A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Policing and criminal justice 20 November: The House of Commons Justice Committee recommends the scrapping of the criminal courts charge in its report: Criminal courts charge. Second Report of Session 2015–16. Download it here. 23 November: The Centre for
Issue: Briefing Papers & Reports - UK
Donald Kenrick, 1929 – 2015
Marc Willers QC, remembers one of the UK’s foremost authorities on Romani Studies and campaigner for Gypsy rights. It was with great sadness that I learnt that Dr Donald Kenrick had recently passed away. I first met Donald over twenty years ago, whilst he was acting as an unqualified planning consultant for a Romani Gypsy
Calendar of racism and resistance (6 – 19 November 2015)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Policing and criminal justice 5 November: Ropinder Singh calls for an inquiry into a protest outside the Indian High Commission after he was arrested and allegedly had his turban grabbed and thrown to the ground; fifteen others were
Martha Osamor: unsung hero of Britain’s black struggle
Veteran campaigner Martha Osamor talks to IRR News about her experiences in political struggles. Martha Osamor, now 75-years-old is one of the many unsung heroes of Britain’s black community, yet she has spent almost all her life fighting to better the position of people in Tottenham and beyond – in the community, through the unions, women’s
The Race Relations Act 1965 – blessing or curse?
Jenny Bourne, long time anti-racist campaigner and editor of the IRR’s journal Race & Class, writes about the 1965 Race Relations Act and assesses the fifty years since it was passed. How should we be evaluating the impact of the race relations acts, the first of which became law fifty years ago? Fifty years ago,
Calendar of racism and resistance (23 October – 5 November 2015)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 15 October: The Home Office announces the closure of Dover immigration removal centre, Free Movement, 23 October 2015) 19 October: The Hope Project publishes: Destitute and asylum-seeking women in the West Midlands: Immigration issues and
As ‘extremist’ as Finchley? The ‘Counter Extremism Strategy’ and the Irish context
Daniel Holder from the Committee on the Administration of Justice (CAJ) reflects on the recently introduced Counter Extremism Strategy and the scenario which we would see if the strategy was applied in Northern Ireland. Margaret Thatcher famously claimed Northern Ireland was as British as her own constituency, Finchley. Apparently however we are officially no longer
Calendar of racism and resistance (9 – 22 October 2015)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 7 October: Leaked EU plans reveal proposals to deport thousands of failed asylum seekers by threatening countries refusing to take back their migrants with withdrawals of aid, trade deals and visa arrangements. The documents show
Calendar of racism and resistance (25 September – 8 October 2015)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Asylum and migration 24 September: Beyond Borders Tyneside protest at a Home Office regional centre in Newcastle following dawn raids on families in the area. (Chronicle Live, 24 September 2015) 26 September: A young Eritrean man is picked up
Ken Leech 1939-2015
With the death of Ken Leech, on 12 September from a stroke, we have lost a pillar of the anti-fascist movement. He was always there for the calling on in the struggle against racism – a thoughtful stalwart, a socialist who would stand up and be counted, unafraid of getting his hands dirty from community