The threatened Council take-over of a Leicester community centre illustrates the contradictions in the government’s ‘community cohesion’ agenda. The withdrawal of funds from the hugely successful Highfields Youth and Community Centre (HYCC), in inner-city Leicester, has become the focus for a strong local campaign aimed at challenging the whole approach of the City Council and
Geography: Midlands
A new anti-racist toolkit for youth workers
I Ain’t Racist But… aims to give youth workers the knowledge and tools ‘to respond constructively to racist incidents and deal appropriately with victims and perpetrators’. Written by Mandeep Rupra of the Racial Harassment Action Group Monitoring Project at Leicester Racial Equality Council, the stated intent of the toolkit is to encourage youth workers to
Sikh victim of vicious racist attack
A Sikh human rights activist has been brutally beaten by racists in Coventry. On 26 September, 34 year-old Jagdeesh Singh was walking home with his 10-year-old nephew from Walsgrave Hospital when he was subjected to a barrage of racist abuse. Two White men then launched a physical attack on Mr Singh – punching him some
Abbas Amini gets leave to remain but continues protest
Abbas Amini, an asylum seeker from Iran who has stitched up his ears, eyes and lips, is continuing his protest on behalf of all asylum seekers, though the Home Office has been refused permission to appeal against the original decision to allow him indefinite leave to remain. Amini’s protest, against the way he and other
Inquest finds Spencer Weston’s death was not an accident
An inquest into the death of a 21-year-old black man, who died in Leicester in 1999 after a police chase, has ended with the coroner taking the unusual step of giving a ‘narrative verdict’, providing a more informative account than the traditional verdicts of ‘open’, ‘accidental’ or ‘unlawful’. Spencer Weston received fatal multiple injuries when
Jason McGowan inquest – family walks out
Relatives of Jason McGowan, a black man found hanged in Telford three years ago, yesterday walked out of the inquest into his death in protest at the proceedings. As soon as the jury had been sworn in, family members, along with their legal team, left the court. The McGowan family says it has no confidence
Application to strike out Abdi Dorre case adjourned
The trial of the two defendants accused of the manslaughter of Abdi Dorre has been delayed today at Leicester Crown Court. The two defendants had sought to present an application to dismiss both cases, though this has now been delayed until early December 2002 to allow more time for their lawyers to present written arguments.