minority rights

?

changes after WWII

  • jobs on offer; post-war britain needed rebuilding
  • opportunities for immigrants; many viewed britain as the 'mother country', thought that they could live a better life
  • incentivised support (e.g. interest-free loans, transport costs paid for)
  • 210,000 immigrants by 1958
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challenges + discrimination

housing shortage:

  • no council houses
  • banks would not give mortgage
  • worst houses, rent, overcrowding, exploitation

racial prejudice:

  • racism at work
  • only low-level jobs despite qualifications
  • colour bars, calls for repatriation
  • enoch powell: racist politician, 'rivers of blood' speech
  • national front: staged marches in immigrant areas

notting hill race riots (1958):

  • 300-400 white youths attacked houses of west indian residents; over 140 arrested
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brixton riots

  • brixton had highest crime rates
  • police enforced stop + search
  • police were racist: 8 times more likely to stop black people

details of riot:

  • plain clothes police officers dispatched into Brixton
  • almost 1,000 people stopped + searched, in 5 days
  • up to 5,000 people involved in total 
  • 299 injuries to police; 65 injuries to members of the public
  • 82 arrests
  • over 100 vehicles burnt, including 56 police vehicles
  • almost 150 buildings damaged, 28 burnt
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results of brixton riots

scarman report, nov. 1981

  • blamed Metropolitan Police for unrest
  • demanded a new code of behaviour (though few recommendations were implemented)

independent police complaints authority, 1985

  • made sure that investigations into police complaints were properly handled

further riots in brixton, 1985 + 1995 

→ macpherson report, 1999: little had changed, met police still inherently racist

we live in a multicultural society today :)

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Comments

MT1231241

Report

thank you

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