Dear IRR News subscriber,

This week, the IRR’s Jon Burnett assesses the recent conviction of soldier for a racially motivated attack that left his young victim, Mo Bourner, with brain damage. We also carry a review of a new report that investigates police indifference to the growth of the far Right in Germany.

And staying on the subject of the far Right, but in the UK, they’ve had a bad week: on Saturday the English Defence League (EDL) were heavily outnumbered as they tried, unsuccessfully, to march through Walthamstow (four people have been charged so far). On Sunday, the Observer exposed EDL and National Front members as supporters of the mass-murderer Anders Behring Breivik. On Monday a gang of nine EDL supporters (including another soldier) received community service orders after attacking a Rock Against Racism gig in Leeds in June 2011. Then on Thursday a former BNP councillor in Stoke was convicted of racially aggravated harassment after posting two racist blogs.

Seven years after the death of Azelle Rodney in April 2005, the Azelle Rodney Inquiry finally began hearing evidence from the police officers involved, one of whom was recorded on video saying ‘sweet as’ three times after Azelle was shot six times without warning as he sat in a car in north London.

Finally, you might be interested in an event the IRR is co-hosting with Garden Court Chambers, a showing of Ken Fero’s film Who Polices the Police? on Friday 5 October. The film examines the struggle for justice by the family of Sean Rigg. (Please note that the event does cost £10, all proceeds will go to the Sean Rigg Justice and Change Campaign and Migrant Media, and you also have to pre-book).

Harmit Athwal

Editor, IRR News