No-go area

"No-go area" (or "no-go zone") is an area in a town barricaded off to civil authorities by a force such as a paramilitary, or barred to certain individuals or groups. It has been used to refer to regions or places that are off-limits to everyone but a particular group, or which some people feel at risk visiting, for whatever reason. It has also been used to refer to areas where ruling authorities have lost control and are unable to enforce sovereignty.

Rhodesia

The term "no-go area" has a military origin and was first used in the context of the Bush War in Rhodesia. The war was fought in the 1960s and 1970s between the army of the predominantly white minority Rhodesian government and communist-backed black nationalist groups.

The initial military strategy of the government was to seal the borders to prevent assistance to the guerrillas from other countries. However with the end of Portuguese colonial rule in Angola and Mozambique, and especially the arrival of some 500,000 Cuban armed forces and tens of thousands of Soviet troops, this became untenable and the white minority government adopted an alternative strategy ("mobile counter offensive"). This involved defending only key economic areas, transport links ("vital asset ground"), and the white civilian population. The government lost control of the rest of the country to the guerilla forces, but carried out counter-guerilla operations including "free-fire attacks" in the so-called "no-go areas," where white civilians were advised not to go.

Northern Ireland

Between 1969 and 1972, the term was used officially in Northern Ireland to describe barricaded areas in Belfast and Derry, which the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) and the British Army were prevented from entering by militant residents. The areas' existence was a challenge to the authority of the British government in Northern Ireland. The British Army demolished the barricades and re-established control in Operation Motorman on 31 July 1972. Throughout many areas (notably the Bogside in Derry, the Falls Road and Ardoyne in Belfast amongst others), whilst the official status was removed, the status of a no-go area remained in operation, with police and military personnel only entering in certain circumstances, usually a combatant role or house raids. Day-to-day policing within these areas was generally controlled by paramilitary organizations (usually the Irish Republican Army). Irish Catholics remained apprehensive of the replacement Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) throughout the 2000s; Sinn Féin (the largest Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland) had originally refused to endorse the PSNI until the Patten Report's recommendations were implemented in full. However, as part of the St Andrews Agreement Sinn Féin announced its acceptance of the PSNI at a special Ard Fheis on the issue of policing on 28 January 2007.

Manchester, UK

In the time leading up to and after the 2001 Oldham riots, the BBC and the UK government described areas of Greater Manchester as being perceived to be no-go areas to both whites and non-whites (including Pakistanis and Bangladeshis). The Ritchie Report, issued in the aftermath of the riots, said "[E]vidence suggests that Oldham continues to have a number of estates which are considered to be 'no-go-areas' for nonwhite groups, particularly people of Asian origin" and "[In] a Today programme broadcast on Radio 4 on 19th April ... some young men from Glodwick said that there were no-go zones for whites in Oldham."

Scotland, UK

On 9 May 2012, the BBC reported that there are 400 'no-go' areas for Scottish ambulances. The ambulances will not enter without police protection and the staff has been instructed to "to hold nearby the scene and await support from the police, or additional ambulance crews."

South Africa

Similar to Rhodesia, the term was used chiefly in the context of black emancipation movements. However, the South African Defence Force was larger than the Rhodesian by orders of magnitude and backed by a white population of millions. As a result, there were few areas which were termed no-go in the sense of the military. Instead, the term was used to describe areas were white civilians should not go without the peril of their lives and police only went when in heavy convoy.

INCB report

Professor Hamid Ghodse, of the International Narcotics Control Board, reported in 2012 that there were areas where drug use, drug trafficking and general criminality led to the creation of areas seen as "no-go areas". He said that these included parts of Mexico, Brazil and the United States. He drew attention to the efforts of the police in the English cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Birmingham to deal with the problem of incidents involving firearms by combining law enforcement with community policing. Reports of his remarks led to denials in the Birmingham press

Allegations about Europe

United Kingdom

In January 2008, Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester, wrote in the Sunday Telegraph that Islamic extremism was causing muslim ethnocentric no-go areas (to non-muslims) in the United Kingdom. These comments received a divided reception among politicians, with Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg voicing strong disagreement, while Conservative spokesman David Davis said that the Bishop's writings were valid.

A January 2009 government report found that some white working-class residents of Birmingham felt that there were areas of the city which were no-go areas for them because of their skin colour. Organisations in the city criticised the report and its methodology. In 2015, Prime Minister David Cameron denied that Birmingham was a no-go zone where non-Muslims do not enter.

On January 17, 2015, the Daily Mail published the article titled "Murders and rapes going unreported in no-go zones for police as minority communities launch own justice systems". This article was cited by Louisina Governor Bobby Jindal.

France

In 2012, Amiens-Nord was described as a zone de non-droit (no-go zone) by the mayor of Amiens, Gilles Demailly, who said that doctors and pizza delivery people would no longer enter the district, and a union leader said it was dangerous for police officers.

In January 2015, after the Charlie Hebdo shooting, various commentators on Fox News claimed that the areas termed "Zones urbaines sensibles" in France are Muslim "no-go zones". Fox was criticized for these comments and they later retracted and apologized "for inaccurate comments about Muslims in Europe." The mayor of Paris said she intended to sue Fox for broadcasting the statements.

The Washington Post reported that CNN reported about "No-go zones" on January 9, 2015 (CNN host Chris Cuomo); on "751 ‘no-go zones’ in France" on the same date on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360° show, with Cooper saying "We’ve seen that in Sweden, obviously in England, here in France and as one of the guests earlier was talking about, there are kind of ‘no-go zones’ where police don’t even really go into and again it does cut both ways." CNN continued reporting on no-go zones on January 10. CNN was criticized for these comments. CNN's Anderson Cooper later apologised on screen for having critiziced others while it itself numerous times reported about no-go zones in Europe.

Also in January 2015, echoing the Fox claims, American Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a speech in London, England, that Muslim immigrants were seeking "to colonize Western countries, because setting up your own enclave and demanding recognition of a no-go zone are exactly that." When he was asked for evidence of "no-go zones," Jindal pointed to an article in the Daily Mail which said "killings, sexual abuse of minors and female genital mutilation are believed to go unreported to local police in some areas" in England. When later asked by CNN to provide specific examples, he declined.

See also

• Kowloon Walled City
• Lazarat
• Neutral Moresnet
• Sharia patrols, an attempt to create an Islamic no-go area in London

Further reading

• Trémolet de Villers, Vincent (2002). «Les zones de non-droit» dans la République Française, mythe ou realite? (PDF) (Diplôme universitaire thesis) (in French). Panthéon-Assas University (Paris II) Département de Recherche sur les Menaces Criminelles Contemporaines (DRMCC). {{cite thesis}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)