ELECTORAL POLITICS| GOVERNMENT POLICY
As anti-migrant, anti-equalities, anti-abortion, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQI rhetoric in electoral campaigning are increasingly interlinked, we reflect this in the coverage below which also includes information on the influence of the Christian Right as well as the religious Right generally.
17 April: Centre-left parties in Italy file a complaint with the communications watchdog against the far-right League, led by Matteo Salvini, for using AI-generated racist, Islamophobic and xenophobic images in its campaigning. (Guardian, 18 April 2025)
17 April: Polish president Andrzej Duda fails to sign off on legislation, approved by parliament, expanding hate crime laws to include sexual orientation, sex/gender, age and disability, referring it instead to the Constitutional Tribunal on grounds that it violates free speech. (Notes from Poland, 17 April 2025)
21 April: After shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick calls for the legal team representing Hamas in its application for removal from the list of proscribed groups to be struck off, the International Association for the Defence of Democratic Lawyers calls for better safeguards for UK lawyers. Fahad Ansari has since been subjected to racist abuse and Riverway Law lawyers fear for their safety. (X [IADL Law], 21 April 2025)
Our strongest solidarity with the legal team in the UK representing Hamas (Harakat al-Muqawamah al-Islamiyyah), facing attacks on the fundamental rights of lawyers and access to justice. @fahadansari @FranckMagennis @riverwaylaw @SocialistLawyer @SocialistLawIre. pic.twitter.com/GCAjC3gX8x
— IADL Law (@IADLLaw) April 21, 2025
22 April: Migrant charities accuse Yvette Cooper of pandering to racism in the run-up to local elections as she orders officials to publish data on crimes committed by foreign nationals. (Guardian, 22 April 2025)
Our Director, James Wilson, has said:
“The government risks feeding further division, dehumanisation and prejudice in our communities. It is the role of the criminal justice system to prosecute individuals, not whole communities.”https://t.co/T3go1z0Vi2— Detention Action (@DetentionAction) April 22, 2025
24 April: In a campaign speech on the Kent coast ahead of May local elections, Reform leader Nigel Farage demands the government creates a ‘minister for deportations’. (Mail Online, 24 April 2025)
25 April: Following a knife attack at a private school in France which left one student dead and several injured, the mayor of Nantes criticises national politicians for exploiting the attack on social media, adding that the issue is the ‘mental health of adolescents’. The interior minister denounces the ‘savagery’ of school attacks, blaming society for encouraging ‘laxity’, deconstructing order and hierarchy, giving ‘birth to all this violence’. (Libération, 24 April 2025)
26 April: As thousands join an anti-immigration rally in Dublin, Ireland, carrying ‘Irish Lives Matter’ signs, chanting ‘get them out’ and wearing ‘Make Ireland Great Again’ caps, Dublin city councillor Gavin Pepper calls for mass deportations and Conor McGregor shares a video supporting the protest and criticising the government. United Against Racism leads a counter-demonstration. (Irish Times, 26 April 2025)
28 April: Yvette Cooper announces an amendment to the Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill which will ban all foreign nationals on the sex offenders’ register, whatever their sentence, from claiming asylum. (Guardian, 28 April 2025)
ANTI-FASCISM AND THE FAR RIGHT
With anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, anti-equalities, anti-abortion, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQI activities increasingly interlinking, we now incorporate information on the Christian Right as well as the religious Right generally.
