In the run-up to the September elections in Berlin, and against the backdrop of a rise in attacks on mosques and Muslims, anti-racists in Berlin have formed the campaign Acting Together – Against Racism and Social Exclusion. The campaign ‘Acting Together – Against Racism and Social Exclusion’ (Zusammen handeln-Gegen rassistische Hetze und soziale Ausgrenzung), which
‘The worst kept secret in Notting Hill’
A gripping new book on the racist murder of Kelso Cochrane over fifty years ago reveals the identity of the man suspected of the stabbing. Mark Olden’s book, Murder in Notting Hill, is a painstaking investigation into the unsolved murder of Kelso Cochrane, who was stabbed to death by a gang of white youths on
Reshaping the criminal justice system after the riots
Criminologist Jon Burnett is concerned about the long-term impact on policing and criminal justice of the government’s response to the riots and its use of ‘underclass’ theories. And so the ‘social fightback’ has begun. This month’s riots and disorders were a wake-up call to Britain, according to the prime minister. Returning to his pre-election theme
Resisting the Bratton brand: lessons from the US
Rachel Herzing of Critical Resistance in California warns that zero tolerance policing will have long-term social consequences if adopted in the UK. I, like many people I know, watched the uprisings in Britain earlier this month with fascination and concern. More than merely being headline news, the uprisings and the police response to them were
Defending multiculturalism
A new book provides all the ammunition needed to take on today’s fights against racism. It is ironic that so many of the contributors to this book, Defending Multiculturalism: A Guide For The Movement, including those from unions, the Socialist Workers Party and the Institute of Race Relations – would not, a generation ago, have
The violence of the violated
The director of the Institute of Race Relations comments on the recent riots. Everyone is clutching at explanations for the riots – gangs, greed, family breakdown, lack of respect. But I would like to go into their deeper causes. Society is completely polarised between rich and poor, mediated through a culture of consumerism and quick
Awards in memory of Olive Morris
In remembrance of Olive Morris’ life and work, the Remembering Olive Collective (ROC) is giving awards to young women who are engaged in radical grassroots political activity. Olive Morris was a founding member of the Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent (OWAAD) and the Brixton Black Women’s Group. Three awards of £500 will
Double standards in MLRs
The treatment by Home Office decision-makers and immigration judges of expert medical reports comes under scrutiny and is found wanting in a new report from Freedom from Torture. This report, Body of evidence: treatment of medico-legal reports for survivors of torture in the UK asylum tribunal, documents the common ways in which expert medical reports
Three deaths in immigration detention
Is it significant that two people have been found dead in two different detention centres in as many days – and three have died in a month? All that the Home Office will confirm is that on Sunday 31 July ‘A 35-year-old male being held at Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre died’ and that it is
How to get rid of foreign prisoners
Why should a Bill going through the Nigerian senate concern us? Because it ties in with British efforts to empty UK prisons of foreign national prisoners by sending them home – without their consent. Prisoner transfer agreements with foreign governments are generally seen as benign attempts to bring British prisoners home from excessive sentences in