The leader of the far-Right Sweden Democrats wants to portray himself as the victim of anti-white racism. A televised interview on 23 February with Jimmie Åkesson, the leader of the far-Right Sweden Democrats (SD), has generated much controversy over the alleged claims made by Åkesson with regards to his childhood in Sölvesborg. The interview is
Theme: Alternative voices on integration
Family campaigns – fighting every step of the way
The saying goes that time heals all wounds. The families of Cherry Groce and Jimmy Mubenga would probably disagree. Cherry Groce Last week, it was announced on Channel 4 News, that the Met police had made public their 2013 apology to the family of Cherry Groce, who was shot and paralysed during a police raid
The globalisation of indifference
The director of the Institute of Race Relations calls for the arts to take a stand for human dignity. Europe is divided, split between its image of itself as the continent of the Enlightenment and humanitarian values, and its shadow-image as the ‘Fortress Europe’ which sets its face like flint against migrants and refugees. In
‘No one can be left without hope’: Breathing life into global action for asylum seekers
Australia’s inhuman anti-asylum policies may survive the many protests at Reza Berati’s offshore detention death, but change can come through global solidarity in pursuit of justice for asylum seekers, says Leanne Weber of the Border Crossing Observatory at Monash University. On 23 February Melbourne’s Federation Square filled with people who had come to commemorate the
Public lecture on migrants, the media and the law
A public lecture hosted by the Haldane Society on how the political and media demonisation of migrants affects the rule of law. Thursday 13 March 2014, 6.30pm University of Law, 14 Store Street, London WC1E 7DE Speakers include: Frances Webber – honorary Vice-President of the Haldane Society and Vice Chair of the IRR Jon Burnett – assistant
Law overridden to penalise refugees
Fifteen years after the High Court condemned the prosecution of refugees for using false documents in their quest for a place of safety and parliament provided a statutory defence, they are still being wrongly convicted and sent to prison. The 1951 Refugee Convention is quite clear: penalties must not be imposed on refugees (including asylum
Save legal aid
A demonstration to save legal aid from the proposed cuts. Friday 7 March 2014, 10am Old Palace Yard, London SW1 Speakers include: Shami Chakrabarty – Liberty Paddy Hill – Birmingham 6 Related links Download a flyer for the event here
Lost in privatisation: Capita, court interpreting services and fair trial rights
A translator and human rights activist analyses the ongoing issues thrown up by the privatisation of court interpreting services by the Ministry of Justice. Next year marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, arguably one of the most important legal documents in the world, guaranteeing the right to a fair trial. That right is
The uses of extremism
A meeting organised by the International State Crime Initiative (ISCI) and the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) looks at the current discourse on extremism and challenges and its underlying assumptions. Does the concept of extremism help us to make sense of political violence? Or does it distract us from the causes of conflict and lead
Buzz Johnson: 1951 – 2014
Buzz Johnson, people’s educator and the founder of Karia Press, died this week. Two giants of the Caribbean diaspora died this week – Stuart Hall, academic and cultural theorist; Buzz Johnson, publisher and people’s educator. They represented two ends of a black left spectrum of politics – the one an acclaimed theoretician and eminent wordsmith who