In the wake of the deaths of 39 migrants in a lorry container, daikon*’s Kay Stephens writes on the global structures of capitalism and imperialism and the deadly border regimes that led to their deaths. On 24 October, daikon*, a group of anti-racist creatives of east and south east Asian descent, organised a vigil outside
Ian Macdonald, whose death was announced on 12 November, was a pioneer of committed anti-racist legal practice, as a criminal lawyer and later, as the founding father of immigration law. The son of a Scottish senior police officer, Ian started out in an ‘establishment’ set of chambers in the early 1960s, which he left after
Two new anthologies of pieces from the magazines Race Today and Race & Class recall important struggles on the streets, the factory floors and in communities, linking them to both class and global internationalism. It is salutary that at a time when racism is getting redefined in some sectors and official investigations as identity loss,
This week sees the publication of How the hostile environment creates sites without rights, a 99-page book containing the testimonies and written submissions heard and read last November by the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal London hearing on violations of migrants’ rights. The evidence from over forty organisations and individuals – migrants, trades unions, support groups, activists
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. ASYLUM AND MIGRANT RIGHTS Asylum and migrant rights 19 October: Extinction Rebellion spokesperson Rupert Read is criticised in the Guardian for claiming that the ‘net environmental footprint’ is increased by migration and tighter migration controls are central to
On the launch of the young people’s oral history project exhibition ‘Activating Newham Community & Activism 1980-1991’, Jasbir Singh writes about his experiences and the seminal work of the Asian Youth Movements in the 1970s and 80s. Where did the Asian Youth Movements come from? The Asian youth movements (AYMs) arose in the late 1970s
In a republished speech given at a Feminist & Women’s Studies Association event, IRR’s Sophia Siddiqui asks if publishing can be a form of resistance. It’s clear that our current moment is a moment of crisis – state racism permeates all aspects of life for many communities, the rhetoric of the far Right has become
Racist violence involving public order offences, physical attack and criminal damage has increased, but the Home Office and the media are in denial as to the real causes. On 16 October, the Home Office released the 2018/2019 statistics on hate crimes in England and Wales with all hate crime (race or ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion
An exhibition curated by young people involved in an integenerational project exploring communties’ experiences of racism in Newham during the 1980s and now. Free exhibition at Old Manor Park Library, 2 – 29 November, 2019 (Saturday & Sunday only, 10am – 6pm) Including a showing of award-winning filmmaker Ayo Akingbade’s documentary inspired by the history of Newham
An evening of remembrance including poet and activist Chris Searle and his former students Ramona Harris and Tony Harcup, exploring the inspiration, purpose and legacy of the Stepney School Strike in 1971. 800 pupils went on strike in Stepney, demanding that their teacher, Chris Searle, be reinstated after the school fired him for publishing a book
