Simon Deville reports Against Racism on March and more upocar than previous years, with around 200 participants The reason for this was obvious from most contributions from the platform and in the workshopsia cautious optimism about the Change in the political situation following the forthcoming general clection.
Influence
Recurrent throughout contri. butions was an understanding that it will not be sufficient to simply clect a Labour government. but that the anti-racist movement will be far better placed to influence a Labour administration.
The Assembly was entitled What the next government must do: but the extent to which the Labour leadership can expect a honeymoon period amongst black communities was questioned, as speaker af. ter speaker discussed what we should do if Labour fails to deliver TGWU affillation Bill Morris announced the affiliation of the Transport and Gencral workers Union. The central importance of the Assembly is that it has by far the widest support among the official Labour morement.
A joint statement agreed by the NAAR, TUC, National Black Alliance, the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns and others addressed asvlum rights. deportations, stop and search, exclusions from schools, racist attacks and unemployment.
The hunger strikes by asylum seekers lockco up in Kochester meant that the repeal of the Immigration and Asylum Act and the closure of detentions were placed high on the agenda.
The widespread publicity around the murder of Stephen Lawrence had the effect of not only highlighting the racism within the police and the leral system, out had quite clearly pushed many In the workshop 'Confronting It must be a crime', the overall consensus was that the central problem was not insufficient legislation but the lack of political will to pursue the perpetrators of racial violence and in. timidation.
Experiences
A number of particinants re lated their own experiences of appalling levels of harassment and how the police, Crown Prosecution Service, authorities had refused to act. Mal Hussein told how a solicitor had told him in court "It vou are ra cially abused occasionally you might take offence, but if you are racially abused every day you become accustomed to it and can't take offence."
Despite the decline in the fascist BP, the assembly acknowledged the urgent need to organise antifascist campaigns around the elections in every seat they contest.
ac level of Ollicial labour movement support, the broad agreement around central aspects of racism and the positive nature of the Assembly place it on a firm footing to become a central force in anti-racist struggles after the elec. tion.
To develop tactics and strate. gies of how to take forward the struggle against racism will requnrc tac csmousament of an in clusive and democratic structure through which all opponents of ra. cism can unite - this is an opportunity that must not be squandered. Jennie Twydell, justice No justice No peace peace row the baler gas oh and atite unte A and white unite There are laws, but there is also police racism and indifference OFF OUR STREETS! No pe Ice