"banner, Campaign Against the Immigration Laws" [NBS I/D 164]

Catalogue Number
NBS I/D 164

Object Name
banner

Title
CAMPAIGN AGAINST THE IMMIGRATION LAWS

Place
England & UK

People
immigrants

Date
c.1980?

Creator(s)
NBS National Museum of Labour HistoryNBS National Museum of Labour History

Description
Campaign Against the Immigration Laws banner, around 1980, purple polyester satin with lettering in white PVC and paper.

Campaign Against the Immigration Laws (CAIL) was 1978 by a group of anti-racist activists, who felt that the anti-racist movement focused too much on anti-fascism and not enough on issues of state racism. The campaign actively opposed the strict immigration laws of the time, particularly the Immigration Act of 1971, which they believes was the worst example of state racism.

CAIL supported and co-ordinated actions against deportations and detentions; they had a series of pickets at prisons to protest about the number of people held inside under the immigration laws of the time. They also produced a number of newsletter, including articles on changes in the law and anti-deportation campaigns.

This banner is very simple, with the name of the campaign being made from white plastic and paper, attached to a purple background. Interestingly, the 'The' in the name is a later addition, as CAIL had initially been called the Campaign Against All Immigration Laws, but this was changed to allow for greater appeal to those who believed in some level of immigration law.

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