An overview of racist attacks and convictions over the last two months. Last week David Cameron said he was ‘disturbed’ to hear that the proposed building of a small mosque in his Witney constituency had been cancelled as a result of racist threats to burn it down. It should not, however, have been that much
Theme: Violence and harassment
Gypsies and Travellers concerned over Coalition plans
The government’s recent planning policy developments are set to ‘make things worse for the poorest Gypsies and Travellers’. A number of Gypsy and Traveller groups have recently announced their concern over the latest planning proposals from the Coalition government. The Irish Traveller Movement in Britain (ITMB), Friends, Families and Travellers (FFT) and JUST West Yorkshire
The Doctors’ Orchestra
An evening of music, fundraising for Freedom from Torture. Monday 4 March 2013, 7.30pm Cadogan Hall, Sloane Terrace, London SW1X 9DQ Programme: Tchaikovsky – Fantasy Overture Romeo & Juliet Berlioz – Harold in Italy Elgar – Enigma Variations RELATED LINKS Cadogan Hall Freedom from Torture
Facing up to racial violence
The IRR publishes a report today on how racial violence is shaping the UK. Racial violence: facing reality warns that attacks on BME individuals are actually spreading to new areas of the country, as under the impact of globalisation and austerity measures, populations swiftly change; and points to the potential dangers in ‘decanting’ those affected
British Future and the new patriotism
A report by the British Future think-tank suggests the need for a new British patriotism. Patriotism is back on the agenda. It is a patriotism which draws on the success of the feel-good pride said to have been generated through last year’s Olympics. It is a patriotism which seeks to harness the widespread bunting-brandishing joy
Shambolic and unworkable: outsourcing of court interpreting services
Aisha Maniar, a freelance legal translator and editor, reports on the recent privatisation of court interpretation services by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ). From schools and hospitals to the police force, almost all vital public services are affected by the current cuts and privatisation agenda. Often poorly thought through, many of these government programmes are
Shadow Lives
A discussion about Victoria Brittain’s new book Shadow Lives: the forgotten women of the war on terror, about the impact on the wives and families of the men imprisoned at Guantánamo Bay. Tuesday 26 February 2013, 7pm London Review Bookshop, 14 Bury Place, London WC1A 2JL Speakers: Victoria Brittain – author of Shadow Lives: the
Why the voluntary sector is under threat
A report into the independence of the voluntary sector holds important lessons for groups struggling for funding and their very existence. The voluntary sector is under threat. So, who cares, you might reply, everything is up for grabs these days. It is not enough to throw up ones hands and see the demise of the
‘Integration, integration, integration’
Does Eric Pickles’ integration speech last week foretell an emphasis on a new patriotism? Communities secretary Eric Pickles gave his first speech on integration last week, at an event hosted by the think-tanks British Future and Policy Exchange. Arguing that language was the cornerstone of Conservative integration strategy, he vowed to tackle the ‘statist’ policies which,
The rise of Britain’s far right
A new history of the far Right shines a light on the culpability of centre-ground politics for fascist gains. Britain’s far Right is in pieces. The British National Party (BNP) is electorally dead; the English Defence League (EDL) has been fractured by infighting, its figureheads taking cheap potshots at one another while its leader, Tommy