Immigrants' Advocate wins seat in European Parliament

Claude Moraes

Claude Moraes, a veteran campaigner for the rights of immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees, will be the lone black voice in the European Parliament as a result of winning a seat in the European elections.

According to recent reports in The Independent: "Across the European Union of 370 million people, Britain is the only country with black or Asian candidates standing for election."

Britain was the only country with ethnic minority candidates in the election, despite claims that Britain has been dragging its heels in selecting black or Asian candidates. Furthermore, Moraes, an Asian, was near the top of Labour's list of candidates in the London region and therefore almost certain to win his place in the European parliament.

Moraes, who is director of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI), has a background in trade union work and parliamentary politics. He is also a member of the executive committee of the Commission for Racial Equality.

Expressed amazement
In the run up to the elections, Moraes expressed amazement and anger at the lack of black faces among the European candidates. He said: "In France, they have an old colonial approach to black communities and while they are part of the establishment, they won't let them have a political role, because of racism.

"In Germany, the Turks are third country nationals and they have ensured that they don't get on the candidates' lists. Portugal, Spain and Italy all have large immigrant populations from Africa but no black candidates."

Furthermore, he said: "The neo-Nazis will get seats because of proportional representation, but there are no black candidates in the rest of Europe. It is almost incredible."

(See June issues of The Independent and report by Colin Brown in The Independent, June 1, 1999).