Jean Lambert welcomes scrapping of racist van campaign

Speaking after Home Secretary Theresa May announced the government would be scrapping the use of an advertising campaign condemned as racist and misleading, London's Green MEP Jean Lambert said:

It's to be welcomed that the Government has, eventually, agreed to scrap the much-criticised and xenophobic campaign telling undocumented migrants in London to 'go home or face arrest'.

The call to 'go home' is an ugly reference to a traditional racist taunt, and given that some of London's foreign-born population have fled regimes threatening therm with arrest for their racial, sexual, religious or national identity, deeply offensive.

In July two advertising vans drove around the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham, Redbridge, Barnet, Brent, Ealing and Hounslow, some of the most diverse areas of the capital, displaying a picture of handcuffs and the slogan: "In the UK illegally?... GO HOME OR FACE ARREST."

The advert said there had been 106 arrests in the area in the past week and encouraged illegal immigrants to contact immigration officials for information on how they could be helped to leave the country.

The adverts were widely condemned as offensive and racist at the time, and the Advertising Standards Authority, which condemned the ad-vans as 'misleading' earlier this month, received more than 200 complaints about their use.

Jean Lambert, who is the Green Party's spokesperson on immigration, said:

I know from discussing the campaign with some of London's migrants and bodies working on their behalf that it has caused real stress to Londoners

I'm only sorry it took criticism from the advertising watchdog finally to persuade the coalition government to scrap the use of the ad-vans, which were deployed across London earlier this year - mainly in areas with a high proportion foreign-born residents.

I would argue that it was not  the ASA who forced the government to abandon its plans but the huge campaign against it launched on Twitter and then taken up by organisations, campaigns, councils and local activists.

Now Home Office advertises 'Return Home' in shop windows

This Home Office poster was seen in a Cricklewood shop window this morning and seems to mark another stage in the Home Office 'Go Home' campaign albeit with a slightly modified message.

Thanks to Paul Edgeworth for the image

Supporting Immigrants in London-Public Meetings

Racist van? Tweet for Liberty

Liberty have launched their own anti-racist van as a riposte to the Home Office 'Go Home' campaign. It will be driving around Westminster today. Liberty asks anyone who spots the van to Tweet a picture to them at @libertyhq

Their article on the Go Home campaign can be read HERE

UPDATE Tuesday PM Earlier today the anti-racist van was in Brent  parked outside Kensal Green Station which UK Border officers raided last week leaflets were given out to passengers and passersby.

KILBURN TIMES REPORT

Malevolent Crosby's mendacity has to be challenged

Lynton Crosby's claim in the  Sunday Times that the 'racism van' campaign was 'flawed and backfired' LINK is a bit rich as he is widely seen as the strategist behind the 'Go Home' offensive as a way of out-flanking UKIP.

Crosby of course has form. Back in Australia he was behind John Howard's election campaigns the lowest point of which was Howard's claim that refugees were throwing their children out of boats in order to blackmail the Australian government.

Crosby's comment may mean that the 'racist vans' will be dropped but I expect that the 'Go Home' campaign will continue in other guises, particularly the raids at railway stations and bus stations, and raids on work premises.

This means that in Brent we will need to remain alert and mobilise at the first signs of any raids in the borough. Though often a critic of Muhammed Butt, I have to pay tribute to the way he has spoken out on this issue across many media outlets.  He has spoken for the whole of Brent in opposing these attempts to divide and rule and disrupt our community.

Meanwhile there are complaints about the Go Home van advertisements lodged with the Advertising Standards Agency (I had my acknowledgment yesterday) and the Equalities and Human Rights Commission inquiry into possible ethnic targeting.

Given Crosby's mendacity any resulting, seemingly negative,  publicity may well be part of his plan to portray the government as tough on immigration (and by implication race) and undermine UKIP and the EDL, just as Margaret Thatcher's policies led to a decline in support for the National Front in the 80s. Who needed the NF when Margaret Thatcher was saying the same thing?

This does not mean that we should not campaign .loud and clear, but it does mean that we should also challenge the Tory's underlying message.

Twitter's creative response to 'racist van' update

The 'racist van' has spawned some creative responses on Twitter:

Historical precedent