Chapter 12- Minority Rights Flashcards
What was immigration like in the 20th century?
-After the First and Second World Wars, Britain’s large empire began to shrink; many countries started to become independent.
-Some countries kept ties with Britain by becoming part of the Commonwealth.
-The Government invited people from Commonwealth countries to work in low paid and unskilled jobs.
-1948, British Nationality Act gave all Commonwealth citizens a chance to move to Britain.
-Could gain full British citizenship if they came to the ‘mother country.’
What was the Windrush?
-22nd June 1948, ship Empire Windrush docked near London with 492 people from the Caribbean on board. Over next decade more immigrants arrived from the Caribbean and Asia.
What was the experience like for the immigrants?
-Social, first wave of immigrants were mostly black men, clashed with groups of white men.
-Employment, Many immigrants forced to do low paid, unskilled work as their qualifications were not recognised.
-Many Asian communities started their own business.
-Many white people moved out of areas that immigrants moved to, known as the “white flight.”
-Many landlords tried to stop Black and Asian people renting their houses.
How did the Government control the mass number of immigrants?
-1962, Commonwealth Immigrants Act: Immigrants to apply for a work voucher to come to Britain, can only get one if their skills in demand.
-1968, Commonwealth Immigrants Act: even those from the Commonwealth who hold a British passport cannot come to Britain unless they have a parent or grandparent who was born in the UK. This was perhaps due to the fear of 200,000 Asians coming due to Africanisation being introduced in Kenya.
-1971, Immigration Act: Immigrants can only get temporary work permits, encourages voluntary repatriation - the government will help people move back to their country of origin.
Who was Enoch Powell?
- Conservative MP who was very outspoken about immigration.
- Gave a famous speech in 1968, known as the ‘Rivers of Blood’ speech.
- He gained a lot of support, especially from working class.
- Supporters of Powellism believed white people were superior to non-white people.
- He encouraged the politics of the National Front, a group who wanted all non-white people to return to their family’s country of origin.
What were the Race Relations Act?
- 1965 Race Relations Act: prevented racial discrimination in housing and employment.
-1968 Commonwealth Immigrants Act: aimed to help the integration of immigrant communities.
-1976 Race Relations Act: stated that discrimination means any practice that put another group at a disadvantage.
What were the causes of the Brixton Riots in 1981?
-Economic, late 1970s, there was a recession and this economic hardship hit black communities the hardest with high unemployment.
-Political, 1977, Battle of Lewisham, National Front march through the predominantly black area. National Front convinced that black people were more likely to be in crime.
-Social, new law allowed police to stop and search anyone they suspected was about to commit a crime. (Sus Law). People saw this as racial profiling, more black people stopped merely due to their colour.
What happened during the Brixton Riots?
-10 April 1981, due to rumours of police brutality and arrest of a young black man, Black community set fire to cars and buildings.
-After Brixton Lord Scarman asked to write a report.
Investigation in 1990s proved that Metropolitan Police Service did suffer from institutional racism after their poor response to murder of Steven Lawrence, a racially motivated attack in 1993.
What terms were on the Scarman Report?
-Ended Sus Law.
-No institutional racism in the Metropolitan Police Service.
-Suggested making racially prejudiced behaviour an offence.
-Led to creation of the Police complaints authority.
