A young white racist taunts and provokes a Sikh beyond endurance (a fact admitted by even the Leeds police in court). The latter stabs him and the racist dies. The fact that the dead racist was a member of a well-known fascist organisation is not mentioned anywhere Neither in court nor in the unfree press. There is a race riot in Leeds and in the predominantly black-populated Burley Lodge Road mobs of white racists assault Pakistani families in broad daylight to the accompaniment of cries like: LYNCH THEM, GET THE PAKS. The police intervene to provide "protection' by 'advising' Pakistanis not to be seen on the streets after dark. Thus we see the first racial curfew in Britain.
A few white racists are arrested and charged with threatening behaviour and assault on police" - needless to add no one is arrested on charges of assaulting Pakistanis. When three white racists appear on remand at Leeds Magistrates Court by an ironical coincidence Leeds's only coloured magistrate, Mrs D. M. Phillip, is on the bench. There is no cause for concern, however, because the Chairman of the Bench, Mr Gilbert Parr makes judicial history. He "excluded her from discussions on whether one of the men should have bail or not." Her colour, you see, might influence her decision. This moves even the defence solicitor to remonstrate and argue that Mrs Phillip should not be excluded Whereupon our friendly magistrate remarks: "My idea was that it would be in your favour... And SO the anti-black comedy continues.
The conclusions which many black citizens of Britain will draw from this are obvious. Whenever a black man is arrested he should demand that he be tried by black magistrates because white magistrates are bound to be prejudiced. The demand would be more justifiable than Parr's removal of Mrs Phillip. And we would, of course, support it as a means of embarrassing the ruling class and the judicial sub-structure of racist Britain. But the demand by itself cannot achieve anything. It would merely mean that blacks, instead of being convicted by white upholders of private property would find themselves face to face with Uncle Toms' (Sir Learie Constantine, "sensed no prejudice').
The only reason for recounting the
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David Pitt, Dipak Nandy et al) or Aunty Thomasinas ( Mrs D. M. Phillip who