16 April: Following far-right attacks in France on students in Albi, Nancy and Nanterre, the Solidaire Étudiants union office in Montpellier, and provocations from La Bastide at Bordeaux Montaigne University, students and left-wing organisations form student anti-fascist committees. (Left Voice, 16 April 2025)
24 April: School student Justin P is taken to a psychiatric unit after stabbing four fellow students, killing 15-year-old Lorène, at the Notre-Dame de Toutes-Aides private school in Nantes, France. Students at the school say that the teenager had previously expressed support for Adolf Hitler and Nazism and that he had tried to form a romantic attachment with Lorène, who had refused his advances. (Le Monde, 24 April 2025; Yahoo News, 25 April 2025; La Dépêche, 25 April 2025)
25 April: Jean Messiha, a French far-right polemicist and supporter of Eric Zemmour, tweets in relation to Justin P that ‘the young bastard who stabbed several people in Nantes’ was a ‘radicalised young far-leftist’, adding ‘far-left and Islamised scum, same fight against France’. (Contre Attaque, 25 April 2025)
25 April: In France, it is revealed that Justin P placed a 13-page document entitled ‘Immune Action’ on the school’s digital workspace prior to the attack. An analysis by Contre Attaque says that the document, which calls for a ‘biological revolt’ against globalisation so that ‘the natural balance, however cruel’ can ‘regain its place’ against a ‘globalised ecocide’, is redolent of eco-fascism. (Le Monde, 24 April 2025; Yahoo News, 25 April 2025)
26 April: Following the brutal murders in Pahalgam, Kashmir, which leave India and Pakistan on a war footing, Asian Defiance, a South Asian movement against racism and fascism, warns that reactionary bigots, far-right politicians and the likes of Tommy Robinson are sowing dangerous divisions amongst British Kashmiris, Indians and Pakistanis. (Asian Defiance, April 2025)
27 April: Thousands join Together for Germany protests demanding tighter borders and an end to Ukraine aid. The rallies are often outnumbered by counter-protesters as clashes in cities like Reutlingen and Nuremberg lead to arrests and injuries. (DW, 27 April 2025)
28 April: Nearly a year after a viral video showed bar patrons on the German island of Sylt chanting racist slogans like ‘Germany for the Germans, foreigners out’, most charges in the case have been dropped. Only one 26-year-old man is charged for making Nazi-style gestures, and he will avoid trial if he pays a €2,500 fine. Prosecutors say that the chants heard in the video do not meet the legal threshold for incitement to hatred. (DW, 28 April 2025)
NATIONAL SECURITY AND ANTI-TERRORISM
17 April: Dr Makram Khoury-Machool, British-Palestinian founding director of the Cambridge Centre for Palestine Studies, is detained at Heathrow airport on suspicion of ‘preparing terrorism’ and questioned for over four hours, in front of his 8-year-old son, under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act. His phone, laptop and identification are seized before he is released without charge. (Council Estate Media, 21 April 2025)
POLICING| PRISONS| CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
18 April: In Germany, a man is sentenced to three years in prison for an antisemitic attack that left a Jewish fellow university student with life-threatening injuries. A dispute between the two about a poster showing changes to Israeli-Palestinian territory, described by the judge as the ‘worst kind of antisemitic refuse’, preceded the attack. (Irish Times, 18 April 2025)
21 April: Analysis of antisocial behaviour injunctions finds that 57 percent of people imprisoned for breach since 2020 had no legal representation, with the destitute, those with mental health issues, neurodiversity or learning difficulties disproportionately affected and Gypsies and Travellers receiving disproportionately higher sentences. (Guardian, 21 April 2025)
22 April: Justice secretary Shabana Mahmood announces that the use of tasers will be trialled in male prisons after officers at a separation wing at HMP Frankland were injured by the brother of the Manchester Arena bomber. (BBC News, 22 April 2025)
24 April: In a written statement, the justice secretary authorises the use of Pava spray, (a form of pepper spray) in three young offenders’ institutions, saying it is a ‘vital measure… to urgently prioritise safety’. The Alliance for Youth Justice and the Children’s Commissioner condemn the move. (Guardian, 24 April 2025)
27 April: Twenty organisations, including the End Violence Against Women Coalition, write to the justice minister warning of the consequences to pregnant women and parents of very young children of ditching guidelines on pre-sentence reports, also referring to disproportionality in sentencing offenders from minority ethnic groups. (Guardian, 27 April 2025)
28 April: The Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research reports a 60 percent increase in deaths in prison, with 64 people dying in jail in 2024, up from 40 in 2023. Scottish prisons have one of the highest mortality rates in Europe. (BBC News, 28 April 2025)
29 April: A Guardian FOI request reveals that the attorney-general’s office shared contact details of counter-terrorism police and CPS prosecutors with Israel’s deputy ambassador to the UK during an investigation into protests by Palestine Action at an arms factory. (Guardian, 29 April 2025)
ASYLUM | MIGRATION| BORDERS| CITIZENSHIP
Asylum and migrant rights
16 April: As the EU publishes a proposed list of ‘safe countries’ whose citizens’ asylum claims will be fast-tracked, refugees from Egypt, Tunisia and Morocco express shock and anger at these countries’ inclusion on the list. (Middle East Eye, 18 April 2025, BBC, 16 April 2025)
15 April: The Scottish National Party raises concerns with work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall over changes to the backdating of child benefits for refugee families that a three-month limitation will unfairly penalise refugees and may contravene the UN Refugee Convention. (Scotsman, 15 April 2025)
25 April: Under simplified rituals approved last year on Pope Francis’s instructions for papal burials, Mediterranean Saving Humans and Refugees in Libya are official invitees at the pope’s funeral, with prisoners, refugees and the homeless among the 40 people represented at the final sendoff at Santa Maria Maggiore Basilica, Italy. (Guardian, 26 April 2025)
