L'immigration en angleterre
1235 mots
5 pages
B) Attempts to regulate immigration (1981-2002)1. When mass immigration becomes a problem
Mass immigration becomes a problem during the 1980’S, under the Thatcher era. The racism knew a rise at this period and immigrants were not very welcome.
After the fall of Iron Curtain, the growth of asylum seeker applications contributed to a new growth of immigration to the UK. Between 1998 and 2000, some 45,000 people arrived from Africa, 22,700 from the Indian sub-continent, 25,000 from Asia and almost 12,000 from the Americas. Some 125,000 people were allowed to settle in the UK in 2000. But the rise in asylum seeker arrivals has seen a rise in racial tensions.
During Thatcher government, the Tory party began moving to the right for social issues. Thatcher was determinated to keep the immigration theme at the very centre of political debate. New immigration rules were passed in December 1979 in order to introduce more restrictions on the entry of families. And in January 1981 the Tories passed a new Nationality Act.
Tory MPs were openly racist in parliament. The official racism can be symbolised by Antony Marlow, a Tory MP, who said that racism amongst British people was a “natural instinct.” Then, he proposed numerous “racialist” measures.
Groups like the Monday Club were reactivated by MPs. This pressure-group is notable for having promoted a policy of voluntary, or assisted, repatriation for non-white immigrants.
This shift to the right was also evident in 'academic' circles during the early 1980s with new journals like the Salisbury Review. The racist image of the West Indian was now accompanied by that of the 'wily Asian' (=l’Asiatique rusé) in the right wing press. Tory MPs claimed that Indian and Pakistani immigrants were abusing the arranged marriage system and evading the new immigration rules.
Besides, a huge increase in raids carried out by police and immigration officers took place. It created a situation where most Asians and West Indians