Migrants’ riots

Notting Hill in London, known as a street of cutting-edge vogue, is where African migrants from the Caribbean first settled in the 1950s. The first race riot in modern British history also erupted in Notting Hill in 1958. At the time, a new generation of white youths called “Teddy Boys” clashed with black migrants. The Notting Hill Carnival, which started the following year, was the result of efforts to turn racial tension into a cultural event and served as the background for the 1999 movie “Notting Hill” starring Julia Roberts.

Since the eruption of violence in Notting Hill, race riots in England have occurred in Brixton and elsewhere in southern London in 1981, 1985 and 1995. Brixton is also where blacks from Caribbean countries first settled down. All three revolts were triggered by deaths that resulted in the process of police chasing criminal suspects. The latest London revolt is the largest since the 1995 fiasco. Tottenham in northern London, where the riots first erupted, is also an area heavily populated by blacks. The latest incident is also similar to previous ones in that it was triggered by the death of a young black man shot by police after being suspected of a crime.

The 2005 riots in the outskirts of Paris, which tarnished France`s image as a country of tolerance, was also caused by the death of a North Africa-descended teen after a police chase. The U.K. and France aggressively admitted migrants from former colonies in the economic boom era dubbed “30 years of glory” between the end of the Second World War to the oil shock in the 1970s. Germany also took in migrants from Turkey and other countries, a phenomenon called “Gastarbeiter.” With little economic leeway, the three countries are now suffering from social headaches due to foreign migrants.

The London riots seem to be spreading to other major English cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool. Migrants with Asian origins (mainly Pakistan) are also joining the revolt. White extremists in Britain are highly militant and can counter blacks with force. The worry is that the riots will turn into racial violence like the Notting Hill riot. In Korea, streets filled with foreign migrant workers have formed as well, including Wongok-dong in Ansan, Gyeonggi Province, Garibong-dong in Seoul`s Guro district, Bongcheon-dong in Seoul`s Gwanak district, and Dong-il Street in the city`s Gwangjin district. Korea must bear in mind that Notting Hill became both Ground Zero for riots and the center of a cultural carnival depending on the lenience and wisdom of the people who live with migrants.

Editorial Writer Song Pyeong-in (pisong@donga.com)