On 25 July Parliament passed once of the most viciously racist laws the Tory government bas dared to cook up so far — the Pakistan Act. This step came just three days after a mass demonstrution in London against the House of Lords ruling that the deportation provisions of the 1971 Immigration Act could be enfurced retrospectively Once more we see the arrogance with which the Government treats the rights of black people in this country. They feel free to act in this way because of the failure of the labour movement to solidarise with blacks and immigrants in the past and oppose previous racist laws passed by both Labour and Tory Gevernments. The P'akistan Act, using as a pretext l'akistan's withdrawal from the 'Commonwealth, will classify all Pakistanis who base not taken out Red Weekly 14 September 1973 Page 2 British citizenship (which they can only do after 5 years residence in Britain | as "aliens", effective September Ist.
A number of the worst effects of this deciston are suspended by the Act for E2 months, but in 1974 the Pakistani community will feel the full force of Britain's racist laws: They will lose the right to vote, the right to stand for election as MP's, and the right to work in the Civil Service. Preparations are already being made tor a purge of Pakistanis trom the Civil Service on Sept, 1, 1974, if they have not already been cased out before then.
One nasty little law which applies to the Pakislani community immediately, is section 3 of the Aliens Restriction (Amendment) Act which, among otber things, states:
If an alien prontotes or attempts to promote has not been bona fide engaged for at least two yoars immediately preceding in the United King dom he shall be liahle on summary conviction to imprisonment for a term not exceeding three months."
In other words, in less than two weeks time many Pakiscani workers will find themselves without the right to strike, or even compiair about their work conditions.
This is a challenge which the trade union mosement must nor let go by unanswered. The Civil Services unions must piedee themselves to resist tooth and nail my attempt to dismiss Pakistanis as aliens". A cainpaign should be mounted immediately throughout the unions lo make it dear to the Government that an attempt to use section 3 of the Aliens Act against any group of workers will be met with muss industrial action. The working class novement must commut itself to fighting for an end to all racist laws — the Pakistan Act, the Aliens Acts, and the Imangration Act.
"The British Army must go home; Bogside to the streets of London last Sunday. militant since the Bloody Sunday CommemorInternment League, the Northern Minority