LAST WEEK Clare Short, Labour MP for Birmingham Ladywood, attended a press conference at the Asian Lozells Road, Chaired by Avtar Jouhl of the Indian Workers' Association it involved representatives of several recently Defence Campaign. ference held and why did Why was why did you participate in it?
Because it was very important. It was a.
Asian Resources Centre near Handsworth's Asian and Afro-Caribbean organisations established Handsworth Legal Afro-Caribbean progressive organisations say that this malicious line that was being developed through the media - that the ]vl causo of all the trouble was conflict ween the Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities was completely TaIse seemed me that the should be Sr alLy seen to that SuareC was anpeople had been Now it's more : PIES had that ULl. LVU time. fee about the lo arrest lots o1 pcopic l order to suggest that they are in contro ot the situa tion. But in fact they have gone ior a number of strategies.
It's the view of many people, anal think i share t, that the police basically abandoned Handsworth 1n the early part of the riot and that's why the looting took hold so badly. I don't think anyone should of the shops that were looted had families living upstairs who were absolutely petrified.
These are families that work enormonsly long hours to make a lving. They not rich capitalists or anything like that.
But at Zam on Tuesday, wrich was wirel Lit major thing was over, only JUbuC aTrested. There are now over The police have been hauling young people off streets ever since in order to try and suggest Birmingham councillor Amir Khan is spearheading the move lo a Sparkbrook black section that they were controlling Te cuielo And I think the odds on lots of people •CHI high indeed.
Do you think there is a real danger of racist elements exploiting about the divisions between Afro-Caribbean and Asians? For instance the Enoch Powell Nucei U calling for repatriation and reports that the British thrown leaflets from moring cars saying that it is the politicians who have supported 'the black inyasion' oi this country who are to blame for what occured?
I think there's a real contradiction here. Some right-wing elements certainly the media have tried to run the line that the whole cause is conflict between the Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities, and indeed tried O HTTe SCh & COHER• that didn't exist. But then the extreme, crude racists come in - Enoch Powell and the British National Party — and of course at tack communities without exception.
They hostile to both the Afro-Caribbean and Asian communities.
There's a weird irony there that the force of thei pressure could be to make the communLc understand that they have to stand together.
Do you think the events in Handsworth and the issue involved will come up at Leboar Party conference and if so what sort of line do you think the Labour