Sudetenland Tales by Edward Drobinski - HTML preview

Sudetenland Tales

Page 224

Following the end of the Second World War, and said by the UK government to be as a result of the losses of lives during the war, the British government began to encourage mass immigration from the various territories of the British Empire and later, the Commonwealth to fill shortages in the labor market. As a result, Afro-Caribbean immigration to Britain increased. By 1961, London's Afro-Caribbean population alone exceeded 100,000, with many residing in the Notting Hill area. It seems useful for this to be viewed in the context of the UK’s official statement concerning WWII losses, which were actually more or less 40,000, inclusive of women and children, in London. By the 1950’s the Teddy boys was beginning to display White homeland notions toward black families in the area. The situation was exploited and inflamed by groups such as Oswald Mosley's Union Movement and other far right groups such as the White Defense League, which urged "Keep Britain White," A/K/A KBW, using leaflets and wall graffiti.

There was an increase in violent attacks on black people throughout the summer. On August 24th, 1958 a group of ten English youths committed serious assaults on six West Indian men in four incidents. At 5:40 AM, the youths' car was spotted by two police officers who pursued them into the White City estate.