The Chinese Civil Rights Action Group (UK) was formed at a public meeting on 4 April in London Chinatown. This is a response to government and media allegations blaming the Chinese for smuggling meat into Britain thereby causing the foot and mouth outbreak.

The aims of CCRAG (UK) are:
1.  To defend the Chinese community from media attack.
2.  To protest against the current media smearing on the Chinese community.
3.  To identify the source of the current media smearing campaign on the Chinese community.
4.  To bring to justice those responsible for this attack.
5.  To build a national organisation capable of defending the interests of the Chinese community in Britain.

CCRAG (UK) called for immediate and long-term action to be taken
1.  Enlisting of organisations, businesses and individuals to support the aims of CCRAG (UK) and to act as a united body.

2.  National Demonstration on Sunday 8 April in London Chinatown to show strength and depth of feeling against the scapegoating of the Chinese community.

3.  Investigation into source of rumour linking the Chinese to foot and mouth.

4.  Media counter-offensive:  sending letters, complaints to authorities, positive image campaign, etc.

5.  Defend individual and businesses from illegal and arbitrary investigations.

6.  Taking legal action under the Race Relations Act and Human Rights Act for the smearing and libel against Chinese businesses.

7.  Building a long term organisation that will protect the interests of the Chinese community.

Summary of Meeting
Thomas Chan, Chair of the Chinese Takeaway Association, opened with a summary of the present state of events. He stated that there is up to 40% loss of trade in Chinese businesses, including supermarkets. He reported that Chinese catering industry representatives from the North and Scotland are particularly outraged at the allegations in the papers.

Jabez Lam, founder of CCRAG, spoke in support of Thomas Chan and other members of the catering industry. He said that since it is Chinese restaurants and takeaways that are the target of the slur, it is quite right that the catering industry should lead the fight back.

Jabez went on to say that a report into the BSE crisis published 3 years ago recommended the banning of pigswill for fear of an outbreak of disease. He was of the opinion that MAFF is using the Chinese as a smokescreen for its tardiness in following up this recommendation.

He recommended immediate key actions to be taken by the Chinese community:

Media counter attack:  We should increase the volume of letters to editors. Make complaints to the Press Complaints Authority. Make complaints to the Commission for Racial Equality.

Changing the media image of the Chinese. We must put a stop to the portrayal of the Chinese as a foreign community. It is essential that the British public knows that "we are here to stay, we are here to work! We are not a foreign element, we are part of British society and industry. Our fate is closely tied with the countryside, farming and tourism." Stereotypes have to be broken and the image of the Chinese in Britain has to be positively promoted.

Jabez then went on to describe past incidents of media misrepresentation. These have included blaming the Chinese for missing ducks and fish from village ponds, missing cats and pigeons, presence of salmonella in bean sprouts, and rumours of triad members hired in every restaurant. To much applause, Jabez finished, "How long are we going to stand for this? Enough if enough! This is the beginning."

Before the meeting was opened to the floor, the representatives of the Chinese community in Scotland called from a concurrent meeting they were holding in Edinburgh, giving their full support to the new CCRAG.

Points covered in questions and speeches from the floor:
• Although the room was packed with people standing at the back, one member expressed his disappointment that there was less than 100 people at the meeting. He stressed that this was an issue that affected all Chinese, young and old. The gentleman urged us to publicize our cause more widely.

• A protest last Thursday at Downing Street was criticized by someone as being badly organised with a poor turnout. He said that we must ensure that this Sunday's demonstration is well organised with good attendance. His proposed that the closure of business between 2 and 4 pm was not enough. Closing shop for a whole day in protest would send out a better signal. If such were the case, the whole community could get together and demonstrate in a festive atmosphere with music and food.

• Another man wanted to take the response to a higher level by using the Internet to co-ordinate efforts. He expressed the need to have a central coordinating office.

• One member dissented saying that the Chinese community would be causing too much trouble by holding the demonstration on Sunday. He warned that if this action were taken, there would be more targeting of the Chinese.

• Another dissenting voice asked why the CCRAG assumed they represented all the Chinese in the UK. Jabez responded that the CCRAG did not represent all British Chinese but what they perceived to be Chinese interests. Thomas Chan stood to read a sample from a list of 150 different organisations who have already pledged support to the CCRAG.

The CCRAG aims and actions were put to the vote. An overwhelming majority voted to adopt the CCRAG (UK) as the organisation that represented Chinese interests in the UK. A great majority also voted to accept CCRAG's aims and action plan, and to empower the new group to recruit more members to its committee.