Reject the Policy of Fear of Jacqui Smith and New Labour

Workers' Daily Internet Edition: Article Index :

Oppose the Criminalisation of the Youth:
Reject the Policy of Fear of Jacqui Smith and New Labour

“Zionism, Ethnic Cleansing and the Way Forward for Palestine”

Support the Harmondsworth 4

Meeting on Asia

Build the Global Demonstration on March 15

Highlighted in an Independent article, the Home Secretary Jacqui Smith exposes her fear of the youth and proposes that seriously authoritative measures be taken in order to combat “out of control” youth on the streets. Amongst the already oppressive measures including ASBOs and citizenship lessons in schools, now the government is proposing that metal detectors be installed in schools in cities such as London, Birmingham and Liverpool. These criminalising proposals come after a torrent of sensationalised propaganda on what amounts to a supposed “inherent criminality” of the youth.

            The metal detector plan is part of an “action plan” on violent crime, revealed next month. It is disturbingly following the lead of the US where high school pupils are routinely scanned for weapons in many cities. The plans are to build on the schemes being carried out by the London transport police to install metal detectors in busy railway stations. This is making the various problems experienced by youth into a law and order question, policing them even in what should in a decent society be their sanctuary: schools where they go to learn.

            The problems amongst the youth where elements turn to crime cannot be separated from the problems of society and are in fact a damning indictment on society as it stands under the current system. The whole antisocial offensive has taken its toll on social programmes for the youth, which highlights that in fact with no cultural programme and a “mainstream” media that promotes violence, the youth are being marginalised from what should be full involvement in society. The scene that New Labour paints is a scene of an army of violent criminals who do not think or understand and who must be dealt with as “extreme” or “radical”. The New Labour government has shown nothing but contempt for the youth of Britain, with Brown describing “out of control gangs of teenagers on the streets”, while in recent statements Jacqui Smith remarks that she would not walk without police escort on the streets. But an “epidemic” of violent crime amongst the youth is not the real picture. So what do the youth actually stand for?

            What they do not stand for are the “British values” that are imposed upon them through controlling mechanisms such a citizenship lessons. In fact in the recent years in complete opposition to these “British values” of neo liberal globalisation, imperialist war and privatisation, the youth have stood at the forefront of movement against these “values” and have expressed their alternative that another world is possible, based on their own values and principles.

            It is criminal in itself that school children who have waged struggle against the Anglo-American Iraq and Afghanistan wars of aggression by organising strikes and actions across the country, are now faced with an attack on their civil liberties in the form of oppressive metal detectors which will create another way to watch and define every young person’s move.

            So when the youth are marginalised with nowhere to go and take to the streets, they are “violent criminal gangs”. And even more indicative of what the government fears from the youth is that when the youth actually engage with the world and express opposition to the government, authorities, etc., there is the criminalisation of dissent.

            The youth have stood firm in their resistance of oppressive measures. Fighting to rid schools and campuses of army recruitment teams is just one such struggle they have succeeded in. The youth must continue this resistance on the grounds of opposing this attack on their civil liberties. The youth must seek to understand by an act of finding out what are the questions of the youth, how do these questions pose themselves, and consciously participate in the solving of these problems that face the society to make it our society, where the youth take control of their own future.

January 26, 2008 - 9:00am

A day of discussion and debate on the nature of the state of Israel and its role in the Middle East. In support of Nakba-60: a Campaign for Justice, Freedom & Return of the Palestinian People.

Full details, including schedule for the day and online registration:
www.scottishpsc.org.uk

            Moshe Machover “Zionist colonisation in a wider regional context”
Moshé Machover is an Israeli dissident, and founding member of Matzpen (The Socialist Organisation in Israel); now living in the UK. He was Reader in Mathematical Logic, and is now Professor of Philosophy at King’s College London.

            Ghada Karmi “Why Israel is a failed state”
Ghada Karmi is a leading Palestinian activist, academic and writer. Born in Jerusalem, she was forced to leave as a child in 1948 and grew up in Britain where she became a physician, academic and writer. Currently, Karmi is a research fellow and lecturer at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter.

            Joel Kovel "The historical Holocaust and the current ethnic cleansing of Palestine"
Joel Kovel is both a scholar and an activist. Joel is one of a number of academics in the US who have been attacked for criticising the state of Israel. Joel is a founding member of the Committee for Open Discussion of Zionism: www.codz.org.

            Ronit Kadishay "The struggle for the civil-isation of Israel"
Ronit is an Israeli activist with New Profile: a movement for the civil-isation of Israeli society. For further information about their activities go to: www.newprofile.org

28 January 2008

The third demonstration at Southwark Court to highlight the trial of four men, who were in Harmondsworth removal centre at the time of a protest in November 2006.

Monday 28 January 2007, from 9-10.30am

            Southwark Crown Court, 1 English Grounds (off Battlebridge Lane), Southwark, London SE1 2HU (nearest tube London Bridge)

            The Support the Harmondsworth 4 Campaign is supported by London No Borders, Barbed-Wire Britain, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism, the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, All African Women's Group, London ABC, North West Asylum Seekers Defence Group and Women of Colour in the Global Women's Strike. For further information email: harmondsworth4@riseup.net or phone 07949 746 017.

ON
THIRDWORLD SOLIDARITY

"To promote and support human rights, peace and justice through dialogue and debate.”

Invites you to a                    

Meeting on “ASIA”

                                               

(Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Burma and Nepal )

Asia is going through difficult times and Asians living in UK are very concern about challenging situation in Asian Sub Continent.

5:00pm – 6.30pm

Tuesday   29^th January 2008

 

Committee Room No.12

House of Commons

Westminster

SW1A 0AA

(ST. Stephen’s Entrance )                                 

Chair:                                   Dave Anderson MP

Speakers:                              Jonathan S. Paris    (Hudson Institute,  Post Benazir Asia )  

                                               M. Sarwar Bari     (ARDA, Sec. FAFPEN)

                                               Ms. Huma Price, Barrister   (TWS)

                                               Cllr. Mushtaq Qureshi          (BD)

                                               Peter Tobin                            (Nepal)

                                                        Keith Bennett                             (India)

                                                and others

                           

RSVP:                                     foypa@parliament.uk
                        andersonda@parliament.uk

                                                tws123@hotmail.co.uk                                   
                                                thirdworldsolidarity.org

                                                Text: 07867 685 229

Please allow 20 minutes for security pro

Stop the War Coalition Groups Bulletin, January 23, 2008

The warnings of millions of anti-war protesters five years ago have proved tragically accurate. The invasion and occupation of Iraq has been a catastrophe, and the world has become a much more dangerous and unstable place.

            We are asking all Stop the War groups to start mobilising now for the anniversary demonstration on 15 March. The slogans are “Troops out of Iraq & Afghanistan”, “Don't attack Iran”, “End the Siege of Gaza”.

            Leaflets are now available:
*          from the StWC office (1000 for £10 plus p&p)
*          to download http://tinyurl.com/2jrw7s

Make February 15 “Iraq Day”

As well as booking coaches, organising stalls, mass leafletings, public meetings and so on, we are proposing that February 15, the anniversary of the 2 million march, should be named Iraq Day. In London 10 marchers from February 2003 will take a letter to Gordon Brown explaining why they will be marching again this year. Sign the letter to Brown at http://tinyurl.com/yres94