How progressive is John Denham’s apparent shift from ‘race’ to class strategies? At last. Thirty years after the IRR had pointed out the weaknesses in government-sponsored ethnic programmes and ethnic funding.[1] New Labour, in the person of John Denham, seems to have woken up to it. Class must, John Denham said in a speech assessing
Experiences of Black teenagers in prison
The disproportionately high number of Black teenagers in custody is growing and this group is still more likely to face negative treatment than young White people, according to a recent report. HM Inspectorate of Prisons and the Youth Justice Board found that more than a third of the young prison population is Black or from
Plans for third detention centre near Gatwick meet opposition
Controversial plans for a removal centre in Crawley have come under fire from local campaigners. No Borders Brighton wants Crawley Borough Council to reject plans to turn the Mercure Hotel on Povey Cross Road into a removal centre. The group claims the design of the 254-bed hotel means it could only be converted to house
Compensation for some, deportation for others?
The High Court’s acknowledgement that control orders based on secret evidence are unlawful, and the possibility of compensation for those affected, doesn’t help those facing deportation on the basis of secret evidence. On 18 January 2010, a High Court judge paved the way for a number of Muslim men who have been subjected to control
London demos against border control and surveillance
London No Borders is holding a day of demonstrations in London to protest against border controls and increasing domestic surveillance. Under the banner ‘Life is too short to be controlled’, the demonstrations will begin on Saturday 23 January at 2pm at St Pancras International to protest at the border controls at the Eurostar Terminal, where
Deportation policy breaches human rights
The new decade has started with a rebuff for British deportation policy from the European Court of Human Rights. On 12 January 2010, the Court in Strasbourg ruled that the proposal to deport 34-year-old Abdul Waheed Khan, who had lived in the UK since the age of three, breached his rights to private and family
Sponsored walk to raise money for Morecambe Bay families
In a few weeks time, the Morecambe Victims Fund will hold a sponsored walk for the families of the victims of the Morecambe Bay tragedy. To mark the sixth anniversary of the tragic event in which twenty-three Chinese migrant workers drowned while picking cockles, the Morecambe Victims Fund will hold a sponsored walk, from Liverpool
Government failing mental health needs of refugees and asylum seekers
A new report has found that restrictive and contradictory government policies have severe implications for the mental health and well-being of refugees and asylum seekers. According to research conducted by Mind, the mental healthcare system in the UK is ‘regularly failing refugees and asylum seekers’ by not responding adequately to the numerous barriers that they
Spirited away
UK Border Agency (UKBA) proposals to remove more people from the country without giving them a realistic chance to challenge their removal are causing anger and concern. Being forcibly removed from the country is a distressing and frightening experience. From 11 January 2010, it will be even more distressing and frightening for those people who
BBC documentary about Roma children sparks outrage
A controversial BBC programme about the trafficking of Roma children in Europe has been branded ‘inaccurate, offensive and racist’. The hour-long documentary titled This World – Gypsy Child Thieves was broadcast on BBC2 on 2 September and led to more than twenty complaints. It shows film-maker Liviu Tipurita visiting Gypsy camps in Romania and ‘uncovering