| Takeaway Anti Harassment Campaign |
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A campaign by The Chinese Association of Southampton and Minquan to tackle violence towards staff working in Chinese takeaways was launched on Wednesday 27 July 2005.
Chinese takeaways are traditionally a flash point for trouble and potential racist behaviour as they open late and are often located in isolated areas. They are often subject to harassment and a target for local troublemakers. The initiative is being taken following an increase in the number of incidents nationwide where Chinese restaurant owners have been victims but have failed to engage the police despite being repeatedly harassed. This has led to situations getting out of hand prior to police intervention and in some cases due to misunderstandings, the restaurant owner or staff has been arrested rather than the offender. In one instance, a Chinese man suffered fatal injuries. Mi Gao Huang Chen (Michael) who owned a takeaway in Wigan, Lancashire died on Friday 29 April 2005 after a long history of nuisance in the area. He was battered unconscious by about 20 teenagers in front of his girlfriend with a spade, tree branch and metal pipes over about 15 minutes. In order to address such issues, the Chinese Association of Southampton is encouraging catering staff to report incidents to the police rather than deal with problems themselves. It has published a guide on how to behave when dealing with threatening situations and what to do when customers become violent. A spokesman from the association said: "The initiative is being taken following an increase in the number of incidents nationwide where Chinese restaurant owners have been victims but have failed to engage the police despite being repeatedly harassed. "This has led to situations getting out of hand prior to police intervention and in some cases due to misunderstandings, the restaurant owner or their staff has been arrested rather than the offender." For more information please contact http://minquan.co.uk/ |
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