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‘Ethnic English’ Charity Gets RecognitionFrom the desk of A. Millar on Sun, 2008-10-05 12:01For those of us who are concerned for Europe’s indigenous cultures, good news seems to be in short supply. But, in Britain, there is at least one ray of hope in all the gloom. The Steadfast Trust – the first and, indeed, only charity for the indigenous English – has been making strides in the last few months. The charity was established to promote English culture (and, in particular, to encourage English children to learn about their heritage), to conduct research on behalf of the indigenous English community, and to fight discrimination against the English in England. In 2007, The Steadfast Trust (then known as the Ethnic English Trust) sued the Commission for Racial Equality, arguing it had issued guidelines that obscured the legal recognition of the English as an ethnic group. And, in the same year, it challenged the Environment Agency when the latter barred Abigail Howarth, 18, from applying for an advertised apprenticeship, because she was “White English.” The Trust wrote to the Environment Agency, suggesting that the wording of the advertisement was illegal, and this action resulted in it being withdrawn (although a new advert was written and posted a month or so later, apparently after legal consultation). Since then, the charity has begun to archive government and university reports on problems facing the English (such as education, where poor White boys are almost the lowest achieving group in Britain), has expanded its website, and is now putting out a regular newsletter. The Steadfast Trust has also received some unexpected recognition. The Mounted Games Association has shown its support for the charity, with its riders wearing the Steadfast Trust name on their polo shirts during one recent competition. And the British Library has sent the charity an invitation to have the current website permanently archived, as part of its prestigious web preservation program. According to the letter sent to The Steadfast Trust, the British Library selects sites, “[…] to represent aspects of UK documentary heritage,” and will make the website available to researchers well into the future. Having witnessed the most extraordinary government hostility toward the English over the last decade – and continuing still – this is nothing short of a remarkable achievement.