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The editorial department

We are the Editorial Team at The Weekly World and our mission is to bring you alternative views to mainstream news.

Stephen Lawrence, a young black man from London was murdered in 1993 by a gang of racist white youths. None of his murderers were arrested or convicted at the time, leading to an investigation that concluded the police force were ‘institutionally racist.’ Lawrence’s case became well-known in the UK and it left a lasting legacy for those who sought justice against police racism.

The family of Stephen Lawrence is held a memorial service on the 20th anniversary of their son’s murder. High profile figures payed their respects to a young man whose death had helped put the spotlight on racial inequality in Britain.

The Lawrence family had mounted a relentless campaign for many years to bring justice to those who were guilty of their son’s murder. Their activism had ended up challenging the police force’s discriminative behaviour towards blacks and ethnic minorities. But some activists believe that not enough is being done by the government.

‘significant changes have been made. 2 of the 5 murderers have been brought to justice, but three are on the loose. Justice in its entirety hasn’t been served, and equally those race inequality gaps which persisted then, many of which are still going on today.’

A new report reveals that ethnic minorities in Britain are more subjected to stop and searches by the police than their white counterparts. The report found that during 1999-2000, the stop rate for black people was 4.9%. Ten years later the rate was 10.8% for every black person in Britain. White people, on the other hand, were stopped from 1.5% to 1.6% over the course of ten years. But this inequality spreads further into other parts of society.

‘the disproportionate levels of black youth employment mean that you are more likely to be black and unemployed in London than you are in Greece and Spain, countries which are virtually bankrupt. There’s still a long way to go but my worry is that the government today do not have an agenda to tackle these persistent inequalities.’

Activists want the government to review policies which disproportionately affect black citizens in order to improve race relations and help prevent tensions between communities that otherwise could potentially save lives. Hassan Alkatib, Press TV, London.

 

After months of speculation, May 5th was announced as election day for Malaysia. KiniTV spoke to a range of people – from a taxi driver to a 7-11 worker – to find out whether Malaysians will be casting their vote this GE13 and for whom.

The possibility of an end to more than half a century of one-party rule has made this the hardest-fought election anyone can remember, says BBC South-East Asia correspondent Jonathan Head. The hunger for change, especially among younger Malaysians, has given the opposition real momentum during the campaign, says our correspondent. But the ruling party has significant advantages, he adds, in the cash it has spent on crowd-pleasing hand-outs, and in the way Malaysia’s parliamentary system over-represents rural areas, where the government’s support is strongest.

 

Barisan Nasional, while credited with bringing economic development and political stability, has also been tainted by allegations of corruption. It is not clear whether Mr Anwar’s coalition, comprising parties of different ethnicities and religions, can persuade voters to choose an alternative government. Mr Najib, 59, said he was confident that Malaysians would retain his coalition and even return the two-thirds parliamentary majority Barisan Nasional lost in the 2008 polls.

“I asked myself, why are we getting more support from people?” he said during a campaign rally on Thursday.

“Because for the last four years we have proved that our national transformation has been able to protect and benefit all Malaysians.”

Meanwhile, Mr Anwar, 65, said people’s clamour for change meant that Pakatan Rakyat would emerge victorious. ”God willing, we will succeed,” he told the Associated Press news agency. ”People have enough of this semi-authoritarian rule, of complete control of the media, of strong arrogance, of power and endemic corruption.”

Ahead of Malaysia’s elections on Sunday, independent online media say they are being targeted in Internet attacks which filter content and throttle access to websites, threatening to deprive voters of their main source of independent reporting. Th eold ways are set to battle with the new. Corruption is endemic.  The opposition, led by former deputy prime minister Anwar Ibrahim, has campaigned for clean government – and it could yet turn out to be a winning ticket.

 

In Southern Kenya, global warming and deforestation are threatening the livelihoods of the Masai people, who rely upon the land to graze their herds. Africa Conservation Trust is partnering with Masai communities, hiring men and women (for the first time in Masai history) to plant trees and restore the tree cover and grasslands of rural Kenya. Turk Pipkin’s first hand report shows that ACT’s program can empower these communities while reversing desertification and fighting global warming. With our support, this program can plant millions of trees.

 

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