Yesterday, I wrote a diary raising Prime Minister David Cameron's support for evicting the children (and their families) in council (public) housing that had been convicted of participation in the riots (http://www.dailykos.com/...).
I had raised the argument that this amounted to collective punishment of families for the actions of their children. Today, the first eviction has been served.
h/t and a serious thank you: an affirming flame whom sent me the story link
The first eviction notice has been served in Wandsworth council against a father and son (http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/...). The son has appeared in court charged with participation in riots in Clapham Junction which is a part of Wandsworth (http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/).
The notice is the first stage in the legal process of eviction. The notice gives warning that the council will be seeking possession of the property and that an application will be made to the courts seeking the tenant's eviction. The final decision will rest with a judge sitting at the county court (http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/...).
Unsurprisingly, this is an area in which large amounts of gentrification has occurred and which are continuing and confirms the speculation in yesterday's diary by myself and an affirming flame that these riots will be used as part of an attempt to clear the poor and working class out of areas to enable them to be claimed by wealthy white people.
Hopefully a large movement both legal and with demonstrations to put pressure on the council are organised as this is the beginning of attempts to deny the poor their human rights and are part of a larger attempt to punish the victims of the economic policies since Margaret Thatcher. This is an all-out declaration of war against the poor in the UK that are already facing extreme hardship due to the housing benefit cuts passed by the ConDem government. Given that the purpose of the housing benefit limits placed by the government was to clear the poor out of the inner boroughs has begun to face legal challenges and there is dissent in the coalition on the policies, it seems that a more effective way of removing the poor from these areas has been started.
Human Rights: collective punishment and the right of housing?
The punishment of the family for the actions of the child and thereby holding them responsible for these actions is collective punishment. Moreover, questions arise as to the right of housing in the UK which is seen as a human right (http://en.wikipedia.org/...)
In September 2010, the European Council on Human Rights upheld the claim of 7 council tenants concerning their evictions on the basis of the right to housing in Article 8 of the European convention of Human Rights (http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/...).
The Equality and Human Rights Commission intervened in the case, arguing that where a social landlord has a right to possession of a property, there is nevertheless an obligation to consider whether an eviction is proportionate to the landlord’s desire to use the property in whatever way they see fit. This, the Commission argued, was particularly the case where tenants may be vulnerable due to mental health problems, physical or learning disabilities, poor health or frailty (http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/....
While ECHR decisions are not binding in the UK, the question arises as to whether the human rights provisions of EU membership are to be once again ignored by the EU? Human rights abuses on the part of EU member countries especially in treatment on minority populations like the Gypsies have garnered nothing more than a slap on the wrist when violated by member countries such as France, Italy and central european countries in the EU.