ON NOVEMBER 13 an unemployed Frenchman Paris, another Turkish assassinated by his employers' son accompanied by a security guard.
The victim, a militant ot the cur, (lne Communist Party-dominated trade union) was ting to lead an occupation hunger strike of the small construction firm where he workThe workers mostly Turkish, had not been receiving the previous wages since June because the company financial difWas ficulties.
Racist tension
France is on the and Le Pen and his fascist National Front, after their stunning 11 per cent vote in June (see Socialist Action 64 and 65) are feeding off A recent opinion poll showed that 41 per cent of inose asked thought that there were too many Black France comto 18 per cent in 1968. A staggering 26 per cent said they agreed with Le Pen though they would necessarily vote for Tim.
A large share of the blame for this rising tide of racism lies with the Socialist Party government, racist campaigns have now reached a new level. Un October 10 new measures near worker had been were introduced to curb illegal immigrants and also to limit further immigration. Under the new prime minister, Laurent Fabius, the government has been moving rapidly to the right on most issues and Fabius himselt has helped give more credibility racists and tascists in nIs much publicised statement that 'Le Pen presents ne wrong solutions to what problems. ical other words it suits the so-called socialists to blame France's 4.5 millon migrants for the problems or unemployment, lous ing shortages etc.
Their openly racist reflect this. micasules Across the country police powers have been increased, especially controls, for dealing with illegal immigrants. About one thousand more police are to be employed on the borders and 13 new detention Centres established.
the move which has prompted the greatest imODDUSILIUlI migrant organisations the measurith top the automatic immigrants' families to live with them.
order for an immigrants' family to enter the country under the new regulations LICY have to prove that they have a stable income adequate accommodation. The assessment of an adequate income will not include any state even invalid benetits not benefits or family allowances. In relation to housing the catch-22 is of course that most council housing is provided on the basis of urgent need single immigrant will not be considered to be in such need regularisation of the family's status has to be done with the family residing LACH country of origin.
This attack on the right to live as a family is not onsince in most cases it will ly racist, ll Is aiso sexist discriminate woman's right to enter the country and will lead to increased harassment of In fact the French government are most anxious to preserve the family but only the Heralding the proposed introduction measures to increase the indigenous French population through allocating grants to women who stay at home after the birth of third child, Mitterrand himself explained 'socialist' thinking: 'I see a great need for France to increase its birth rate when so many other commune making such rapid leaps forward. Basically its a question of our survival as a nation. It is clear inal under this Anti-racist demonstration leaves Marseille DOLA immigrant French women are going the brunt ocal racism.
These measures to increase were drawn on November by the Council of Ministers. They will benefit only about 30,000 women. The benefits they will receive for having three children will nowhere near adequate. Such measures will not in reality encourage women children.
lave HULC They are clearly aimed to whip atmosphere forcing women to stay in Ine Done.
Such attacks on both French immigrant women explain way inere were many women on the 1 December march against racism in Paris 'Oo-la-ie, oo-la-la, pour l'égalite, on est toujours la' (for equality, we are nere to stay) was the slogan most on the lips of the 40,000 people, mainly who turned out on the streets of Paris the immigrants who had driven mopeds five towns around France to converge on Paris (hence the name 'Convergence '84'). Smaller than last years event wilich wa.
hundred thousand), •emonstrallul was nonetheless powerful. drew together many young people independent of the Communists and Socialist parties, who this year gave the event little, and in the Hall, addressed the Mineworkers Defence Committee conference telling of the death of Mrs Shamin Karim and her two children by suffocation on 20 November when a fire swept through their bed and breakfast 'hostel' accommodation in Gloucester Place Westminster has been appalling. Top of the poll for the number of homeless in London they called the when they went in to negotiate with the predominantly black occupation.
obscene than the chairs of the race committee and the police committee calling in the police.' Last Friday the Camden Labour group that the tamiles case of the Socialist Party, nO SuDDOrl Young people had been organising for weeks through local action comnational coordinating body which represent an infrastructure immigrant and other youth which can be drawn together when necessary.
These young people will not easily be crushed by the racist and sexist policies of this government. They will be in the forefront of the fight.
ON SUNDAY 2 December Judi Bashir, from the Homeless Families occupation in Camden Town Camden Council's response to this tragedy police into the occupation in Camden Town Hall Ken Livingstone summed up the disgust of many when he said: I can think of nothing more renaging on all previous agreements, demanded return to the hostels before rehousing could be considered. The occupation details contact: Homeless Families Occupation attacks and bad housing in our inner cities three years ago. Black voters will not calli but we will not be taken for a ride by Labour either. •Peter Hamid, a pro minent member of the Black Sections National Steering committee, is a torch-bearer ot our cam paign for fair representation He has an emplary record as a campaigning councillor who well-known for crusade against racism in immigration discrimination in hous ing, iobs and education He is, in other words a fine example of a truls modern socialist.
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burst into a cafe in Chateaubriant near Nantes in Western France and shot two Turkish people dead. He did it, he said, because he 'didn't like foreigners'. The day before, in the district of Epône,