Media fightback

Anna Chen

Thursday 28 March 2001

RADIO: At lunchtime Anna Chen of the SA was interviewed on London Live by Henry Bonsu. Henry was cordial but did ask several times, what if tests prove it came from meat in Chinese restaurants? He also pointed out that the Chinese community was normally very quiet, so how come we'd taken to the street? When are we getting parliamentary representation, and so on.

Ms Chen's response was along the lines:

"With this announcement, Nick Brown has not only hit rock bottom, he's broken through to a whole new bottom no-one ever knew existed. Why scapegoat this small section of the population who are themselves suffering on account of the large number of British Chinese who work in the catering industry?

"I would question the hygiene issue and the wisdom of using pigswill - who processed it and who fed it to the pigs in the first place? The government was warned by a Commons select committee several years ago that pigswill was a potential source of disease and yet they did nothing, presumably because the subsequent cost to agribusiness would have been too high for their liking. Restaurants are just one of many potential sources of the disease, so why foreground this scenario, and why the Chinese in particular?

"Only a week or so ago, the leaders of the main parties were pledging not to use the race card in the run-up to the general election. And now, one hint of panic and that's the first weapon they reach for.

"There has been increased fear of harassment and attacks. Can you imagine what it must be like to work in a takeaway in a rural backwater, isolated and vulnerable anyway, and then the government points the finger of blame at you in a climate of hysteria?

"The whole food production and distribution system is crazy. Animals are trucked hundreds of miles to abbatoirs or to get a chit signed, saying that this animal was raised in Wales or Scotland, boosting the price. The supermarkets have also played a role in spreading this disease because they've streamlined everything, and dominate the industry. The whole food system needs an overhaul.

"As for Nick Brown, greater love hath no man than he lay down an ethnic community to save his political skin."