Birmingham

Children of the Windrush Rally Support in Birmingham

/ Jermaine Lebert / Leave a comment

Crowds gathered in Birmingham City Centre in protest of the treatment of those known as the ‘Windrush generation’.

Campaign group ‘Children of the Windrush Movement’ organised the rally in High Street on Saturday with guest speakers such as Birmingham City University Professor Dr. Kehinde Andrews, anti-racism campaigner Maxie Hayles and community activist Desmond Jaddoo.

People waved Jamaican flags and placards that read: ‘Windrush generation here to stay’.

Rev. Desmond Jaddoo led prayers calling on people to ‘rejoice for the contributions of our elders’ while remembering those who had been ‘stripped of their jobs’ and whose ‘families had been ripped apart’.

Mr Jaddoo said: “Nobody wants to talk about our contribution. There are those who want to belittle our contributions to this country. We are here today to say enough is enough.

“Unless we unite and start looking out for one another, who’s going to look out for us. We have seen for many years that people are not looking out for us. Until we get proper black representation we will never get the justice we deserve.”

The Home Office has recently come under fire after it was revealed that Commonwealth citizens who have lived in the UK for the last 50 years have been detained, made homeless, sacked or denied health care because they have struggled to prove they are British.

20180421_132454

The Prime Minister earlier this week issued a statement that she was “genuinely sorry” for the pain caused to victims while Home Secretary, Amber Rudd apologised for the ‘appalling actions of her own department’.

Dr. Kehinde Andrews, founder of the Organisation of Black Unity (OBU) and co-chair of the Black Studies Association, said: “We need to send a message to Theresa May, a message of amnesty and reparation. There are plenty of people that can’t come back to this country because of what this government has done.

“When we were invited here, we were invited not as citizens but as subjects. They only let us in because they were desperate. The country was gone. It was run-down. They had no people to build it. So, they asked our parents and grandparents to come from the colony and to rebuild the NHS, the housing, the drains – the whole country.

“For the last 50 years they’ve been trying to get rid of us and this is just the latest example of that.”

He added: “I was born and raised in Birmingham and I’m still a subject – subject to police brutality, subject to poverty, subject to racial discrimination but it’s not going anywhere.”

“Racism is as British as a cup of tea. It is what this country is built on.”

Maxi Hayles, said: “We must put pressure on this government. Who is next to be deported and denied rights? Are they going to turn on my daughter who was born in Worcester? Are they going to turn on my son who was born in Birmingham?”

“This government has endeavoured to murder and humiliate our people. We cannot allow this atrocity to continue.”

20180426_114515

 

Birmingham Residents Patrol Streets to Tackle Rise in Crime

/ Jermaine Lebert / Leave a comment

Residents in Handsworth Wood will start patrolling the streets in an attempt to help tackle crime in the area.

Street Watch, a joint partnership between police and local communities, has been introduced after 215 crimes were recorded there throughout February.

Though they have no powers to make arrests, volunteers receive special training from the police and are expected to commit to a minimum of two hours per month.

West Midlands Police said: “Patrols are non-confrontational and aimed at improving neighbourhoods by identifying issues such as graffiti and criminal damage.

“We have seen a huge improvement in community confidence and information sharing with the local policing teams.”

A risk assessment is also undertaken to ensure all parties are protected as much as possible.

Narinder Kaur Kooner, councillor for the Handsworth Wood ward, said: “None of us are professionals in this field but residents want to be able to look after our families and neighbourhood.”

Inspector Iftekhar Ahmed of West Midlands Police, who co-ordinates Street Watch, said: “Street Watch has operated well across the country.

“In the space of three months, we have set up schemes across the whole of the West Midlands and currently have 125 members, with interest growing on a daily basis. We are hoping to have 500 new members in 2018.”

Sukhvinder Kaur, a street watch warden, said: “Residents are usually happy to see us and there is a sense of reassurance that we are watching the streets. We have had people stop and speak to us and even come out of their homes.”

Community activist Desmond Jaddoo also welcomed the Street Watch initiative and said: “There is a greater need for partnership between the police and local communities.

“Communities have a proactive role to play in crime prevention.”

