Labour's shameful record

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Will new promises undo it? Everton Williams:

Racist measures by successive Labour governments have helped create the basis for fascists to AHMOIN Sanu is one of him not guilty. THE recent Labour Party National Executive Committee proposals on nationality and immigration put forward an image of combatting state racism in Britain:

But the Labour Party's record since the 1960s has been one of building up state racism. And it will take more than promises to reverse that.

The NEC statement makes twelve major promises. 1. To end the 'numbers game' It was the Wilson white paper in 1965 which legitimised the numbers game. Roy Hattersley, now Labour's shadow Home Secretary, coined the philosophy to justify it: 'Without integration limitation is inexcusable; without limitation integration., is impossible' 2. To repeal the 1971 Immigration Act and replace it with a non-discriminatory one.

The Labour government passed the racist white paper in 1965 and the racist Commonwealth Immigration Act of 1968. It opposed the 1971 Act while in oppoBut the Labour Government went on to implement it for five years. 3. To repeal the nationality Act and replace it with a non-discriminatory one.

The Tories Nationality Act is based on the Labour Hattersley: justified the 'numbers game' MAHMOUD Sanu is une of hundreds of Iranian students facing death by deportation. Mahmoud, who is a leftist opponent of the Khomeni regime, has been refused political asylum by the Home Office.

In July 1981, Mahmoud was arrested during the uprisings in Moss side, Manchester. He was severely beaten up by the cops, placed under dusk to dawn (7pm to 7am) curfew, and forged to report to the police station each The court refused to change his conditions of bail and stopped him taking up a course in London.

During this period he was refused a visa extension.

The case was taken up by the Moss side Defence Campaign, aware that if found guilty he would be deported. However, the 111TV UnATI HESIINIV 1m r manaler found -25 -20 -15 — 10 Government's green paper of April 1977. 4. To prevent the separation of families, and to ensure that anyone with a home in Britain enjoys a full family life.

It was the Labour Government's 1965 white paper which restricted the entry of dependents. For example, children aged 16 to 18 were to be admitted only in cases of 'proven hardship' The last Labour government did not allow immigrant families awaiting arrival of their children (often kept out by immigration rules) to claim the new child benefit introduced in 1977.

The rate of deportations from Britain also rose during the last Labour government. 5. To restore the right of admission to husbands and fiances.

Labour first took away this right in 1969. After the right was restored by Roy Jenkins in 1974, the immigration rules were changed by Labour in 1977 so that a 12 month probation was placed on marriages of immigrant husbands.

Many immigrant marriages were placed under state scrutiny as possible marriages 'of convenience.' 6. To remove the queue in Deportation orders 1973 74 75 76 77| 78 79 1980 81 him not guilty.

On June 21 Mahmoud was told he would not be granted political asylum.

The Home Office stated he was not a 'genuine student' - because the curfew imposed on him stopped him taking up his course.

Mahmoud's appeal against the refusal was heard at a Tribunal in London on December 1.

The Home Office asked for an adjournment - which gives the campaign more time to build support.

The Friends of Mahmoud are campaigning for a general amnesty for all Iranians in Britain, and believe this can only be done by publicity, pickets and demonstratiuns.

Many Iranian oppositionist students are forced by the racist system of very high fess (around £4,000)

for overseas students to lann thnin atridont ctatie incu InhIr "LOULA

reports

India.

It was the Labour Government' 's 1968 Act which started the queue via the voucher system for East African UK passport holders excluded from Britain.

In 1969 the Labour Appeals Act added to the queue because of entry certificates. These had to be obtained in the home country, but no machinery was created to process the work. This effectively denied the right to appeal on entry.

The last Labour Government refused to make full use of the quota for 'nonpatrial' UK citizens to admit those from India waiting for a voucher. 7. To give priority to providing educational opportunity for people of the Third World..

The 1965 white paper restricted the entry of students. During 1977-8 the Home Office and Department of Education and Science changed the meaning of 'ordinarily resident' so as to deprive certain overseas students of grants.

The astronomical rise in fees and other costs for overseas students under the last Labour government also prevented many from taking up courses in As all money from Iran As all money from Iran flows through the Iranian consulate, the Khomeni regime can prevent oppositionists from receiving money. • Oppositionist Iranian students also face physical attack from Khomeni agents. In India, the Philippines and France, students have been killed.

In Britain hundreds of Iranian students face these threats. For example, the Manchester Law Centre has over 40 Iranian deportation cases.

