Occupation the only answer to nursery

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children, support tho fight Press ›ventry youth fought back for it in the area.

What did you do when you occupied? Were there any problems?

Jill: A group of the parents came in, and put a notice of occupation on the desk oi the lady in charge. Mr. Rice, Director of Social Services, came over and the local policeman came round, checked the notice and went away again. The staff stayed for about an hour -then they all left quietly and that was about it.

Pauline: We had a committee meeting a bit later on when we discussed the rules of the building. No drugs and no alcohol, checked the legal notices were up and really it was quite quiet.

Have you had much Pauline: We've had a lot of support from trade unions and other organisations and from people in the areaand generally anybody who cares for the under 5s.

Even as Anwar Ditta (pictured above, centre) and her family celebrate the successful outcome of her struggle against the Home Office to bring her children back into Britain, the threat of racist immigration laws is growing.

This week the Tory Leader of the House of Commons announced the How do you nan an une pation since some of you are working?

Jill: Well, as Pauline says, we've had a lot of support from trade unions and from individuals who've put their names down on the rota and put in a few hours every day wherever it's been possible.

We've had lots of support from unemployed teachers who've been helping with the nursery classes.

The County Council have offered you the building and suggested you run a self help scheme. Do you think this is feasible?

Jill: No, not in an area like Highfields. People just do not have the money to run a scheme like this on their imposition of a "guillotine" to forestall further debate on the reactionary Nationality Bill and ensure its enactment this year.

Meanwhile other Asian women under threat include Jaswinder Kaur from Leeds (pictured here on the right of Anwar Ditta) and Nasira Begum (to Anwar's left).

A campaign has also been own. There's a lot of unemployment here. It's a multiracial area. There's so many problems in the area that we need the help of Social Services to do it. It's just not possible for us to do it on our own.

Pauline: Well with the low wages in the area and unemployment, the children haven't got educational toys at home and also haven't got grassland to play on and run around so Beal Street is ideal for them.

The Director of Social Services arranged with the Leicester Mercury for some of you to visit the Phoenix Nursery in Nottingham to see how a self help nursery is launched in defence of Nasreen Akhtar, who lives less than a mile from Anwar Ditta. She, together with her three children, is threatened with deportation after the breakup of her Islamic marriage-which never received the seal of approval of the British Registry Office.

These campaigns highfougt We needed to get some sort of self-defence group organised to patrol the Precinct and possibly other areas of the City.

Leaflets were printed, advertising a meeting on black self defence to be held the evening after our first show of strength in the City They were distributed to the Asian community at Temples, meetings and other run, How did that go?

Jill: oh, very interesting. As far as self help goes they're doing very well. But they are only running it on a temporary basis and they said to us when we went over, that they don't think there's any possibility of them managing to find the finance they need indefinitely because of the vast cost of staff alone. So I just don't see how they can manage to do that.

What are they going to do then?

Jill: They're hoping that after the elections take place the Labour council are going to take it over. What they're going to do if they don't, I just don't know. I just don't see how they are going to light the vicious inequality, racist and sexist oppression meted out by restrictive laws on immigration. The labour movement must mobilise in solidarity with such victims and fight for the repeal of all immigration controls. gatherings.

And we also took our ideas to the Upper Stoke Labour Party ward meeting on Thursday night. We got full support.

It is a shame that the ANL and Socialist Workers Party did not take up that call with the same vigour as did the branch of the mass party which they are forever condemning as a waste of time." fund that nursery. Have they got any gi tee from the Labour I Jill: Well, if you can 1 guarantee. They have promised that they wi some help-how much I don't know.

Did they support our pation?

Jill: Yes, fully, yes. If the County Council pletely refuse to reopen Street, what will yor uaranlave a been ill get com -1 Beal do next!

Pauline: We'll try the City Council and see if they can help in any way. If not well keep fighting. I don't quite know. (Howis of laughter). Shall we arrange our Xmas party now?

Jill: We take each day as it comes, don't we, and just hope we win in the end. If you are asking for the City Council to take it over, have you had any support from Labour councillors on the city council?

Jill: Verbal support, yes, a ot of verbal support. Bu they've not committe themselves to anything as yet. We're hoping they're going to do so in the near