Why the new London mayor’s culture adviser can hardly be regarded as a step up from the old mayor’s equality adviser. Let me declare from the outset, I have a vested interest in writing this. I find Munira Mirza hard to stomach. I don’t know her personally, I have never even seen her. But every
Gathering memorabilia on the IRR
This year, the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) will be celebrating its fiftieth birthday. Are you a former IRR member, staff or Council member? Do you have any photos, leaflets, or other documents relating to the early history of the Institute of Race Relations from 1952 to 1972 which you could donate or loan to
Asylum seeker takes his life in Belgium
A Cameroonian national has apparently taken his own life in a Belgian detention centre only days after a failed attempt to deport him to Cameroon. Ebenizer Folefack Sontsa, who is reported to have been either 29 or 32 years old, was found hanged by bed sheets in a bathroom at the detention centre in the
Tribalism and Powellism infuse TV series
Three recent Dispatches programmes on immigration, fronted by Rageh Omaar, were ill-informed, misleading and alarmist. It seems that the whiteness of the latest wave of migrants to the UK has provided the perfect opportunity to peddle the ‘I’m not racist but immigration has to stop’ card. Channel 4’s Dispatches’ three-part Immigration: The Inconvenient Truth, replete
Nigerians in the UK urge boycott of British Airways
British Airways has been criticised over its handling of a forced deportation and its treatment of Nigerian passengers on a flight from Heathrow airport. Passengers on board the 27 March BA flight to Lagos began to protest about the manhandling of Augustine Eme, a Biafran independence activist, who was allegedly being restrained by up to
New report says Islamophobia warps integration efforts
On 14 May, BME activists, educationalists and professionals working within Muslim communities and on integration issues from five European countries will meet to publicly discuss the findings of the Institute of Race Relations’ pan-European research project into Integration, Islamophobia and civil rights in Europe. Liz Fekete, the report’s author said: ‘The clash in Europe is
Hillingdon fails to support asylum seeking children
A new report from the Children’s Commissioner for England has criticised the London Borough of Hillingdon for its treatment of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC). The Commissioner’s organisation – 11 Million – found that Hillingdon failed to support children in their basic health and educational needs and that decisions were often made without taking into
Racial bias in reporting crime
A new report from the Runnymede Trust has found that the print media’s reporting of violent crime exacerbates racist tension. ‘A Tale of Two Englands – ‘Race’ and Violent Crime in the Press’ by Kjartan Páll Sveinsson analyses newspaper articles over a two month period in 2007 and shows that the way in which crimes
Why we should fear Italy’s Northern League
When a xenophobic party succeeds electorally in one European country, it has a knock-on effect for all Europeans because immigration, asylum and integration policies are shaped at the EU level. Those of us seeking just and humane race and immigration policies in the UK should be fearful of the knock-on effects of the Italian March
Few safeguards for asylum-seeking children
A recent report by the Children’s Commissioner for England has highlighted failings in the UK’s treatment of unaccompanied child asylum seekers at asylum screening units. An investigation by 11 Million, the organisation led by the Children’s Commissioner, found that children’s basic needs for food, accommodation and legal advice were often not met. The report suggested