Posted on 09/24/2002 12:09:45 PM PDT by tdadams
LONDON, Sept 24 (Reuters) - Almost a quarter of people in Scotland, where race hate crimes are on the rise, think of themselves as racist and more than half would be worried if more foreigners were to arrive in Scotland, data showed on Tuesday.
Scotland's devolved government published the figures at the launch of a one-million pound ($1.6 million) campaign, aimed at raising awareness of racism and its negative impact on people and communities.
Scotland has traditionally seen itself as more tolerant towards foreigners than England, home to the majority of Britain's five million-strong migrant population. But that image was dented by the murder of a Turkish asylum-seeker in Glasgow last year and a sharp increase in racist incidents.
The Scottish Executive said that in the survey of 1,000 people, 24 percent said they were racist, while 75 percent described themselves as not racist at all.
Yet race hate crimes increased steadily in the 1990s with large increases between 2000 and 2001 and currently stand at over 3,000 a year, according to the Scottish Executive.
The murder of asylum seeker Firsat Dag, a Turkish Kurd, in the impoverished Sighthill area of Glasgow in 2001 polarised the community, and a decision to drop a charge that the killing was racially motivated outraged anti-racism campaigners.
Around half of the 1,000 people aged 16 and older regarded racism as a serious or very serious problem for Scotland.
Just under 90 percent of those surveyed agreed they "would be proud to live in Scotland as a country where different nationalities and cultures live together without animosity or racist attitudes," according to the Scottish Executive.
But over 50 percent agreed they "would be worried if the numbers of people from other backgrounds living in Scotland were to increase."
The "One Scotland, Many Cultures" campaign, due to run for five weeks, will challenge racist attitudes with television, cinema, radio and billboard advertising.
"I am convinced that making the most of the diverse cultures in Scotland is fundamental to a more prosperous Scotland," First Minister Jack McConnell said. "This campaign...challenges racism and prejudice, whatever form it takes."
The Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) said it was important to look at what people consider to be racist, as some 43 percent surveyed thought it was not racist to use terms such as "Chinky" or "Paki".
"What the public campaign seeks to do is challenge notions of racism and to expose subtle as well as overt forms of racism," said Dharmendra Kanani, head of the CRE in Scotland.
Well; what say you about this, Happy1.
Given your occupation you'd know better about your neighbor than any *Reuters'* Liberal-Socialist quisling sycophant.
Whatever you say, here??
I'll believe -- & consider the final line on the subject.
...& not before! ;^)
"Scotland's devolved government published the figures at the launch of a one-million pound ($1.6 million) campaign, aimed at raising awareness of racism and its negative impact on people and communities."
I'm sorry I'll miss that, being out of the country.
Andrew
Paki is not a racist term. Check out Paki.com
They advertise it as the "Biggest Pakistani Online Community".
I guess they could be racist, self hating Pakistanis.
My wife and I went on a tour of Britain back in '94. Our group spent the night at a nice hotel in Glasgow, but we were warned not to leave the hotel because of the city's crime problem.
I don't imagine that the situation has much improved since then. IMO, the bad guys are just as likely to whack an immigrant as they are anyone else.
I'd be willing to bet that if these folks fully understood all of the baggage that comes with the term 'racist', the numbers would be far lower. More likely, they are 'culturalist', preferring their culture over that of the folks who are immigrating in ever-increasing numbers. Nothing wrong with being a culturalist.
A civil servant had a brilliant idea. Apartments, abandoned and decrepit were vacant up in Glasgow. Scores of scurrying persons painted and fixed the apartments up. Brand spanking new "white goods" were purchased for the apartments- up came the Turks.
The locals at Sighthill, many unemployed, consigned to the scrap heap, looked on as the newcomers were welcomed- by the do gooders. Problems immediately surfaced ,as the new people fumbled at the cash registers with their vouchers.
The chronically umemployed abused Scot, then saw only too clearly the brutal inequity of it all. Some poor devil died and some poor devil will pay probably for many years for the stabbing.
Ah the diversity of a Dr Hague, expatriate Scot, safely in the good old USA. Says he- Scotland is an inclusive and cosmopolitan society- so there. Damn socialism.
Don't know anything about this crime or if anyone was charged.
Mr. Dag could have been killed by a Turkish Shi'ite or an Iraqi Kurd and neither of those cases would qualify as "hate." Since he was seeking asylum, one could even ask why. He could have had a fatwah issued against him in his homeland. Fatwahs, of course, don't involve hate, either.
If some strung out local dopehead was looking to pick up a few pounds (euros?) via robbery, hate could be blamed.
But, could it be that Scotland makes sure white natives are the major perps involved in "hate" crimes; just like the U.S. does?
In the U.S., if a Mexican-American shoots a Cuban-American, it goes in the books as a white on hispanic hate crime. While if a Cuban-American shoots a Mexican-American, it goes on the books as a white on hispanic hate crime. Neat, huh?
Don't worry about the "anti-racism campaigners", they're always outraged.
You bring up a very good point. I think most people understand all the baggage you refer to; or at least understand, at least subliminally, the term "racist" is a bad label.
My guess is the question wasn't "Are you racist?" where a "yes" answer means you're evil. But, rather, something like "Would you prefer living among your own people?" where a "yes" answer doesn't necessarily mean anything negative about any other group.
Another bit of slickness seems to be employed here. The article gives the impression that only Scots have a 25% "racist" rate. I would think a random sample of 1,000 people would have to include some immigrants in it. Unless immigrants were purposely excluded, we have to assume they also have a 25% "racist" rate. If immigrants were included, I can't help but wonder what each sub-group's "racist" rate is. If immigrants were excluded, a separate poll is in order.
Once "Many Cultures" prevail, Scotland as such will exist in name only at which point might as well call it Cultureland.
WHY are the illuminati in the west so obsessed with comitting cultural suicide?
WHY is obliterating western culture deemed to be so important?
WHY aren't non western cultures being encouraged to do the same?
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