John Grayson uncovers the chaotic and terrifying reality behind official assurances as Covid-19 enters Urban House, continuing his investigation into the treatment of asylum seekers during the pandemic. ‘Death hovers over our heads here … Horror is everywhere’ – Resident of Urban House interviewed on BBC TV, 16 July Douglas, a professional worker from the Middle
Theme: Sport
Movement for Black Lives: an interview with Barbara Ransby
As we witness one of the largest uprisings in US history, led by Black working-class activists, Race & Class interviews Barbara Ransby, a US-based historian, feminist and longtime organiser, on the significance of the Movement for Black Lives (M4BL) uprisings across the US ignited by the murder of George Floyd. This interview is
Calendar of Racism and Resistance (1 – 14 July 2020)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS 8 July: BLM protesters join a rally outside the Tudor Rose in Southall, the only black-owned and black-run music venue in west London, which the council wants to demolish in order to sell the
Taser trauma: an increasingly British phenomenon
An IRR News researcher speaks to scholars and campaigners across the country about the disproportionate use of Tasers on over-policed BME communities, as the IOPC announces an inquiry into widespread police discrimination. On 4 May in Haringey, the police tasered Jordan Walker-Brown, a then 23-year-old black man they were trying to detain as he
‘I’m from St Raphael’s estate’: an interview with George the Poet
IRR’s Jessica Perera continues her examination of the human cost of estate regeneration by talking about pride and potential with a north-west London poet. George Mpanga is a London-born spoken-word poet and host of the award-winning ‘Have you heard George’s Podcast?’ If you have not yet discovered the podcast, you might be more familiar with
Calendar of Racism and Resistance (17 June – 1 July 2020)
A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTESTS AND POLICE RESPONSE 18 June: In response to BLM protests, the head of the Belgian Federal police acknowledges that there have been ‘occasional slip-ups’ but denies that the force is institutionally racist. (Brussels Times,
Covid 19 – time for taking stock
Covid 19 has, asserts the July issue of Race & Class, thrown into relief so many key issues: the essential frailty of advanced capitalism, the potential for the state to control the life and death of citizens, the nature of human solidarity and the way in which we desecrate the planet. Now is the
Abandoned voices from the UK asylum system in a time of Covid-19
Despite the assurances given to a parliamentary committee, asylum housing providers are still neglecting the health and welfare of vulnerable residents including young children, says John Grayson of South Yorkshire Migration & Asylum Action Group, continuing his investigations. In 2015, Anne and her husband Simon fled from their home in the war-torn Middle East with
BAME, refugee and migrant custody deaths in the UK
An update on BAME, refugee and migrant deaths in custody since September 2014. To answer demands from supporters of the Black Lives Matter movement in the UK for up-to-date statistics on deaths in custody in the UK, the IRR has been trying to collect information on deaths which have taken place since its last reckoning
Black Lives Matter Roundup (3 – 17 June 2020)
The Black Lives Matter movement has provoked many revelations and discussions of institutional racism in various fields, not only criminal justice but also education, sport, media and culture; we cover a selection of these below. Our regular calendar of racism and resistance can be viewed here. PROTESTS AND POLICE RESPONSE See also anti-fascism and far