He spoke of the need for Street Watch to be able to tackle the differing issues in each neighbourhood and the fractured relationship between police and some communities.

He said: “More often than not, communities feel that the police pick and choose the crimes they respond to. It’s all about building bridges because people need to regain trust and confidence in the police.

“For areas like Handsworth Wood, there is the issue with the high rise in burglaries and fly tipping where as in places like Newtown, the issues are drug abuse and the high percentage of gun and knife crimes.

“You have to make sure the mechanism works for each individual area and that it’s sustainable.”

Talk of An Anti-War Government in Birmingham

/ Jermaine Lebert / Leave a comment

People from all over the country packed into a meeting in Birmingham to hear ‘Why We Need an Anti-War Government’.

Stop the War Coalition (StWC) hosted the event, which took place at The Priory Rooms in Bull Street on Thursday, to mark 15 years since what was the largest demonstration in British history.

Guest speakers on the night included Stop the War Patron Salma Yaqoob, Moazzam Begg, Director for CAGE, an organisation aiming to empower those affected by the War on Terror, Stop the War Officer John Rees and rapper and activist Lowkey.

The meeting was chaired by anti-racism campaigner Maz Saleem and focused around Jeremy Corbyn, the former chair of Stop the War Coalition, with each speaker highlighting the significance of his 2017 election campaign that saw him win 40 per cent of the votes.

John Rees said: “For the first time in British history, there is a possibility of seeing a prime minister in this country who not only was chair for the Stop the War Coalition, vice chair of the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament but one of the most longstanding and most principled opponents of imperialism and advocates of international solidarity that the Labour party has ever produced.”

Salma, previously a councillor for the Respect Party, spoke of people in the election being given ‘a real choice of anti-war government’ and a ‘vision of welfare, not warfare’.

This year, meetings have been held nationwide in places such as Newcastle, Bristol and Manchester.

The meeting in Birmingham took place to remember February 15, 2003 when two million people took to the streets of London in protest over the Iraq War.

The largest demonstration in British history was jointly organised by StWC, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND) and the Muslim Association of Britain.

DSC07230

Recalling the march, Salma said: “People marched in solidarity and humanity for people who did not share their religion, ethnicity or nationality and to simply say ‘we are with you’ and our government is not speaking for us.

“As I walked and marched with pensioners, some of them couldn’t even afford to heat their own homes and yet made a choice between food and warmth.

“It gave me hope and I know it gave hope to millions of people around the globe.”

She also spoke of Birmingham’s role in helping to mobilise people during the London demonstration.

“It was Birmingham that sent off 200 coaches to London and we had huge contingents,” she added.

Lowkey, a musician who combines intellectual clarity with passion and integrity, said: “When the march took place and around two million people mobilised in London, you had a global mobilisation of around 30 million people. That is unprecedented in human history.

“Anti-war organising strikes fear into the hearts of those in the highest echelons.”

He added: “Britain is currently involved in 7 covert wars, though it would be hard to discern these facts from mainstream media. Its army is the fifth strongest in the world and it is the second biggest arms manufacturer.

“You have £3.8 billion of British made weapons being given to the Saudi government. They now have more British made fighter jets than the British Army have.

“Over the last three and a half years, the UK has dropped 3,400 bombs on Iraq and Syria at the cost of £133m.

That’s £133m not being used in the NHS and not being used to house people.”

Stop the War Coalition, which was founded in 2001 in the wake of 9/11 attacks, seeks to campaign against unjust wars.

Moazzam Begg, who during the 2003 march was held at Camp Echo in Guantanamo Bay, said: “You may disagree with Jeremy Corbyn on some issues but, one thing I know, he stood with us at a time when very few would, when people were terrified of siding with those accused of terrorism held in Guantanamo Bay.”

He added: “He stood many times with me on a platform campaigning for Shaker Aamer, who was held for 14 years without charge or trial in Guantanamo, tortured, coming back to the UK to meet children, some of whom he had never seen in his life.

“This was a 40-year-old living in Battersea in London.

“This wasn’t a story from Guatemala and somewhere in Africa. This was a story from Britain and nobody had the guts at that level to do anything. It wasn’t popular to do so, but he stood firm.”

