Seventy years after the Second World War began there are hundreds of books, films and plays documenting the experiences of British soldiers but the sacrifices made by millions of Black Commonwealth soldiers has been ignored, say veterans. Squadron Leader Mahinder Singh Pujji is one of the two-and-a-half million servicemen who came from the Indian subcontinent,
Conditions at G4S immigration prison ‘worse and worse’
Below we reproduce an article which originally appeared on the website of Corporate Watch. Since it opened earlier this year, the UK’s newest and biggest immigration prison has barely had a day without trouble. However, Corporate Watch has learnt that things have become “much worse” lately, both for the detainees and for their visitors. Meanwhile,
Lord Carlile criticises police procedures
Saleh Mamon, a member of the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC), assesses a recent report on the arrest of twelve Asian students on suspicion of terrorism. Twelve Pakistani students were arrested on 8 April 2009 in the North-west following a security leak when confidential papers held by Assistant Commissioner Bob Quick, the head of the
Health professionals speak out against detention of children
Every year hundreds of children in the UK are detained in immigration centres because their families face deportation, this policy is harmful and must change say medical experts. The Royal Colleges of Paediatrics, GPs and Psychiatrists say other countries have found alternatives to detention and want the British government to take a different approach to
Sivanandan: writing and fighting
Below we reproduce a review of the IRR director’s most recent book, Catching History on the Wing, which first appeared in the journal Concept. The overthrow of the Institute of Race Relations in 1972; transforming it in the process from a capital serving research unit into a radical think-tank is a pivotal moment in Britain’s
Ullah family still fighting for justice
Over a year after he died, the family of Habib Ullah are still asking how he died. The family of Habib ‘Paps’ Ullah, who died whilst being arrested during a routine stop and search in a car park in High Wycombe in July 2008, have recently met with the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) to
INQUEST wins the Longford Prize
INQUEST, the organisation which assists the families of those who die in custody, has been awarded the 2009 Longford Prize. The Longford Prize recognises the contribution of an individual, group or organisation working in the area of penal or social reform which has shown ‘outstanding qualities of humanity, courage, persistence and originality’ and was established
Swiss youth erect Geneva’s first new minaret
The Network of Genevan Youth Associations (GLAJ) immediately registered its shock at the result of the Swiss referendum on the banning of minarets by erecting a minaret made of cardboard, wood, paper and tissue in Geneva’s New Square. The site of the symbolic minaret was deliberate; it was placed at the feet of the statue
Yorkshire youth event a great success against all the odds
A ground-breaking civil rights conference, planned by and for young people in Yorkshire, went ahead despite claims that the local council placed difficulties in its path. On Tuesday 17 November, 450 young people packed into an international conference centre in Leeds to discuss the issues of most concern to them growing up in twenty-first century
Swiss poll crushes minarets
Graham Murray writes from Switzerland as the country votes to ban the building of minarets. I’m sitting in a café in Geneva at 8.30am on ‘the morning after’, which seems like an appropriate expression given yesterday’s events. While I write this, the radio news comes on and refers to ‘the shock’. Everyone took it for