LAST SUNDAY night's events in Tottenham, portrayed as a 'riot' by the press, were in fact the most brutal and most sustained single attack people by the police in ever against black began with a barbaric police raid on a black home. It left a police had entered her house with a black woman, Mrs Jarrett, dead after stolen prevented Tottenham's black com- munity from protesting against her death, by laying seige to the Broad- key. Subsequently police water Farm Estate where black people had gathered in the youth club prIor 1o station. Belfast-style operation: riot police, The culmination of all this was a marching the police armed with plastic bullets, paraded throught the streets of Tottenham. It was the same type of violent assault, but worse, as that carried out on the mining communities during the strik last year. was brought into the light of day by, for example, the exposure of police The truth of that assault methods and lies at the Orgreave trials. Police in Britain now - openly and publicly habitual and long standing racism: beating up and harassing black people is routine, so is turning a blind eye to racist attacks on black people, their homes and their families. Now, not racists regularly kill and maim black content with ignoring the fact that within the short space of one week people, alone - are responsible for the fact the police that one black woman is paralysed and another dead. As Bernie Grant, leader of Haringey council, bluntly put it: "The police were to blame for what happened on Sunday.' Black people are left with only two choices: accept the ting as an agent of the state, or fight racism and brutality of the police, ac against gross brutality and racism it is hack. declared a 'riot', a 'criminal act' by When they the media, the police, and the ruling support for the police and condemna The Labour BalL - go well beyond their Kinnock made themselves proclaimed be movement.
fight back leadership's tion of youth who participated in that fightback on Sunday is disgraceful. It is the same type of 'condemnation' 'violence' during their historic strike. the miners The miners were fighting for their jobs and their communities. people are fighting because they have Black no jobs and to protect their com- munities. Both have been subject to vicious attacks from the police for so doing. The responsibility lies wholly and completely with Thatcher and the police, no one else. That truth should by Tne The job of the Labour Party, and to defend the miners and defend the of the labour movement as a whole, is black people of Tottenham, Brixton should completely support the ac- tions of Haringey council leader Ber- Handsworth. All socialists nie Grant, in seeking to stop the coun- cil paying the police precept until thre is a full enquiry into Mrs Jarrett's death, until the police officers involv- ed are suspended, and until a commitment is made that no CS gas or plastic bullets will be used against the inhabitants of Haringey. As Bernie Grant said: 'We must not let them divide us when the press come up with their rubbish. There is no way I will condemn the action of the youth on Sunday night.
•We have to start a campaign today. We have to get people to support - the trade unionists, the political people and the have to show solidarity with the black community. They and white youth of Tottenham. of the struggle. They are the people *These youth are in the vanguard who are daily inarassed by the police.
*The police are not interested in peaceful coexistence. They are only interested in war. want plastic Newman was trained in Northern bullets. That's why they Police chief wanted to bring Northern Ireland to Peagre warned that he 'The council will give full suppor to the youth. We are acting as agents of the police by collecting the (police)
precept. We liave been asked to stop paying the precept.'
Socialist Action 11 October 1985