Multiethnic London

Index

1  Introduction  4

2  Immigration and the corresponding legislation  4

  Immigration and legislation in the first half of the 20 th century  5

  2  1

2.1.1  Immigration and legislation before World War I  5

2.1.2  Immigration during the World Wars  6

2.1.3  Immigration and legislation after World War II  7

  Immigration and legislation in the second half of the 20 th century  7

  2  2

2.2.1  Immigration and legislation after 1948  7

2.2.2  Immigration and legislation today  10

3  Race Relation Acts and reactions of Londoners  11

4  Most significant ethnic groups in London  13

4.1  Asian Communities  14

4.1.1  Indians  14

4.1.2  Bangladeshis  16

4.1.3  Pakistanis  17

4.1.4  Chinese  18

4.2  Black communities from Africa and the Caribbean  19

4.2.1  Black-African  19

4.2.2  Black-Caribbean  20

5  Conclusion  21

6  Sources  22

6.1  Books  22

6.2  Internet  22

7  Appendix  23

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1 Introduction

The topic of this essay is “Multiethnic London”. The first step necessary when writing about this topic is to define the term “multiethnic”. According to Collins English Dictionary ¹ “multiethnic” means “consisting of, relating to, or designed for various different races”. Thus, this presentation will not focus on the different nationalities living in London but on the different distinct races residing in the British capital. Moreover, Third Countries will be in the centre of attention, which are nations outside the current 15 member states of the European Union.

As many European races do not really differ much from each other and as the many different communitie s are listed among the white community, they are not of much relevance today, when talking about multiethnic London.

With London being one of the most multiracial cities in the world, it is important and interesting to find out why this is the case and how the different ethnic groups integrate and contribute to cultural and social life.

The first part of this presentation will concentrate on history and immigration to London and the corresponding legislation from the beginning of the 20 ^th century onwards. The next chapter will focus on race relations, both the legislation and the reactions of Londoners towards the newcomers from all parts of the world.

The third part of this essay will present the most important and largest ethnic minority groups in London, the Asian and Black communities. Out of personal interest and because I think they are the most relevant group, I put an emphasis on the various Asian communities. In the appendix, different reference materials, such as a list of Commonwealth countries, a table with the different ethnic groups in London and their share of the capital’s population and a map with the boroughs of London can be found.

2 Immigration and the corresponding legislation

Talking about immigration to London and the United Kingdom, one could start with the Romans, Angles, Saxons and Normans; this presentation however will focus on the more recent immigration of the 20 ^th century and its corresponding legislation with which it is closely linked.

When it comes to legislation, it should be made clear that the term “British Nationality Law”,

¹ Collins English Dictionary - 21 ^st century edition, Glasgow 2001

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which is the way it is referred to in the governing Acts of Parliament is confusing; it should by right be called “UK nationality law” ² .

2.1 Immigration and legislation in the first half of the 20 th century

2.1.1 Immigration and legislation before World War I

At the beginning of the 20 ^th century already, a great number of “foreigners” already lived in London. Among these were mainly Jews and Poles who had escaped persecution in Eastern Europe around 1900, and Germans, Italians, French and Irish, who had all settled in the East End of London and Soho ³ . Soho was considered London’s “cosmopolis”, where most of the foreign residents stayed and where the many different cultures were visible in everyday life ⁴ . The French community which dominated Old Compton Street for example, had its own newspapers, hospitals, butchers, grocers, bakers, different cafés and restaurants around Soho, and a shop which was considered typically French as it only sold snails and frogs ⁵ . The same applied to all other communities living in London at that time: Italians and Germans had their own shops and cultural institutions as well, including German Christmas card makers and Italian dance halls ⁶ . The Jewish community preserved its culture in Yiddish theatres, Jewish schools, different shops selling Jewish goods and even ritual steam baths, mainly around Poland Street.

However, the communities mentioned above are only the most influential ones; other groups of foreign settlers had come to Soho from Greece and Cyprus, Arab countries, Switzerland, Africa, Turkey, Syria, Persia, Montenegro, Russia, the Netherlands, Belgium, Algeria, Austria and America, to name a few more ⁷ .

The Aliens Act of 1905 and Aliens Restriction Act of 1914 targeted undesirable aliens; diseased and criminal aliens could be refused entry to Britain. Moreover, deportations of aliens were permitted.

At that time, there were only few Black and South Asian Londoners who had mostly come as seamen around the turn of the century and ran lodging houses or small cafés ⁸ . Few Indians had been brought to London by wealthy families as servants ⁹ .

