Dear IRR News subscriber,

The Macpherson inquiry into the circumstances surrounding Stephen Lawrence’s death was one of the most important inquiries of the 1990s, laying bare the extent of institutional racism within the Metropolitan police. But now the Ellison review into police corruption and undercover policing has revealed that the Special Demonstration Squad was spying on Stephen’s family throughout, and that significant material was withheld from the inquiry. In this week’s IRR News, Suresh Grover, Director of The Monitoring Group and former coordinator of the Stephen Lawrence campaign, reflects on the latest revelations. He issues a strong call to black justice campaigns to prepare properly for the new judge-led inquiry into undercover policing, urging them to explore and expose the endless legacy of police corruption and racism.

The July 2014, issue of Race & Class is also out and the lead article, by Imogen Tyler, Nick Gill, Deirdre Conlon and Ceri Oeppen, examines the consequences of the co-option of charities and voluntary organisations within the immigration detention market.

In news from across the UK, the High Court, in a landmark ruling, has ruled that detained fast track is unlawful and a recent report from HM Inspector of Prisons into Haslar detention centre has found that websites for campaigning groups have been blocked at the centre.

Harmit Athwal

Editor, IRR News