From the death of Blair Peach on 23 April 1979 emerged a series of political struggles, which must never be forgotten. People are, inevitably, comparing the death of Ian Tomlinson at the hands of a Territorial Support Group officer with the death thirty years ago of Blair Peach at the hands of a Special Patrol
A friend and colleague remembers Blair Peach, killed by a member of the Special Patrol Group in Southall during a demonstration against the National Front (NF) on 23 April 1979. Blair Peach was born in New Zealand in 1946. After earning his degree at Victoria University and periods of work as a fireman and hospital
A recent meeting in the House of Commons gave a fillip to the campaign against secret evidence in terrorism cases. In a packed committee room in the House of Commons, on 30 March 2009, MPs, lawyers, journalists, human rights campaigners and activists listened to testimonies (read by actors) from five men whose lives have been
Unknown numbers of asylum seekers, who were wrongly convicted of criminal offences, are unaware that they can apply to have their convictions quashed, but the government is doing nothing to help them, according to a group of migrant and refugee organisations. In the 1990s, as part of the drive to stop asylum seekers from coming
As concern mounts that the economic downturn will lead to a surge in racism, a report from the IRR suggests that EU states are already pursuing policies which place vulnerable minority communities at risk. The IRR’s investigation into 105 deaths in the EU in 2007 and 2008 uniquely includes not only deaths due to direct
Some provisions in this vast, unwieldy Bill threaten to undermine still further civil rights and protections, particularly for victims of state violence. The Coroners and Justice Bill, which had its second reading in the House of Commons on 26 January 2009, is a massive hotchpotch which deals with child pornography, defences to homicide charges and
A new play on David Oluwale, which opened recently at West Yorkshire Playhouse, is a must-see dramatisation of Kester Aspden’s book on David’s life and brutal death at the hands of Leeds police officers. David Oluwale was a Nigerian migrant whose body was pulled from the River Aire in Leeds in May 1969. His death
A Romanian man is still in a coma in a south London hospital, three months after collapsing and falling ill during a police chase. According to reports in a local South London newspaper (News Shopper 29.10.08), a 24-year-old Romanian man was in a critical condition in Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich. The man had allegedly been
A new initiative has been launched by the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities (CAMPACC) to assess the impact of detention under Schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act 2000.[1] CAMPACC has become concerned about the use of Schedule 7 of TACT 2000 which allows people arriving or leaving the UK to be stopped and questioned and held
In three recent murder cases there are elements to suggest that the ethnicity of the victim was a factor in the violence used. These cases may therefore fall within the IRR’s definition of a racist murder.[1] Three Asian men jailed for revenge attack In the case of the killing of Meshack Brown, the judge clearly
