On Saturday 17 March, on the Greek island of Lesvos, 300 people gathered in Mytilene’s main Sappho Square to mark the second anniversary of the EU-Turkey deal (described as a ‘statement’ to avoid the scrunity of the European parliament). The deal is credited with leaving thousands of refugees either stranded in Turkey or attempting to
Issue: Books, pamphlets & multimedia
Challenging G4S’ ‘catastrophic failings’
Bail for Immigration Detainees (BID), a charity that assists those in immigration detention in the UK, is taking legal action against the British government in an attempt to pressure it into designating security company G4S as a ‘High Risk’ strategic supplier in the wake of ‘catastrophic failings’. The launch of the campaign comes after the
Calendar of racism and resistance (9 – 22 March 2018)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 6 March: Jess Phillips MP reveals that a constituent was detained in Yarl’s Wood after reporting her violent husband who had threatened to kill her to the police. The woman was later released and given
Stansted 15 face trial
On Wednesday 14 March, fifteen anti-deportation activists go on trial at Chelmsford Crown Court for endangering airport security at Stansted airport. IRR News interviewed author and academic Luke de Noronha (LdN), spokesperson for the End Deportations campaign, about the case. IRR News: Who are the Stansted 15, and what was the purpose of their action?
Calendar of racism and resistance (22 February-8 March 2018)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 21 February: Around 120 women detained at Yarl’s Wood removal centre, Bedfordshire, begin a hunger strike in protest against their indefinite detention and the inhumane conditions they suffer. (Sky News, 25 February 2018) 21 February:
Calendar of racism and resistance (9-22 February 2018)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 5 February: On the eve of the fourth anniversary of the Tarajal tragedy, when at least fourteen migrants drowned as civil guards used rubber bullets and tear gas to stop them reaching the Spanish enclave
Save Southall Town Hall
Long-time campaigner Suresh Grover reports from a demonstration at the weekend to save Southall Town Hall from development. It was an extraordinary and historic event. In order to save Southall Town Hall, we gathered peacefully in our hundreds, occupied the main traffic junction and crossway adjacent to the town hall, and for the first time in the
Calendar of racism and resistance (26 January – 8 February 2018)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 25 January: The Jesuit Refugee Service publishes a report which finds that refused asylum seekers in London face homelessness and destitution. Download the report, Out in the cold: Homelessness among destitute refugees in London –
How refugee and migrant solidarity groups are confronting the hostile environment
A review of recent pan-European developments in the criminalisation of solidarity. New developments are emerging in the criminalisation of solidarity, as the hostile environment principle, familiar to us in the UK, is adapted to other European contexts, further shrinking the space for solidarity. The IRR’s report Humanitarianism: the unacceptable face of solidarity, in which we
Calendar of racism and resistance (12 – 25 January 2018)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 11 January: Right to Remain publishes the latest version of its toolkit for understanding the UK asylum and immigration system, view online here. 11 January: The Habeas Corpus Project wins a judicial review and obtains