Celebrating 50 years of the IRR


Celebrating 50 years of the IRR

News

Written by: IRR News Team


This year, the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) will be 50 years old. It is the longest established race body in the UK.

Over its fifty years, the IRR has pioneered research into racial violence, policing of Black communities, school exclusions, deaths in custody, xeno-racism and, through Race & Class, set new parameters for understanding globalisation, fundamentalism, Islamophobia and the attack on multiculturalism.

The IRR, in its long history has:

  • in 1958 published the first report on the Notting Hill ‘riots’;
  • in the ’60s carried out the first national survey of British race relations;
  • in the ’70s been the first to identify ‘institutional racism’;
  • in the ’90s created anti-racist materials for young people, including HomeBeats CD Rom.
Planning for the next 50 years

At a time of calculated misinformation on immigration, asylum and terrorism by sections of the media, IRR News, presents an alternative voice. We are asking people to become a supporting subscriber of IRR News, our free online information service, and give us a monthly standing order. The aim is to raise £25,000 per year to pay the salary of a campaigning journalist. See how to support the IRR News Service here or the links below for full details.

Related links

Support the IRR News Service

Download a standing order form (pdf file, 39kb)

Download a gift aid form (pdf file, 34kb)

Download a copy of the IRR’s 50 year leaflet (pdf file, 3.5mb)

Make a one-off donation


[1] Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 allows the police and immigration authorities to stop, search and question people at designated ports of entry. This includes any airport, airstrip, dock, ferry terminal or in the case of the Channel Tunnel, railway station where people are entering or leaving the UK. Under paragraph of Schedule 7 an 'examining officer' may question a person for the purpose of determining whether he appears to be a 'terrorist' within the definition of section 40(1)(b) TACT 2000. A person who is questioned under paragraph 2 must- (a) give the examining officer any information in his possession which the officer requests; (b) give the examining officer on request either a valid passport which includes a photograph or another document which establishes his identity; (c) declare whether he has with him documents of a kind specified by the examining officer; (d) give the examining officer on request any document which he has with him and which is of a kind specified by the officer. Under paragraph 7 and 8 the examining officer may search the person, and any vehicle or property connected to that person and seize that property for a period of seven days for the purposes of the search under paragraph 9. A person does have the right to legal advice and must be released no later than 9 hours from the time examination began. The person must answer questions put to him by the examining officer and comply requests regarding documentation. Failure to do so or failure to comply with a duty or to hinder the officer's exercise of his powers is punishable by up to 3 months in prison and/or a fine up to £2500.


The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.

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