John Rees concluded the meeting by addressing Donald Trump’s forthcoming visit to the UK, saying: “Donald Trump is going to come and when he comes, he has got to be met with the most enormous demonstration.

“In February 2003, we had the biggest demonstration in Britain’s political history, but the record has stood for too long.

“I want to be able to say I was part of the second largest demonstration in British political history. That’s what we need when Donald Trump lands on our shores.”

 

 

 

 

Residents in Birmingham Vent Anger over HMOs

/ Jermaine Lebert / 2 Comments

Residents in Handsworth Wood have spoken out against the rise in shared houses in the area, labelling them a ‘blight on our neighbourhoods’.

Fly-tipping from tenants in HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) continues to be an issue for residents who say ‘the beauty of Handsworth Wood is slowly being eroded’.

HMOs are properties rented out to at least 3 people who share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen.

Ruth Lockley, who has lived in the area for 38 years, said: “residents are struggling to maintain the cleanliness of their road whilst tolerating such a level of disruption to their lives.”

Recently, the Handsworth Wood Residents’ Association registered their concerns to the council over an application to convert 78 Handsworth Wood Road into a 14-bedroom HMO complaining that ‘HMOs in the area are already being visited by police regularly, giving great concern to neighbours.’

Currently, any landlord wishing to rent out a property as a HMO must apply for a licence from the council.

Each licence lasts five years after which it must be renewed.

Lorraine Briscoe, a resident in the Handsworth Wood area, said: “Many landlords are just interested in the money and not the effect a HMO can have on an area.

“They often let a room to one person who brings in two other people to share the one room.”

At present the council does not have any enforcement powers over private rented sector tenants but work closely with landlords of registered HMOs to improve accommodation standards.

A spokesperson for Birmingham City Council said: “The council has approved an approach to consider the use of Selective Licensing powers, which will help us to identify where landlords are meeting safe and proper standards.

They added: “Handsworth Wood is one of the areas we would like to look at, however we would need to consult with residents before making any decision.”

Martin White, a resident who moved to Handsworth Wood in the 90s, said: “I have loved and still love living in Handsworth Wood but do notice that things have changed quickly over the last few years and I do think that HMOs are part of the problem.

“I am a landlord and have recently filled in the survey for Birmingham City council asking whether I thought licenses for landlords was a good idea.

“I don’t relish the idea of having to pay a licence fee, but if that’s what it takes to force landlords to be responsible, then maybe a proportionate, sensible license fee is the way to go.”

 

African Lives Matter Protest in Birmingham

/ Jermaine Lebert / 4 Comments

A national anti-slavery march has taken place through Birmingham City Centre to protest slavery in Libya.

The peaceful protest, organised by the Communist Party of Great Britain Marxist-Leninist (CPGB-ML), sought to raise awareness of the enslavement and torture of black Africans.

People from all over the country assembled at 12pm in Pigeon Park carrying placards that read ‘Death to Imperialism. African Lives Matter!’

Reuben Lawrence, a member of the CPGB-ML, said: “My concern is this country’s government and their involvement with Libya. This is imperialism. Slavery in the 21st century is disgusting.”

The political organisation, which was founded in 2004, seeks to ‘bring an end to NATO and British government support for Libya’s slave trading’.

Reuben, 26, who spent four years in the army, spoke of the ‘lack of power’ in Libya after the end of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime and said: “Under Gaddafi, Libya was a really progressive government and the standards of living at that time were one of the best on the African continent.

“Now because of British and NATO intervention, unfortunately we have this situation in Libya which is a complete mess.

“People are dying. People are being sold in the streets by mercenaries that are being funded and backed by NATO.”

The protesters gathered around Pigeon Park before marching through the snow-covered streets as they chanted “Black and white unite. African slavery is wrong.”

Reuben added: “What I hope for is to send the message to the government ‘no more interventionism in other countries’ affairs.

“This is what our government have caused.

They are complicit in what’s happening in Libya right now. The slavery, the tragedy, the humanitarian crisis”.

Information about The Communist Party of Great Britain (Marxist-Leninist) can be found on their website www.cpgb-ml.org