Smethwick council buying vacant homes to prevent more coloured people moving in on Marshall Street

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In 1964 Peter Griffiths, Conservative candidate in Smethwick constituency won his seat using the slogan "If you want a nigger for a neighbour VOTE LABOR"

The general election was won by Labour, overturning 13 years of Conservative government. In contrast, largely because of the race issue, a Labour majority of 3,544 was turned into a Tory majority of 1,774, defeating the senior Labour MP Patrick Gordon in Smethwick.

The "nigger for a neighbour" slogan was attributed to the Griffiths campaign in a BBC interview by Labour leader Harold Wilson. Griffiths denied using those words, but said that they accurately reflected the frustrations of locals.

Immediately after the election Wilson (as prime minister) attacked Griffiths in the House of Commons, calling him the "parliamentary leper".

Additionally the Tories had also taken control of the local council, instituting a policy on Marshall Street of buying houses which came up for sale and putting them back on the market for sale to whites only. In an attempt to better-integrated immigrants.

Soon after, Americas Malcolm X visited Marshall Street and was interviewed, saying:

"I have come here because I am disturbed by reports that coloured people in Smethwick are being badly treated. I have heard they are being treated as the Jews under Hitler. I would not wait for the fascist element in Smethwick to erect gas ovens."

Malcolm X was shot dead in Harlem days after his return from this trip.

Later that year in October a bomb exploded at the home of Smethwick's new Conservative MP Peter Griffiths, causing extensive damage.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Smethwick
• council
• buying
• vacant
• homes
• to
• prevent
• more
• coloured
• people
• moving
• in
• on
• Marshall
• Street

[seroto9]

Amazing, depressing stuff...

[devilatyourdoor]

Coloured? What are we, crayola crayons???

[luluellaxx]

Oh lord Nan being racist at 2:43

She was very different both before and after this though. Her family (original members of the Labour party and Suffragettes) were NOT happy she was involved with these people.

[BibsyP]

Oh how things have changed. We all get along so well now. Lovingly and in harmony. Thank goodness those days have gone.

[akbukturkey]

@devilatyourdoor Look up Harold Moody and The League of Coloured People on Google, and the last 1 minute of this clip

[blackcountryme]

Marshal st...LOL malcom X went there yeah a fool in a sh**hole. Marshal st, I think they didn't knock it all down. but it was a dump!

[TheTrueJatt]

them damn teletubbies cause trouble where ever they go lol

[bumberchuff]

Thats a lie...we wont buy a house without a bath....well try getting in it you ..... ....!

[Liam2621]

Its sad what they did to these vulnerable people, forcing multi culturalism on them and spillting up many families and communities. They only ever did it to the poorest people as well.

[jobrady100]

There are a lot of coloured people there now, it's changed completley.

[Tango198817]

Lol, have you saw Marshall Street now...? No white people at all... Well, hardly any!

[Fleshious]

Bloody Labour bloody trashed Britain.