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This is the 21st Century ...Isn't it? Lucky 13 I wonder what today will bring? by S u e N o r m i n g t o n e-mail : martin.normington@quicknet.nl This happened to me on Thursday Dec 1st 1999. What do you think? What do you think obviously there is loads more to say and tell. I feel totally at a loss, some of my friends are still in custody waiting to be deported. Fair enough the police have to do their jobs but it is the way they did it, that is my gripe and of course the others who were involved that day. One guy cannot sleep properly since that day. Anyhow hope you found it interesting reading. Let me know what you think V C Sue It is 6 o'clock, time to get ready for work. I wonder what today will bring? As I walk down the road to get my lift I think O'well, only two more days to go then weekend. I arrive at work ,same old boring procedure, clock in,coffee, cigarette, say hello to all my friends. It's time to start, everybody walking to there places, laughing, joking, another normal day at the mill. I glance up at the clock, Oh good, only half an hour then break! Within a few minutes there are people walking around. Strangers, but nothing unusual. Then I see more people. Male and female, one holding a worker by the shoulder, the other by the arm . What is this? Then I realise. I look around at my fellow workers, running, hiding with the look of fear like a fox being chased by the hounds and the huntsmen. Then there is shouting, I Get behind this line!. Up goes the tape with the big letters POLICE. I stand still .What is going on? We stand still and talk amongst one another while other fellow workers not inside the big police line look on in amazement. Then a voice says Take the women first!. I look around. Everything is quiet, then I see one guy coming out from a hiding place . What Is going on? We are ordered to cross the line and are escorted to the canteen, women first.We cannot leave the canteen. Then more of my friends come, hustled in groups off 5 or 6. Once we're all inside, the police come in, 1 or 2 by each window, everywhere guarded, every possible exit. Why? What have we done? Where would we go? I look out to the factory floor, the workers who were not inside the police line look in. Then we all must be interviewed, some may leave to go back to work. I see my friends being taken away. I sit next to a friend. He is shaking. I am shaking. Then he also is interviewed. Slowly I see each one disappear. Now it's my turn. I answer the questions, thinking to my self well, I'm British! I will be ok!. But no, I have to go with the others down to the station. I am escorted outside the works canteen into the toilets to get my bag, then moved along to another line. At this stage I start to ask why do I have to go? I am British. The police man looks at me and says in a disbelieving voice 'Well if you really are British, you have nothing to worry about'. I argue back. If I really am British? There is a copy of my passport in the office, look you will see!. He replies 'Not good enough, if what you say is the truth, you have no problem'. I begin to get angry. Then I look around. All the workers that are taken away are BLACK, the ones that stay are WHITE! I myself am black, so how can I possibly be British! I am then led out of the door, two female officers talk to me. I see two big grey buses with black windows. Very small black windows.What happens next is unbelievable. I am told to take of my coat and hat,which are then searched. Then I myself must put my arms apart against the bus, my legs also must also be apart spread eagled, I am then frisked. I must take off my shoes so they can also be searched. Then they tell me I must have my photograph taken. I am then escorted onto the bus . STOP! says one policeman, Hold your hand out. I do so. In big black numbers is written 13. I am then led down the narrow gangway of the bus. A door is opened and I am placed in a cell and locked in, each and every one of us in separate cells locked up like animals on the way to the slaughter house, each of us brandishing our own personal number! We are then transported in the buses. It is cold. You can see out off the black tiny window, but nobody can see in. On lookers see two big prison buses in procession. At this stage I am scared. Stop. We enter the police station, I remember a big red building, thinking to my self, It's ok! Once we are here they will let us out of the cells into the station where we will all be warm. We remain sitting. I look behind me and a colleague gesticulates 'What's the story? I signal back 'I don't know!'. We wait and wait, getting colder as time goes by, nobody telling us anything. Then somebody shouts 'Please, I want to go to the toilet', the reply comes after ten minutes have passed. Time again passes by. after maybe two hours they start to let us go to the toilet in 10 minute intervals when we are escorted into the station one by one by two officers, allowed to relieve ourselves, then brought back to the cell, then again locked up. Is being black a crime. It is now my turn to be questioned . I am led by three officers out of my cell into the station. 'No. 13' I hear them say. I am led to a room. I see my friends in a cell. I am cold, hungry and thirsty after 5 hours with a drink, nothing to eat. The officers talk among them selves then address me to tell me what is happening, take all the contents out off my bag, write everything down. I must sign. Next stage finger prints! Then an officer enters the room with my papers. They look and say 'yes you are free to go' The crime I and the others had committed was pure and simple We were BLACK! Was this Germany in the 1930's ? Was this South Africa in the 1960's ? Was this Bosnia in the mid 1990's ? NO. THIS WAS ROTTERDAM, HOLLAND, December 1999   T h e r e a r e m o r e d e t a i l s t o t h i s s t o r y . One white Dutchman was arrested and handcuffed for trying to stop a police officer manhandling a Turkish woman, and in the process knocking the officers glasses off. However, he was taken in a car, given a cell in the police station, and given coffee and sandwiches. And released without charge. And so on. T h i s i s o n e a b b r e v i a t e d a c c o u n t . S u e N o r m i n g t o n 3 r d D e c e m b e r 1 9 9 9 R o t t e r d a m . Hi Sue Obviously the police were looking for something, perhaps someone had seen a coloured person take something, which would explain why the police only arrested blacks. However this does not excuse there actions or behaviour, which frankly I wouldn't treat a dog in that way. Although it appears your civil liberties were abused there is probably nothing you can do about it without risk being deported or worse. You may never find out what or who the police were really after. Try and put the whole experience behind you as a bad dream and look forward to the future and I'm sure writing this brief account of events will ease your pain. On a more lighter note: I myself am Green. I used to be Blue until I got a bad case of Yellow jaundice. It doesn't matter what colour you are, we're all Red inside! Hey, see you on the Chat on 7pm Saturday, I think I will join Caroline for her Agony Hour or just for some friendly chat. Peter