Dear IRR News subscriber, This week the IRR’s European News Team reports on the increasing activity of the far Right in Germany and Sweden. While in Germany the National Socialist Underground trial is under way, the far Right has attacked mosques, refugee centres and asylum seeker housing, proving that fascism needs no stimulus to act
News Service
Germany, the far Right and the NSU trial
Attacks in Germany linked to the NSU trial demonstrate that the far Right does not need a stimulus for violence. Following the brutal murder of Drummer Lee Rigby in Woolwich and attacks on several mosques, the government-funded Tell MAMA project warned of the dangers of cumulative extremism, tit-for-tat violence between Islamists and counter-jihadists and a
Sweden, ‘riots’ and far-right Facebook vigilantism
Swedish neo-Nazi vigilantes formed a ‘National Guard’ to stop ‘race riots’. In the UK ‘riots’ of August 2011, the EDL formed a vigilante group in south London and ended up attacking black passers-by and the police. In Sweden, the Research Group (an independent group of engaged Swedish citizens who investigate stories that don’t get properly
IRR News 24-30 May 2013
Dear IRR News subscriber, This week, Frances Webber reports on the implications of proposed cuts to legal aid to BME communities. We also have an interview with an anti-racist group in Germany which recently turned down an award for their work as a protest against government counter-extremism policies. And in news from across the UK,
Killer blows to justice
In the blizzard of coalition measures wreaking destruction on living standards, the justice ministry’s proposals on legal aid will once again bear down hardest on poor BME, Muslim and migrant communities. From the introduction of a residence test for civil legal aid, to the withdrawal of public funding for challenges to mistreatment in prison and
Upsurge in anti-Muslim attacks
An overview of the anti-Muslim violence and abuse that has taken place in the last seven days. It only took a matter of hours. Soon after British soldier Lee Rigby was brutally murdered, a man walked into a mosque in Gillingham, smashing up the interior. Around the same time, someone was arrested outside an Islamic
Anti-fascism – extreme necessity
An interview with a spokesperson from Antirassisistischer und Antifaschister Ratschlag. European government counter-extremism policies which classify fascism as just another form of contemporary extremism (which also includes Left extremism and in some cases anti-fascism) are being resisted by victim support groups in Germany. In 2012, at a time when the federal government was attempting to
IRR News 17-23 May 2013
Dear IRR News subscriber, This week, we have a piece by Marc Lorenzi from the Communities Empowerment Network, which helps excluded children. We also have report from the inquest into the death of Jimmy Mubenga, which commenced last week, and we also have the statement made to the inquest by Jimmy’s wife, Adrienne. In news
Jimmy Mubenga: a day in the life of an inquest
IRR News provides a snapshot report from the second day of the inquest in to the death of Jimmy Mubenga[1] which is due to last eight weeks. The day of the inquest started with legal issues and the choosing of the jury. This took some time as potential jurors were read a long list of
Justice will help Jimmy rest in peace
Below we reproduce the statement given by the wife of Jimmy Mubenga to the inquest into his death. ‘My name is Adrienne Kambana. I am the widow of Jimmy Mubenga and the mother of our five children. [Rolan (19), Kevin (15), Akram (13), Jordan (11) and Blessing (3)]. Jimmy Mubenga was a good father. He