KERNOW: CORNISH FIGHTING FUND
Cornish activist and Director of campaign group Cornwall 2000, John Angarrack, has launched a new website calling for supporters to help him to take the UK Government to court, over their refusal to officially recognise the Cornish as a distinct ethnic group in the British Isles.
The website, appropriately titled 'Cornish Fighting Fund', was launched to coincide with Mr Angarrack's book 'Scat t'Larrups?' which was published earlier this year and aims, according to the website, to raise money "to pay much of the costs involved in pursuing a legal action against the UK Government."
The idea is for visitors to the site to pledge money to the cause by stating contact details, but no funds will be requested at this point. The target amount that Angarrack is looking to achieve is £100 000 by the end of the year and so far the figure stands at £24 145 at the time of writing. The Secretary of the Cornish Branch of the Celtic League (An Kesunyans Keltek - Scoren Kernewek), Per Iwan Le Moine, said:
"If you are too busy to get involved in the many existing Cornish movements, or too involved in our own, but still would like to help, just visit (voir le site) and make a pledge to help bring proper Cornish history to future generations of Cornish school children...This one action brought by Cornwall 2000 against the state/crown would free Cornwall from the ritual rubbish fed to our children in schools today.
However, they need a safety net and this fighting fund is it; the Government's got its own safety net when mocking and humiliating the Cornish in court; it's called tax payers' money... Any monies pledged may or may not be used; if the latter is the case, then any funds pledged and given would be returned to you."
The Cornish, like the Bretons, are the only Celtic group that is not officially recognised by their respective state Governments. In the past, the UK Government has argued that this is because the Cornish are not a recognised group under the Race Relations Act; that a case has not been successfully brought to court by a person or person(s) claiming to be Cornish.
Mr Angarrack claims however that the Government's argument is wrong and other ethnic groups have been recognised by the UK Government in the past, without them having to go to court under the Race Relations Act.
Cornish Fighting Fund link:
J B Moffatt
Director of Information
Celtic League
14/09/08
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