29 April: The Irish government introduces a Bill to speed up asylum decisions by limiting oral hearings and introducing accelerated appeals and ‘safe country’ lists, which campaigners say undermine legal protections for refugees. (Irish Examiner, 29 April 2025)
Borders and internal controls
16 April: The UK government plans to ‘exchange’ people in a one-for-one arrangement with France, returning those seeking asylum who arrive across the Channel in exchange for receiving a limited number of people with family reunification cases. (Guardian, 16 April 2025)
16 April: The bodies of two people, believed to be migrants attempting to cross from Belarus to Poland, are found in the river Bug, as Poland’s suspension of asylum rights continues. (EuroNews, 16 April 2025)
18 April: A man is confirmed to have died crossing the Channel on a small dinghy following a medical emergency. An investigation into his identity and the circumstances leading to his death is launched, while International Organisation for Migration confirm ten deaths in the Channel between 11 January and 20 March this year. (Guardian, 18 April 2025)
20 April: The Home Office appeals the ruling of the first-tier immigration tribunal allowing family reunion for a Gazan family under rights to family life protected by the Human Rights Convention, which caused an outcry from politicians. (Observer, 20 April 2025)
28 April: UK governments have paid private companies over £2 billion on 200 border security contracts to ‘stop the boats’ since 2017, a new report reveals. (Independent, 28 April 2025)
Reception and detention
21 April: Freedom of Information data reveals that between January 2023 and August 2024, the Home Office received 5,960 referrals of assaults on asylum seekers in its care, 11,547 reports that people in its care were victims of trafficking and 4,686 reports from victims of torture. (Guardian, 21 April 2025)
Deportations
17 April: Bail is denied to Fatou Tamba, a Gambian national who has lived in the UK for 18 years, but is to be deported on Tuesday 6 May despite having a British husband, a British brother and a 22,000-signature petition in her support. Tamba was detained attending her mandatory signing at the Home Office in Liverpool and transferred to Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre. (Liverpool Echo, 17 April 2025)
27 April: The Protestant church in Germany says requests for ‘church asylum’ have increased, and in some areas quadrupled, because of tougher deportation policies. A special privilege, based not on law but humanitarian convention, allows those in church shelter temporary protection from deportation and review of their cases. (Deutsche Welle, 27 April 2025)
Crimes of solidarity
29 April: According to Picum, the number of prosecutions for helping migrants is increasing, with 142 active criminal cases reported in the media last year, the majority located in southern Europe. (EU Observer, 29 April 2025)
HUMAN RIGHTS AND DISCRIMINATION
16 April: Trans activists express dismay at the Supreme Court’s ruling that the words ‘man’ and ‘woman’ in equality legislation refer to biological sex, and the Scottish government’s inclusion of transssexuals with ‘gender recognition certificates’ is unlawful. (Guardian, 17 April 2025, Supreme Court, 16 April 2025)
EDUCATION
Although we do not cover student protests for Palestine, we do track university administrative measures that deny the right to protest and authorise the use of force, or silence pro-Palestinian voices and display anti-Palestinian bias.
16 April: French student organisations warn of increasing convergence between the far Right and mainstream politics via the radical right-wing National Interuniversity Union (UNI), which campaigns for increased selectivity, ‘national preference’ over foreign students who, alongside ‘woke’ people, are held responsible for austerity, and opposition to inclusive language and critical research. (Left Voice, 16 April 2025)
19 April: A survey by the NASUWT teachers’ union finds that misogyny and racism are on the rise in schools as pupils are exposed to such behaviour by Trump and Andrew Tate through social media and online gaming, with female staff bearing the brunt of abuse. (Guardian, 19 April 2025)
24 April: The League of European Research Universities says that the European Commission’s decision to amend EU regulations to allow dual-use and defence-related projects to be funded under Horizon Europe, which currently only funds research limited to civil applications, is an ‘unacceptable’ ‘fait accompli’’ that erodes trust between the academic sector and the EU. (THE, 24 April 2025)
HOUSING| POVERTY| WELFARE
29 April: An analysis by Shelter finds that 206,000 children will be living in short-term emergency accommodation in England by 2029, a 26 percent increase over five years. (Guardian, 29 April 2025)
🧵 What happens when we ignore a housing emergency?
Spoiler: it’s bad.By 2029, we could face:
📈 206,000 children homeless
💸 More than £10 million a day spent on temporary accommodation— Shelter (@Shelter) April 29, 2025
HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE
15 April: A report by the Mental Health Foundation finds a deterioration in the mental health of asylum seekers following the racist riots in summer 2024, with people scared to leave their accommodation and fearing attack when walking down the street because of the colour of their skin. (Guardian, 15 April 2025)
21 April: A leaked report from Cancer Research UK and others, now being studied by government departments, says that the world’s best cancer doctors, scientists and researchers are being put off from moving to or staying in the UK because of politicians’ rhetoric on immigration. (Guardian, 21 April 2025)
EMPLOYMENT| EXPLOITATION| INDUSTRIAL ACTION
27 April: An employment tribunal rules that a Black former prison officer at HMP Swaleside, Kent, was the victim of direct race discrimination, harassment related to race and constructive unfair dismissal after being subjected to extreme racist abuse by colleagues, and failure to support him by managers. (Guardian, 27 April 2025)
CULTURE| MEDIA| SPORT
While we cannot cover all incidents of racist abuse on sportspersons or their responses, we provide a summary of the most important incidents. For more information follow Kick it Out.