² http://www.gherson.com/news.php3?article=nationality

³ Oakland, John, British Civilization, an introduction. London: Routledge 2002 (page 45).

⁴ White, Jerry, London in the Twentieth Century. London: Penguin Books 2002 (page 104).

⁵ White 2002, page 105

⁶ White 2002, page 106f

⁷ White 2002, page 105

⁸ White 2002, page112

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The first Indian restaurants opened in Soho around 1914.

Before 1948, the prime British nationality was designated “British subject”. It was a single nationality which was “acquired by virtue of a sufficiently close connection with any part of the British Empire” ¹⁰ . Thus, not only citizens of the United Kingdom were referred to as “British subject”, but everyone throughout the who le British Empire including the selfgoverning dominions. Since the British Empire comprised one fourth of the world population at that time, a quarter of the world’s population was consequently allowed to settle and live in London.

This led to mass immigration from the whole Empire and the influx of foreigners had to be controlled relatively soon.

2.1.2 Immigration during the World Wars

The First World War put an end to immigration from Germany, as from August 1914 all Germans were considered as “alien enemies” ¹¹ . The German community in London, which was earlier known as one of the most influential groups of foreigners, declined in its number of people and became almost non-existent.

During the two World Wars, hundreds of thousands of men from all over the British Empire came to Britain to fight for England ¹² . Many of them stayed on after the end of the wars, settled in London, the capital of the Empire, and contributed on a large scale to mass immigration around that time.

During the First and Second World Wars, European immigration to Britain continued, and included, in addition to earlier communities, Maltese, Spanish and Hungarian. But even immigration from non-European countries became more and more significant ; for example from China, the United States, as well as a remarkable number of South Asian and Black sailors ¹³ .

During World War II however, the largest-growing group in London was naturally the Jewish community, since many Jews fled from the Nazi Regime in continental Europe and settled in London; other refugees from Nazi-occupied Europe followed, particularly from Poland and France, as both countries had their government- in-exile in London.

⁹ http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/race/short_history_of_immigration.stm

¹⁰ http://www.gherson.com/news.php3?article=nationality

¹¹ White 2002, page 107

¹² http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/race/short_history_of_immigration.stm

¹³ White 2002, page 115

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2.1.3 Immigration and legislation after World War II

As a result of labour and work shortages in Britain and particularly in London after World War II, the government began to search for more immigrants ¹⁴ . The first to be admitted to London were a great number of homeless Poles, and as not enough workers could be recruited from Europe, the government reluctantly turned to non-white Commonwealth citizens to fill the vacant lower-paid jobs of a growing economy ¹⁵ .

The Polish resettlement Act of 1947 was aimed at assisting Poles in Britain who had been made homeless by World War II and who were needed as workers.

Therefore, the British Nationality Act passed in 1948 created citizenship for the United Kingdom and the United Kingdom’s remaining colonies (CUKC), excluding the selfgoverning dominions. By virtue of this Act, all citizens of the United Kingdom, its colonies and independent Commonwealth countries were free to enter Britain as they wished, to work, settle and bring their families ¹⁶ . Naturally, this act increased mass immigration from Commonwealth countries, especially from India, Pakistan, which had just gained its independence, and the West Indies (Caribbean), as the dissolving Empire provoked unemployment and civil wars.

The largest immigrant group in the late 1940s and 1950s came from the West Indies, a region that includes all of the islands which extend through the Caribbean Sea from the tip of the Florida peninsula to the northern coast of South America ¹⁷ . The docking of the “Empire Windrush” at Tilbury in London on 22 June 1948 with almost 500 West Indian men on board, most of them from Jamaica can be seen as key event of immigration from the West Indies. As mass immigration continued, particularly of African and Asian races, racial violence, prejudices and discrimination against immigrants rose rapidly.

2.2 Immigration and legislation in the second half of the 20 th century

2.2.1 Immigration and legislation after 1948

In the 1950s and 60s West Indians and South Asians were still the largest immigrant group of all newcomers followed by immigrants from Hong Kong. West Indians were employed in public transport, catering, the health sector and manual trade whereas Indians and Pakistanis

¹⁴ http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/static/in_depth/uk/2002/race/short_history_of_immigration.stm

¹⁵ Oakland 2002, page 46

¹⁶ http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/British-nationality-law

¹⁷ Encyclopaedia Britannica 2002

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