The Somali community in the Woolwich area is in deep shock after the death of a 22-year-old Somali, Nuur Saeed, after an ‘operation’ by Woolwich police. The police say that on 10 January Nuur was in a house at which they executed a search warrant in Plumstead. ‘At 5pm Mr Saeed was found to be
Theme: Housing
London becomes BNP heartland
New research has found that support for the British National Party is higher in London than any other part of the UK, with 23 per cent of Londoners saying they would consider voting for the far-Right party. Speaking at the launch of The Far Right in London: a challenge for local democracy?, Professor Helen Margetts
Worries over DNA and racial profiling
Black men are four times more likely than White men to be on the national DNA database and there is growing concern about racial profiling in criminal investigations. The police national DNA database (NDNAD), launched in 1995, now contains almost three million profiles. The prospect of everyone providing a DNA profile for the database is
Turkish-speaking communities in Britain: a rude awakening
A new report from the Joseph Rowntree Foundation examines some of the major issues affecting young people from one of Britain’s long established, yet little heeded, ‘invisible’ minorities. Here, a community worker reflects on some of those issues and the need to air them in a wider debate. ‘I’d rather be a P*ki than a
Police launch investigation into Black man’s death at Belmarsh
IRR News has learnt that a young Black man has died in suspicious circumstances at Belmarsh maximum-security prison in south-east London. A police investigation is currently underway into the death of 25-year-old Godfrey Moyo, a Zimbabwean. The Home Office told IRR News that Godfrey, who was on remand, was pronounced dead at 5:40am on 3
Citizens’ enquiry into service provision at Lunar House
Earlier this week, South London Citizens, an alliance of trade union branches, faith communities, schools and student groups from six south London boroughs, launched its own ‘citizens enquiry’ into service provision at the Immigration and Nationality Directorate offices at Lunar House in Croydon. The enquiry is to take oral and written evidence and will consider
Roma: the forgotten victims
Over sixty people gathered outside the Houses of Parliament today to protest against the continued ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Roma people across Europe and the British government’s policies against Roma and Travellers in this country. The event was organised to coincide with the sixtieth anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Many of the protestors wore the
Collective Black voice or ‘comfort zone’ for ministers?
A personal view of the third conference on the education of Black children, held recently in London. Nearly 1,000 people filled the halls of the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre to participate in the third conference on the achievement of Black pupils in London schools on 11 September 2004. The conference was dubbed ‘reaching for
Race & Class celebrates milestone
Speaking at the 30-year celebration of the radical journal Race & Class, IRR chair Colin Prescod took stock of the past, while founder editor A. Sivanandan called for new political analysis to inform struggles against racism, empire and globalisation over the coming years. At a celebration event hosted by Jeremy Corbyn MP at the House
Hundreds demonstrate outside Home Office against ‘war on terror’
The campaign against the criminalisation of Muslim communities under anti-terror laws stepped up a gear this week as over 300 people protested outside the Home Office. The emergency protest on 13 August 2004 was called following the re-arrest two weeks earlier of Babar Ahmad, a 30-year-old university IT officer. Babar was first arrested under anti-terror