16 April: An open letter initiated by journalists accuses the European Commission of failing EU transparency promises and placing curbs on the right to know by effectively limiting access to certain types of documents, including legal opinions. (Follow the Money, 16 April 2025)
18 April: In a new report, Open Rights Group documents how social media giant Meta has profited from the ‘migrant crisis’ by turning it into a ‘marketplace’ which profits both criminal gangs and the UK government which both target them for ‘fear-based adverts’. (Morning Star, 18 April 2025)
23 April: Meta is criticised by its own oversight board for changing moderation policies in January without assessing human rights impacts. The board also criticises Meta for failing to promptly remove violent, anti-Muslim posts during UK riots, saying delayed crisis measures allowed harmful content to spread. (Guardian, 23 April 2025)
23 April: The London Marathon permanently cuts ties with X, citing a rise in abuse under Elon Musk’s leadership, particularly targeting runner Eilish McColgan. (Guardian, 23 April 2025)
24 April: Irish rap group Kneecap defends their pro-Palestinian Coachella performance, saying their statements aren’t aggressive compared to Israel’s actions in Gaza. The group, criticised by Sharon Osbourne and US conservatives, receive death threats and widespread support as they announce a sold-out North American tour. (Guardian, 24 April 2025)
25 April: Dagenham and Redbridge FC apologises for sacking Salma Mashhour, just days after appointing her, following backlash over a past social media post about Gaza. The club now acknowledges her right to express political views and denies any suggestion that she supports hate or terrorism. (BBC Sport, 25 April 2025)
29 April: The Civil Liberties Union for Europe reports a weakening of media independence in many countries due to the concentration of ownership and finds that in France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Spain, journalists are vulnerable to hate speech, with female journalists disproportionately targeted. (Guardian, 29 April 2025)
29 April: Irish rap group Kneecap apologise to the families of murdered MPs after a resurfaced video allegedly showed them saying, ‘The only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP’, insisting the clip was ‘taken out of all context’. They deny supporting proscribed groups and claim to be the target of a ‘co-ordinated smear campaign’ for criticising ‘the ongoing genocide against the Palestinian people’. (Euronews, 29 April 2025)
RACIAL VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT
For details of court judgements on racially motivated and other hate crimes, see also POLICING | PRISONS | CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.
21 April: Official figures show a sharp increase in racist attacks against asylum seekers and hostels in Berlin, Germany, from 32 reported assaults in 2023 and none on hostels, to 77 assaults in 2024 and eight on asylum accommodation, amid rising far-right crime and tightening migration policy. (Guardian, 21 April 2025)
22 April: In West Belfast, racists claiming to be from ‘Republicans Against Antifa’ deface the walls of St Agnes CAB club rooms in Andersonstown with slogans like ‘foreigners out’. Sinn Fein removes the graffiti. (Belfast Media, 22 April 2025)
27 April: Marches against Islamophobia take place across France after a Muslim worshipper from Mali is stabbed to death in a mosque in La Grand-Combe, Gard region, in a frenzied attack, during which the assailant shouts insults against Allah. The prime minister describes it on social media as an ‘Islamophobic atrocity’. The suspect, a French citizen from Bosnia, films the dying man on his phone and sends it to a friend who posts it online before deleting it. (Al Jazeera, 27 April 2025; Deutsche Welle, 27 April 2025)
28 April: The suspect in the La Grand-Combe mosque attack in France surrenders to police in Italy after three days on the run. The Malian man who died in the attack is named as Aboubakar Cissé. A judicial investigation is opened into a premeditated murder on the grounds of race or religion, with the suspect denying he was motivated by Islamophobia. (Guardian, 28 April 2025; Deutsche Welle, 28 April 2025)
This calendar is researched by IRR staff and compiled by Sophie Chauhan, with the assistance of Graeme Atkinson, Sam Berkson, Margaret McAdam and Louis Ordish. Thanks also to ECRE, the Never Again Association and Stopwatch, whose regular updates on asylum, migration, far Right, racial violence, employment and policing issues are an invaluable source of information. Find these stories and all others since 2014 on our searchable database, the Register of Racism and Resistance.