This is a slightly shortened version of a leaflet put out by the Pakistani Workers' Union and the Working People's Party of England. We are publishing it because it shows that attacks on Pakistanis had been going on for some time before the recent quite well-publicised attacks in East London, and also because it gives some information on the role played by the police, about which liftle has been said in the recent press reports.
MEMORANDUM CONCERNING ATTACKS ON PAKISTANI PEOPLE IN LONDON Attacks on Pakistani people in the London area have been growing more common in the last few years. So far the Metropolitan Police have failed to take effective action to end this racist violence. On the contrary, they have seemed more intent on prosecuting those rakistanis who have resorted to self-defence.
Robbery With Violence in Euston Area There are 800 to 1,000 Pakistani working people living in the Euston Goodge Street area of London, mainly restaurant and catering workers in the West End and railway workers at the North London terminals For years these people have been persecuted by small gangs of white thugs who attack lone Pakistani workers, beat them up and rob them of what money and valuables they have on them. These attacks have happened mainly at weekends and late at night or in the early hours of the morning.
Over thirty such cases involving over fifty Pakistani people were documented in detail by the Pakistani Workers Union (PWU), Working People's Party of England (WPPE), Campaign Against Racial Discrimination (CARD) and other organisations during the summer months of 1967 and 1968.
Appeals to the Authorities Throughout 1967 and early 1968 appeals were made to the police, to local councillors, and MPs to get these attacks stopped. Nothing happened. No arrests were made and on one occasion the police asked the Pakistani victim of one attack, "Why didn't you catch them?
Eventually in May 1968 the WPPE and PWU organised a public meeting at Student weapons"-an offence which carries a prison sentence At first the two Pakistanis were refused legal aid, although the same magistrate granted the two young English thugs legal aid at once. The case was not heard at the Old Bailey until January 1969 and meantime one of the Pakistan Pakistani accused was unable to visit his sick wife in Pakistan while awaiting trial on bail. Police Defeat After one day's hearing at the Old Bailey the judge called a private conference with counsel for the to possessing offensive weapons (one of the Pakistani accused had a spoon in his hand with which he had been eating his dinner), the other charge against all five being dropped by the prosecution. The accused were then all bound over to be of good behaviour for two years and were then discharged.
The three misguided young Englishmen, or eaving the dock, apologised to and shook hand: with the two Pakistanis. The whole episode was thus a partial defeat for the Metropolitan police in their attempt, on the one occasion when they had been compelled to act against a thug attack to make it appear that Pakistanis were at least equally guilty with their attackers. This partial victory was achieved by a combination of vigorous self-reliant defence against the racist attacks and equally vigorous and persistent bringing of the police behaviour to public notice.
Fire Bomb Over the next twelve months there were only two or three sporadic incidents in the Euston area. The morale of the people improved accordingly. They had learned that it was better to stand up and fight against injustice and. oppression than to suffer in silence.
However on Saturday 23rd August 1969 about 11.30 p.m. Mr. Ashur Miah was attacked Dy unree waite tnugs near mis nome de 219 Gower Street North. He ran to his door, knocked, and was let in, one of his pursuers getting in just behind him. The door was then closed against the other attackers who continue continued to knock and tried to burst the door making a large hole in the panelling. Someone In in the street rang for the police, who on arrival took the three attackers away making no charge against them.
The next day (Sunday) the residents of 219 became anxious at seeing people hanging around around outside the house. They informed Albany Street Police Station, but no one came.
About 10 p.m. a petrol bomb was thrown at the house from a passing car. It fortunately hit the brickwork at the side of a window, leaving a large black burn on the brickwork. The petrol burned out outside the house. Fire brigade, police and an ambulance arrived quickly, but fortunately there were no injuries to people and not very serious injuries to the building.
Following this second attack the chairman of the PWU saw the chief superintendant at Albany Street Station, together with the police liaison officer for race relations for the district on the evening of Friday 29.8.69. He was informed by the police officers that they had secured the car from which a petrol bomb had been thrown and that they were considering charges against three Englishmen with regard to the incident, together with charges against two Pakistanis alleged to have "molested a white woman" and who were thus alleged to have "provoked" the attack. Mr. Ashur Miah, accused of this molestation, denies it absolutely. At the same time four Pakistanis living at 219 Gower Street North (the house attacked) were charged with "causing grievous bodily harm and possessing offensive weapons because they had protected themselves against the thug who had burst into their house while pursuing Mr. Ashur Miah. It will be noted that when the police originally came to remove the allackers on une saturday evenug no unarge had been made, and no arrest made of the Pakistanis involved.
There have been four attacks against this house in the past three years.
The following week on Bank Holiday 1.9.69, Mr. Kushid Alom was on his way from Caledonian Road to see a friend at Levita House, Chalton Street, N.W.1. As he entered Chalton Street a group of a dozen him tor Street grouda dozed you as a him. He managed to reach his friend's flat. T they both went out and asked bystanders outside the betting shop in Chalton Street if any of them had witnessed the assault. The answer they got was to be attacked by three the men. Mr. Alom had his arm broken by a watchman's lamp used as a club. He spent several weeks in University College Hospital underwent several operations. No arrest has been made to date.
Attacks in Other Areas Euston is of course not the only area where attacks on Pakistanis are frequent. In the Caledonian Road area of Islington there is a similar pattern of racist violence. Over sixtee recent incidents of unprovoked violence agai Pakistani people have been documented by t PWU and in no case have the police taken effective action.
In East London too, in the Aldgate area where there is a large Pakistani population scores of assaults have taken place; the PWU have been collecting details in over twenty cases. (The "World in Action" team of Granada Television presented a documentar on Monday 8.3.70 on this issue.)
One of the most recent documented incidents involved Mr. Tasmin Ali, the reside Imam of the Central Mosque in East London Mr. Ali was outside his door at 448 Commer Road, E.1 about 7 p.m. on 9.1.70 when six youths approached him. Mr. Ali fought back and took one captive, but another white mar who had observed the incident came up anc forced Mr. Ali to release the youth. The poli then arrived and instead of charging the man who had interfered, claimed that he had save Mr. Ali's life. Mr. Ali had to attend the Lond Hospital to have stitches in a head wound. N arrests were made. Two or three days later th the same gang smashed the mosque window: The police were duly informed with the usua result.
Ishaque (Chairman Pakistani Workers' Unior Alex Hart (Chairman Working People's Part) England).