The government has quietly announced a U-turn on a controversial proposal to withdraw funding from organisations which work for only one ethnic group and not across groups. The draft proposal issued by Hazel Blears in February 2008 suggested that funding (both governmental and private) be re-focused specifically towards organisations which complied with the government’s community
News Service
Man injured during police chase still lies in hospital
A Romanian man is still in a coma in a south London hospital, three months after collapsing and falling ill during a police chase. According to reports in a local South London newspaper (News Shopper 29.10.08), a 24-year-old Romanian man was in a critical condition in Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich. The man had allegedly been
Campaign to outlaw caste discrimination in the UK
A number of groups in the UK are campaigning for the new Single Equality Bill to address caste discrimination. Caste does not just thrive in India. Caste discrimination is based in Hinduism (though it is also practised in other religions) and today, in the UK, where many South Asians have made their home, caste discrimination
Impact of arbitrary detention under anti-terror laws
A new initiative has been launched by the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) to assess the impact of detention under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.[1] CAMPACC has become concerned about the use of Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 which allows people arriving or leaving the UK to be stopped and questioned and held
‘Citizens for Sanctuary’
On 13 January, over four hundred Zimbabweans gathered in Westminster to demonstrate for permission to work legally in the UK. The event publicly launched the Citizens for Sanctuary campaign, organised to implement the findings of the Independent Asylum Commission which recommended that Zimbabweans currently seeking sanctuary in the UK be allowed to work and pay
Young? British? Muslim? Listen Up!
An innovative new youth project has made itself felt in north London, challenging media stereotyping and an increasing sense of marginalisation amongst young British Muslims. The project, Young Muslim Voices (YMV), could provide a useful model of successful youth engagement for other groups of young Muslims in the UK, and young people more widely. IRR
‘British handcuffs, the handcuffs of freedom’
We publish the extraordinary testimony of an asylum seeker from the Congo Republic ‘Laurent Mpinde’ who is fighting to stay in the UK and cannot give his real name. Laurent Mpinde, who was studying sports science in Brazzaville and teaching in schools and colleges, was interviewed last year by Jeremy Seabrook researching the book, The
Travellers awaiting court appeal speak of racism and prejudice
Traveller families living on Dale Farm in Essex are facing what they describe as an outpouring of racism and prejudice as they await a Court of Appeal decision on their threatened eviction. The site at Dale Farm houses some ninety families, all of whom will be evicted if Basildon District Council is successful: it is
Remote controls against refugees
A new report by the Refugee Council examines how border controls are endangering the lives of refugees. The report, Remote Controls: how UK border controls are endangering the lives of refugees, traces the development and effect of the obstacles put in the way of asylum seekers fleeing to safety in the UK and Europe, and
New immigration code does not fully protect children
The UK Border Agency (UKBA) Code of Practice on Children will not adequately protect children from the harm caused by immigration procedures. The new Code of Practice for Keeping Children Safe from Harm, unveiled by the UK Border Agency on 6 January, was met with scepticism by refugee groups and practitioners. The Code follows the