A number of London unions have severed all links with the London Mayor’s Rise Festival. The Rise Festival, established following the murder of Stephen Lawrence and organised by the TUC, was known as the Respect anti-racist festival. The idea was taken up by Ken Livingstone, who changed the name from Respect to Rise and held
Theme: Housing
Three recent Black deaths in Met police custody
An investigation has been launched after the death of 23-year-old Ayodeji Awogboro in the custody of the Metropolitan police on 11 May. According to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which is conducting its own investigation into his death, police followed his car after he allegedly failed to stop at a red traffic light on
Protest against Daily Express’ attacks on Muslims
Protestors gathered outside the London offices of the Daily Express today to demand an end to anti-Muslim articles. In recent years, the Daily Express newspaper has frequently published inflammatory articles on asylum seekers, migrants and Muslims. The newspaper regularly carries front page headlines such as ‘Christmas is banned; it offends Muslims’, ‘Now Muslims get their
Documentary film production workshops
A new film course is being offered for aspiring documentary-makers. Multi award-winning film-maker Ken Fero is leading a course in documentary film-making for people in Wood Green. It will teach the process of film making from initial idea through to pre-production, shooting and editing. A short documentary film will be made and screened in a
Rebels and trouble makers
A controversial exhibition of portraits of people, whose courage, bloody mindedness and instinct for rebellion, have enhanced London’s radical tradition, has opened at City Hall. To accompany artist Jolie Goodman’s four portraits – of Walter Wolfgang, Camilla Batmanghelidjh, Helen John and Brian Haw – are specially-commissioned photos from the East London Photographers Group. Doreen Lawrence,
IRR News develops new ‘learning the lessons’ workshops
Practical workshops, learning from past struggles against racism, are being organised by the Institute of Race Relations (IRR) for newly arrived refugee/asylum seeker and migrant groups. Because of the success of the conference and a series of seminars held in 2006 and demand from new user groups, the IRR has received funding to run a
Against the great defeat of the world
John Berger, internationally recognised as one of the most influential writers of the last fifty years, is appearing in London next week to give a rare and exclusive reading from his new novel: From A to X. The event, hosted by Race & Class, is taking place on Thursday 4 October at the New Theatre,
Black history project launched
The Institute of Race Relations has been awarded a grant of £49,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create an educational Black History Collection. The grant has been made to allow the IRR, which has been collecting materials created by Black organisations and/or on Black struggles since the 1950s, to form these into a coherent
Black Experience Archive Trust launch
An inspiring new project has brought activists and Black schoolchildren in North London together to create an innovative digital community history archive. West Green BEAT (Black Experience Archive Trust) is a collaboration between activist film-makers Migrant Media, Parkview Academy and the West Green Learning Centre in Tottenham and the London Metropolitan Archives. More than forty
The New Londoners
A new paper circulating in London, The New Londoners, produced by refugees and asylum seekers, provides a strong, alternative voice for these marginalised and often vilified communities. The tabloid-size 24-page newspaper, produced by the Refugee Media Action Group at the Migrants Resource Centre for Refugee Week, is slickly produced with quality pictures and interesting articles