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The African community in Britain has been accused of cultivating gang violence in the UK by failing to adequately parent their children according to the ‘justice’ secretary, Jack Straw. Straw asserts that violent criminal activity is an African "cultural problem”. His assertion was made in response to comments made by the former African American Civil Rights activist, Jesse Jackson who whilst visiting Britain as part of his Equanomics tour revealed that the problem of criminality amongst some young people is predominantly fuelled by economic deprivation and desperation. David Lammy MP agreed and recently stated “[w]e know that underachievement is linked with poverty. Minority ethnic pupils are disproportionately likely to experience deprivation.”

Irrespective of the evidence, Straw boasted of his support from Trevor Phillips, chair of the Commission of Equality and Human Rights, as he advocated that African children should join the British Police and Army. He and the Labour government are backing the controversial army summer initiation and recruitment camp programme being organised by Phillips and supported by the racist Tory MP, Patrick Mercer and other military personnel such as Air Commodore David Case, the highest ranking African officer in the British forces who infamously stated that he had never experienced anti-African racism in the armed forces.

Mercer was recently 'reshuffled' by Tory leadership after being exposed for supporting the use of racist language towards African members in Britain’s armed forces. He said "[i]f someone is slow on the assault course, you'd get people shouting… come on you black b**tard…. I came across a lot of ethnic minority soldiers who were idle and useless, but who used racism as cover for their misdemeanours."

Both Straw and Phillips do not see Mercer’s anti-African views as an issue and have publicly supported Mercers participation in this ‘ethnic’ recruitment project for the army. The British Prime Minster, Gordon Brown, who also supports Mercer recently faced criticism after recruiting him as a government advisor on security issues. Straw said; “[i]t is just as important, though, that all of us give active support to this initiative on a non-partisan basis, which is why I welcome the involvement of Patrick Mercer MP".

The Guardian newspaper reported that the strategic plans have been discussed with the African British political representatives including Valerie Amos, Patricia Scotland and David Lammy. It has been agreed that the strategy’s mantra is that the project is designed to “deter young people from getting into gang violence”.

Earlier this year the former Prime Minister, Tony Blair, said that violent crime amongst young people was specifically a ‘black’ problem caused by the ‘black’ community.

Following this accusation the government paid for approximately twenty people, including Simon Woolley from Operation ‘black’ Vote and others drawn from the sports, police, education, local government and voluntary sectors to form the REACH group and produce a report for its ministers containing five policy influencing recommendations specifically targeting African boys and young men.

Since then the Labour government has belligerently pushed forward with promoting its national role muddle agenda following the publication of the REACH report launched on 9 August 2007 by Clive Lewis, Chair of REACH, Erinma Bell, Deputy Chair of REACH and Hazel Blears MP. The report has been pounced upon by Britain’s national media with headlines such as "Call for a new generation of Black role models" which disingenuously marginalises existing African role models within the community and denigrates their hard work, dedication and achievements.

The report has been widely condemned by African parents, grass root organisations and community activists despite securing the backing of Elder Nelson Mandela who was brought over to the UK to promote the reports message, endorse Ken Livingstone’s Mayoral 2008 campaign and unveil a ‘peace and reconciliation’ statue in his honour.

The government plans to address the shortage of recruits for its dwindling armed forces by presenting the army and police force as the ‘best’ and only viable option for African children it labels as potential criminals lacking education, British culture and ‘role model’ aspirations. A recruitment clip targeting young children on the British Army website states; “the reason why I joined the army is because the pay is good, loads of sport and the social life is ace”. The British government has long faced international condemnation for sending child soldiers in their teens into armed conflict zones such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Straw remarked: "The Army is a very good career for many black and Asian people, and I don't think it’s an accident that my very close friend Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state and head of services there, managed to make his way in society through his experiences in the US Army."

Colin Powell resigned his position in the US government on a matter of principle after disgracing his African heritage by becoming an instrumental player in the launch of the illegal and morally unjust war in Iraq designed solely to further America’s and Britain’s imperial ambitions. Despite media suppression of the facts, there is growing concern over the many African American and African British soldiers who have returned from the misadventure with horrific injuries, permanent physical and psychological scars and amputations inflicted by Iraqi freedom fighters. There have also been reports of insurgent fighters in Iraq specifically targeting African soldiers fighting for the invading forces because of their own inherent racist attitude towards African people. In September 2004, the Observer newspaper published an article featuring an interview with Iraqi resistance fighters in Baghdad in which they said, “to have negroes occupying us is a particular humiliation. Sometimes we aborted a mission [to attack invading forces] because there were no negroes”