Press Releases for 2004
RACIST MURDER IN ASHFORD ASSAULT VICTIMS DIES
3rd May 2004Bapishankar Kathirgamanathan, a 24 year old Sri Lankan man, died on Thursday 6th May(1) after being the victim of a racist attack in Ashford on 22nd April. Steve Dawe comments:
"Living and working in a peaceful and secure community is something we all seek. People living or staying in Kent, or visiting Kent as students or tourists, are entitled to feel safe in our communities. The climate of fear and hostility created by the general obsession with asylum seekers and gross inaccuracies about their "excessive" numbers appears to have created an environment in which racially-motivated crime can flourish. As government figures reveal, the numbers of asylum seekers last year was substantially lower than in recent years. Both Labour and Conservative parties should re-consider their own frequent attention to the issues of asylum and migration. Their behaviour diverts media and public attention away from many other important issues such as housing, safe energy and security of water supplies in Kent as examples.
"If Ashford acquires a reputation as a site of racism it is hardly likely to attract new investment to the town or expand tourism. The recent rise in racist attacks in this country could be considered to be the result of the focus upon asylum, which is not and never will be a single issue with any simple solutions.
"This avoidable and tragic death also makes it absolutely essential that people voting in the European Elections shun racist candidates and actively turn out to vote for political parties which condemn racism." ENDS c259 words
FURTHER INFORMATION: Steve Dawe Press Officer, East Kent Green Party, on 01233 645167 or 07904 382203. Contact address: 10 Hillbrow Road, Ashford, Kent TN23 4QH. Notes: 1. As reported on BBC Kent: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/kent/3691739.stm - Murder inquiry after race attack.; see also Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/kent/3691739.stm - Published: 2004/05/06 17:58:30 GMT.
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