Anti-racism Follow

Poor and marginalised people living in Britain have attracted some false friends in recent weeks. The rebranded Tories sent the highly unlikely radical Iain Duncan Smith MP off to look at education, and he came back with the conclusion that the education system lets down white working people.

Over 650 delegates from across the country gathered in central London last Saturday for the People’s Assembly on Islamophobia and the "war on terror", called by the Stop the War Coalition.

In the past few years a peculiarly old-fashioned - and sinister - set of phrases has re-entered the political vocabulary of the Westminster establishment. New Labour ministers and their Tory shadows are increasingly talking about "British values" and "our way of life".

The witch-hunt against Muslims continued this week with sensational allegations splashed over newspaper front pages that university campuses across Britain were being infiltrated by "Islamic extremists".

Britain's highest ranking Asian police officer, Tariq Ghaffur, recently spoke out frankly about issues of policing and race relations. It was clear from the outset that some within policing circles - the home office, the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo), and the Police Federation - were keen to criticise his comments.

Islamophobia isn’t just taking place in Britain. Authorities in France have withdrawn the security clearances for 40 mainly Muslim workers at the Paris airport of Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, one of Europe’s busiest airports.

Thirty five students at Goldsmiths College in south east London came to a discussion on Thursday of last week against the attacks on civil liberties.

More than 130 people from diverse backgrounds attended a public meeting at Dundee university on Monday to discuss Tayside constabulary’s Special Branch unit activities on campus. It is gathering intelligence against students.

Hundreds of relatives and friends of those who have died in custody held a remembrance procession in central London last Saturday.

At least 120 people came to the 'Celebrate & Educate' Black History Month event at Barking College on Saturday.

‘A climate has been created where Muslim students are worried about their safety.

‘Politicians have made comments about Muslims in the past few weeks that they should not have made.