The government's attitude to Iranian students contrasts strongly with its more liberal attitude to Polish and Vietnamese students.

Friends of Mahmoud Sanii, c/o. Tipu Sultan Centre, 642, Stockport Rd., Manchester M13 ORZ.

tel. 061-225 6886/-225 5111 Everton Williams Britain. 8. To recognise Britain's responsibility toward refugees.

In 1974-5 the Labour government refused to give refugee status to Cypriots fleeing the civil war and its consequences. In 1976-7 Zimbabweans who skipped the draft from the racist Rhodesian state were refused refugee status.

Even Chileans escaping after September 1973 were admitted very grudgingly. 9. To remove the threat of deportation certain areas.

Clause It was Labour who first introduced a clause on deportation (at the Home Office's discretion) into the 1965 white paper. In 1976 270 people were deported. This trebled up to 570 in 1979 — under a Labour government. 10. To limit the powers under which people can be removed if deeme d 'not conducive to the public good.' Powers Labour first tried to use these powers in 1974 against Franco Caprino, a migrant workers and militant trade unionist.. Writers Phil Agee and Mark Hosenball were deported Merlyn Rees on grounds of 'national security'. 11. To minimise the involvement of the police in immigration control.

Under the last Labour government police were used in blanket raids for "illegal immigrants' on factories in London (in 1975 and 1976) and con Newcastle restaurants in 1977. + 12. To control the power of detention pending deportation and limit the period of detention.

WITH the battle to prevent the racist deportation of Baba Bakhtaura, a popular local. Indian singer and musician, still in progress, the Home Office's crusade to prevent our being 'swamped by those of an alien culture' has produced another potential victim in the West Midlands.

His name is Muhammed Idrish and a Defence Campaign has been set up to fight the deportation. His story is as follows:

From teaching in Bangladesh, he came to Bristol to study, and during this time he met and married an English woman. This meant he had the right to stay here and so for the last two years he has been working as a social worker in West Bromwich.

After living with his wife for a number of years, their flourish In 1978, under the Labour • government, an average of 220 people waited in prison each day under. immigration Act powers, and the length of time that people were detained increased.

The promises • are an improvement on Tory and previous Labour government policy. But will marriage broke down and they split up. This resulted in a letter from the Home Office saying that his visa was not being extended and he had three weeks to leave the country. In their own inimitable way they gave the reason:

'We have reason to believe that you are no longer living with your wife.' Muhammed, of course, has appealed and his hearing comes up before the Appeals Tribunal on Friday F ecember 10.

The Home Office logic appears to be that blacks do not have the normal 'right' to end their marriage if it is breaking down.

In fact it's just one of the many rights that blacks don't have. It starts right at the top with our total lack of any secure right to live here. they be kept? Will they even appear in the manifesto?

And why do they fall short of the basic democratic idea of people's right to live and to work where they want?

The working class has no interest in making national borders barriers to enable them to use miPerhaps they expect blacks to stay in a marriage that is intolerable, forever in order to secure the right to stay here. However, there can be no doubt that, had Muhammed and his wife tried this, he would have been deported for 'attempting to deceive the Home Office' In reality, most blacks have given up a long time ago trying to unravel the government's claimed intentions in drafting: the immigration laws. We recognise them for what they are: a device to keep out or throw out blacks cleanly and efficiently, and lay the ground for racism in other fields.

The Muhammed Idrish Defence Campaign is demanding that Muhammad should not be made to suffer for events beyond his grants as a cheap and disposable reserve army of labour, and to divide the working class. •The labour movement needs a leadership committed to the needs of the working class - especially the doubly oppressed -without concessions to capitalist racism.

Everton Williams control and should allowed to stay.

What you could do: 1. Raise the question in your organisations and get them to send a message of support to Muhammad and a letter of protest to: Timothy Raison, Minister of State (Home Officel. Queen Anne's Gate. London SWIH 9AT. Please quote ref. no. J137550. 2. Write to Raison yourself in protest. 3. Write to your MP asking them to take the matter up and publicly support Muhammad. eg in the press. You coula write to the press yourself. 4. Donate money to the campaign. (address below :

Contact the Campaign: . c/o Bob Cooper, 6. Radne: Rd., Handsworth. Birmingham. Tel 021-588 7149 Abdul Shes

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catalogue of misery Given 3 weeks to leave Iranians face death

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