Next twentieth day of this month will be twenty years that the Conservative politician Enoch Powell uttered in a hotel in Birmingham, with activists Tories, his famous speech known as "Rivers of Blood , one of the most important in recent British history. In the speech, with clear racist overtones, Powell denounced the generous British immigration policy in those years, which placed few obstacles to the arrival of citizens of Commonwealth countries . Predicted a catastrophic future where "in twenty years the black man will take under his whip the white man", and quoted a line from Virgil's Aeneid, "Wars, horrid wars, and the Tiber foaming with much blood I watch the " would end up giving names to his address.
The speech was very controversial, and fulminant Powell was sacked from his post as defense minister in the shadow by Conservative leader Edward Heath. However, a large proportion of the population sympathized with their ideas, and received numerous expressions of support, including a dock strike, 1000 of which went to London to express their disagreement with his dismissal. Over the years, British political culture, Powell became the paradigm of xenophobic dark side of the country. Today, the figure only openly claimed by the extreme right.
Enoch Powell was a peculiar character. He had a great learning and prodigious intellectual capacity, which helped him to become professor of Greek at the University of Sydney with just 25 years. In World War II rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel. After his discourse again hold high position in the Conservative party. I finally abandoned in the mid-seventies, to protest the entry of the United Kingdom in the European Economic Community. He ended his political life in Northern Ireland Unionist MP.
More :
Enoch Powell's "Rivers of Blood" speech (Telegraph) , Obituary of Enoch Powell (The Guardian) , Rivers of Blood speech (Wikipedia)
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