Dear IRR News subscriber,

This week, we have a report from the Netherlands on a series of hunger strikes by asylum seekers which are showing the fault lines in the Dutch detention system.

We also have news of an alleged assault on a Kurdish man during a deportation by a guard from the private security company, Tascor, and I report from protests at the annual general meeting of G4S (another private company, three of whose guards have recently been giving evidence at the inquest into the death of Jimmy Mubenga).

You might be interested in a meeting on Monday 17 June where Race & Class’ Arun Kundnani will be speaking – the UK premiere of a film on Ali Aarrass.

And racially motivated violence is still in the news: a 78-year-old Asian woman was racially abused and assaulted in Aylesbury, a shopkeeper suffered burns after his Anfield shop was petrol bombed by two men and a man has pleaded guilty after attacking the Dorset Islamic Cultural centre following the death of Lee Rigby.

An English Defence League member has been jailed after making threats on Facebook and Tommy Robinson’s appearance on Radio 4 has been criticised. And finally the BNP’s Nick Griffin has been visiting Syria on a ‘fact-finding’ mission.

Harmit Athwal

Editor, IRR News