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Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!

Turkish Solidarity Protest in Harringay as Taksim Square Cleared

Despite a police ban, more than 2000 protestors marched through Harringay last night as news of events in Istanbul filtered through.

Pictures ©Indymedia

Tags for Forum Posts: kurdish marches

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My apologies - nothing worse than having a pedant on your back - I usually manage to bite my fingers. So, I've given myself a good slap for that PDP (public display of pedantry).

We can argue about self indulgence and effective political action at length. My concern is not with the march but remains the semi permanence of the Finsbury Park Manor House Gate encampment. Come one come all - Main UK political parties, Plaid Cymru, Scot Nationalists, EDL (no thank you but why not?) and I would rather have a view of the park through the gates than a tent and flags.

In terms of context I've never heard this area referred to by anybody as "little Turkey" though when I first moved here in the early 80s the Ladder area seemed predominantly Greek Cypriot in terms of recent migration at that time post the Cypriot fracture. As far as enrichment, nobody argues with that but along with any group comes the small criminal minority - have only skimmed the following but it seems reasonably balanced. http://londonstreetgangs.blogspot.co.uk/2013/04/north-east-londons-...

You would get a much better view of the park from inside the gates.

There are far worse things than a picturesque encampment - Paul Simon semi-permanent For Sale and To Let signs for example - and I don't see that the camp and the marches do any harm.

As far as the blog is concerned I see no attempt at balance - it's a catalogue of Turkish criminals and crimes.

I find it rather intimidating to have people at the gate into the park. There should be no precedent set for any group to take over the area.  

There's a process for dealing with estate agents signs which seems to work and is available through the council website but obviously requires a bit of patience.

Would you feel the same way about an EDL encampment at the gates? It can be argued that what is happening now can be seen as an encouragement towards that sort of development. Not so?

Re the blog and it's topic (a considerable demand on Met resources) while gangs is the subject of the blog, is it entirely fair to say there is no attempt at balance? Excerpt from same:

"The Kurdish population, specifically Kurds from Turkish mainland, came last during the 1980’s and 1990’s. The largest estimate of residency in London is about 220,000[i], although it is important to note that over 90% of residents in all communities in the United Kingdom, regardless of race, nationality and religion are not involved in any criminal activity. The commercial structure built by a majority of law abiding immigrants however has enabled the criminal element to flourish. Many European countries trace the arrival of organised criminals from Turkey to the late 1980’s, well after the establishment of the law abiding Diaspora of Turkish, Turkish-Cypriot and Kurdish. From here on, all references and uses of the terms Turkish criminals, Turkish Mafia or Turkish Organised Crime is to describe a small sector of the three aforementioned groups that are reportedly involved in crime which is arguably organised[ii]." 

I have been badgering the Council for 10 years about estate agents' signs to little effect. There's one on the Paul Simon Building which has been there for years and another on Alroy which is so weather-beaten that the wording is barely legible. The Council complaints system doesn't work.

I have no opinion about an EDL encampment - I don't presume to say one political movement is acceptable and another less so.

These posts are really over the top - the encampment is against the wall to one side of the gates and does not interfere with the view of the park through the gates if you can't be bothered to get off the bus. As for intimidation, how scary are three polite middle-aged women drinking tea ? The worst that could happen is you might be offered a leaflet in some strange language. But there are English versions available.

The blog makes no attempt to describe the behaviour of the large sector of the three aforementioned groups which is not involved in crime but gives a lengthy list of murders and atrocities committed by criminal members of those groups. The disclaimer hardly redresses the balance.

I wonder where were the "three polite middle-aged women" hiding a couple of weeks ago. Get down off that horse and accept that ten men walking in circles outside the gate are intimidating and should not be allowed to set up camp outside one of our gretest amenities. 

I'm not sure I have any objection to that corner being used as an area of free speech, particularly given that we're in London. The only objection I think I would have would be if I felt one group was hogging it and excluding others who wanted to use it. I suspect that is not currently the case.

It occurred to me (I thought perhaps pretentiously) that we should consider it our own wee Speaker's Corner. But, on checking, Wikipedia tells me that history got there before me:

Historically there were a number of other areas designated as Speakers' Corners in other parks in London (e.g., Finsbury ParkClapham CommonKennington Park and Victoria Park). More recently they have been set up in other British cities, and there are also Speakers' Corners in other countries.


So mayhap our overriding sense should be one of pride?

You've reminded of this picture of an anti-war demo at the gate to Finsbury Park in the early part of the 20thC. As you say, a long tradition of dissent is associated with the park (I must do a write up of it). I suspect there were folk then who felt that 'something should be done' about these agitators too

Aaah, you got there before me, I see!

There is  fascinating (well to me) history to that picture which I meant to research further but I forgot to do. Will get onto it.

Unforgiveable lapse.

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