Cambridge Anti-racism Feature Archive
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Evening News editor loses it when challenged on Traveller reporting
Cambridge Unite Against Fascism has sent a letter to Murray Morse, the editor of the Cambridge Evening News highlighting their "deepest concerns at the ongoing 'campaign' that [the paper is] running against the Traveling Community". The letter was signed and supported by a variety of political and campaining groups in Cambridge.
Murray just `lost it' and in an email reply singles out the individual signatories to brand them as clueless. In an amazing display of professionalism he describes the content of their letter as 'poppy cock and misinformed drivel', and proceeds to publish an article in CEN entitled "Group tries to halt News campaign - but doesn't know our real aims". The Evening news, despite also reporting on events and organisations that are supporting traveller's rights to be in Cottenham [1 | 2] has often been the mere mouthpiece of [1 | 2]the CRA. The responsibilities of the media, that are usually perpetuating the prejudice against Travellers are fully explored in the paper Gypsies, Travellers and the Media.
Corp Media Watch :: Sun Starts Hate Campaign Against Travellers
The Sun started a campaign on Wednesday the 9th of March to "stop (the) Gypsy invasion". One front page was followed by another, which claimed mass popular support for their racist ramblings. By the second day the Daily Mail had caught up on this incursion onto their own home ground and come out with their own headline.
Previous coverage: [1] [2 | 3| 4 | 5 | 6] Recently activists from Cambridge have been involved in supporting the traveller commnity in Cottenham, where settlements are threatened by eviction. See reports [1 | 2] One site, Paynes lane has already been evicted. See photos [1]
Stop Ethnic Cleansing
Travellers or Roma have faced oppression, murder, sterilisation and genocide from successive European governments, including the Nazis and the current regimes. In Essex, the situation is currently worsening for Travellers. The British Nationalist Party have won 3 seats on Epping Forest District Council with their neo-Nazi pledge to drive out the local Gypsy people. A young mother with triplets and an elderly couple, who had lived on their own land at Paynes Lane, Lower Nazeing, Essex, for l4 years, along with other families were evicted in June. Another man was sent to prison for 28 days for living on his own land, and a judge is threatening to imprison his wife and children if they don't move from land they bought at Colney Hatch. The council now hope to evict the last remaining couple from Paynes Lane on 22nd August, despite the fact that they have been paying council tax for over 10 years. Anti-racist and Gypsy Council campaigners are planning a rally to counter the eviction at Paynes Lane on the 22nd August. The rally will include the unveiling of a Memorial Field for Roma victims of the Holocaust, and will celebrate the survival of Romani culture with music and food. Anti-racist campaigners also demonstrated last Saturday near Cambridge. Local residents protested against neo-fascists outside the Oakington Immigration Detention Centre. Previous coverage: [1][2][3][4][Photos]Links: [Traveller Support][East Anglia Social Forum]
Calls for rally at Paynes Lane, 22nd August: [1][2]
Freeing Asylum Seekers from Oakington
Currently asylum-seekers in Oakington who dare to challenge the labelling of their asylum application as "clearly unfounded" by way of Judicial Review are being "slow tracked" to discourage others from following their example. Some are being locked up for months awaiting a full hearing of their case.Concerned individuals in Cambridge have therefore set up the Cambridge Bail Circle. The Bail Circle aims to attract individuals from the area and link them up with Oakington detainees identified by lawyers as having arguable cases. The individuals are asked to meet the detainee, attend court with them for a "bail hearing", and stand as "surety" for the them. The asylum seeker is then at least freed from detention whilst they await the review, although conditions are imposed.
Actions at Oakington Detention Centre
Migrants detained at Oakington Detention Centre near Cambridge have been taking action to resist their imprisonment. Over the last week they have been on hunger strike, held sit down protests and refused to be counted at muster. Local people from Cambridgeshire Against Refugee Detention held a solidarity action outside the centre. Video coverage of this action is now available.