Resistance against impunity is building
As UFFC’s 22nd annual remembrance in memory of all those who have died in police or prison custody took place in London, in Greece, a Roma family are grieving after 18-year-old Nikos Sampanis is shot dead following police pursuit by motorbike squad officers in a working-class district of Athens. At two nights of protest following the killing, police use tear gas and flash grenades to disperse crowds. For more information about this case, as well as further context on rapid response policing that is now the norm in European cities, read our twitter thread.
This week, powerful activism has taken place across Europe, which we highlight in our calendar of racism and resistance. In Poland, 200 Polish mothers support asylum-seekers at the border with Belarus; in the UK, rallies are held across the country in opposition to the Nationality and Borders Bill and a week of action against the hostile environment in healthcare takes place; in Scotland, campaigners protest against TUI’s involvement in deportation charter flights. The power of resistance is the subject of our latest article on IRR News by Frances Webber, who looks at two creative initiatives – the 12-foot puppet of Little Amal who has travelled across Europe, as well as an exhibition in Plymouth showcasing Aboriginal artwork. Read Voices of Hope: the power of creative resistance.
And finally, in case you missed it last week, the October issue of Race & Class is now online and available to order. As well as the lead article on ‘Reproductive Racism’ (free to download for the next two weeks) it features a historical piece on the racialisation of a white working class as ‘Redbones’ in relation to their involvement in one of the most explosive labour strikes in Louisiana state history, an article on Israel’s emergence as a surveillance industry hub, as well as a commentary on the racism at the heart of the UK’s cricket culture – extremely timely following revelations of Yorkshire CCC’s treatment of Azeem Rafiq. Order a copy, view the issue online or get simple digital access via Exact Editions.
IRR News team