Catching history on the wing

A celebration of the work of A. Sivanandan and the Institute of Race Relations. Saturday 18 April 2015, 1-6pm Room 421, Malet Street main building, Birkbeck College, (entrance on Torrington Square), London WC1  Including the premiere of the film Catching History on the Wing: a conversation with A. Sivanandan, the launch of IRR reports Dying for Justice

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Review

Flemming Rose and the absence of empathy

An account of the Danish Muhammad cartoon crisis by one of its main instigators, the cultural editor of the paper which published them, Jyllands-Posten, is unsurprisingly lacking in self-awareness or understanding of his targets, says Danish anthropologist Peter Hervik. To a great extent, many of the stories touched upon by Flemming Rose in The Tyranny

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Gus John at 70: celebrating fifty years of struggle

The second of a two-part event to celebrate educationalist and campaigner Gus John’s 70th birthday and his lifetime achievements. Saturday 14 March 2015, 2pm British Film Institute, South Bank, London SE1 9GY A documentary film, followed by: Guardian columnist, Gary Younge, in conversation with Gus John.  

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Fifty years of struggle: Gus John at 70

The first of a two-part event to celebrate educationalist and campaigner Gus John’s 70th birthday and his lifetime achievements. Wednesday 11 March 2015, 6-10pm Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, Holborn, London WC1R 4RL Speakers:  Ali Hussein – film maker and cultural activist Ian Macdonald QC – human rights, immigration and criminal lawyer Makeda Coaston – cultural

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Review

Fighting for the soul of the voluntary sector

Everyone should read a recent report by the National Coalition of Independent Action (NCIA) on the ways in which neoliberal policies are destroying the purpose and politics of voluntary groups. From time to time IRR News has commented on the ways in which privatisation, subcontracting and marketisation are infiltrating voluntary groups in the race and

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The life and legacy of Claudia Jones

A SERTUC Race Relations Committee event to remember Claudia Jones who founded Britain’s first Black newspaper, The West Indian Gazette and Afro-Asian Caribbean News, in 1958. She was also one of the founders of the Notting Hill Carnival, as a community led response to the Notting Hill race riots of 1958. Friday 6 March 2015, 6-9pm

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Claudia Jones day

An event in remembrance of Claudia Jones. Saturday 21 February 2015, 2-6pm Kennington Park Estate Community Centre, 8 Harleyford Street, London SE11 5SY Activities on the day include: Speakers Exhibitions History walk Bookstalls Music

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Comment

Counter-terrorism policy and re-analysing extremism

Below is an edited transcript of a talk given by Arun Kundnani, author of ‘The Muslims are coming: Islamophobia, extremism and the domestic war on terror’, in January 2015, shortly after the Paris killings. The situation we find ourselves in is not entirely new. Most of what we’ve seen over the last few days is

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