MANY so-called socialists seem to be embarrassed to use the word 'racism' in case they sound too extreme upset somebody. Instead of talking about racism, they talk about *the disadvantages suffered by ethnic minorities'.
But it's not just SocIalISIs who beceme pre-ocupied mite 'the rights. ethnic minorities' over the last tew years. After the inner city riots of 1981 the signal who are afraid of tackling racism the volved is What is involved an attempt to reduce social tensions integrate society. The attempt fo society. attempt create g back middle clas by setting up Community Relations Councils other such set-ups is now boosted by 'ethnic TV' various projects of local councils.
This is the theme of A. Sivanandan in the main ar. ucle la lals special Issue ol Race and Class. Sivanandan TCLDI ethnicity anti-racism and socialism to Labour'. He thinks the main strategy for the anti-racist struggle now is campaigning over individual cases of racism by the state - 'the turning of cases into issues' . -txamnies are the Bradford 12 trial, the murder of Blair Peach, the New Cross Massacre the cise Co fn Roach.
While all this needs to be said, it doesn't get us very far. Turning cases into issues is certainly the stage which the anti-racist strugge is going through This is l pecause CANCi be used to highlight racism and bring it into the open, and because black people difficult COLOl racism in general. The days of anti-racist committess and even the Anti-Nazi League are gone for the time being, But the campaigns over the activity canc around 'ethnic rights' have something in former are usually militant • black people and the latter are usually beral and run by a mix ture of whites and black bureaucrats. Both types of activity raise demands fo democratic rights to be es tended to black people and in doing so they make it more difficult for racisa to be used to divide the WUTKIL CAS While some of the ethnic programmes are au attempt to head off black militancy, others concession to it grims won by black militancy. To reject them altogether is to hand them over to th black bureaucrats HE.H relations industry who are paid by the state As usual the curreat issue of Clas suffers too much rhetoric but the articles on police strategy are important for people who opposing the Police Bill However it is unfortunate that many of the accounts insights into state racism spoilt by the hopeless attitude that the Rela Insutute tions, publishers of Rece and. Class, has towards th working class struggle. ss speace issue, Institute kelanons, tz
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British racism: the road to 1984