national media have been trying to persuade us that the Tories are not only racist, but are the only people capable of racism, and that the resurgance in racism is purely their fault. They may have some racists, but they aren't the ones who have been racist in Government for the last four years. The fact that not all Tories have signed a compact from the Commision for Racial Equality has been all over the press. But they have convieniently not been mentioning that not all Labour or Lib-Dem MPs have signed either.

There was more bad news for racial equality campaingners as the first report into research, Ethnicity and Employment in Higher Education revealed institutionalised rascism within universities. Ethnic minorities experience considerable discrimination in applications for posts and promotion, harassment and negative stereotyping. One in five reported that they had personally experienced discrimination in job applications or in promotion and had experienced racial harassment from staff or students. This was higher for ethnic minority women who were also more poorly represented than men, and in a more disadvantaged position than white women. A third of institutions had no racial equality policy at all. Although three quarters of institutions routinely monitor job applications by ethnicity, less than half of them use this information when deciding policy. The report will be published in full on 18th June.

Fascists March in Leicstershire
NUS gets full-time Black students Officer

Resources
National Civil Rights Movement - "Since the murder of Stephen Lawrence, in 1993, 157 people have lost their lives because of racism or xenophobic laws."
National Assembly Against Racism
Youth Against Racism in Europe
Brit Kid The Comic Relief race relations game for schools
Justice UK
Free Satpal Ram

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