Racism

Do Jews count?

David Baddiel’s Channel 4 film focusing on antisemitism and the progressive left promotes a hierarchy of racism that only benefits the right argues Leah Levane
Goods, labour and markets: the politics of immigration

Capitalism creates displacement, and the left must be for equality of movement and the freedom of sending-countries, argues Hannah Cross
Hundreds protest outside Manston refugee 'concentration camp'

Norman Thomas reports from a protest outside Manston camp against the mistreatment of refugees and racist rhetoric from Suella Braverman
Tories hide new attack on spending behind hatred towards refugees

Tories stoke racism to deflect from their austerity programme, observes Peter Morgan
Braverman rallies the right

Braverman’s vicious stance over refugees highlights a factionalised Tory Party, which Sunak struggles to control, argues Terina Hine
All out for 5 November: Unite against the Tories - Counterfire freesheet October 2022

Tories in meltdown, the movement we need, protests in Iran, NHS workers balloting to strike, why they don't want us to talk about class and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Avtar Singh Jouhl (1937 - 2022): Beloved comrade - obituary

Paul Mackney pays tribute to Avtar Singh Jouhl
Marxism and Class part three: Class analysis or identity politics?

In the third part of the series on class, Chris Nineham explains why a class analysis is needed to understand and fight oppression
The Crucible: Witch-hunts and society in crisis

A new production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible draws out well the resonances between witch-hunts and contemporary politics, finds Lindsey German
It's all-out class war - Counterfire Freesheet September 2022

Justice for Chris Kaba, the crisis in our schools, why we need to fight for peace in Ukraine, myths of monarchy, the intensification of climate breakdown, Felixstowe and Liverpool dock strikes and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
Chris Kaba: no slowing down in the fight for justice

Oscar Cousins reports from the protest outside New Scotland Yard against the killing by police of Chris Kaba
Protesters take to the streets to demand justice for Chris Kaba

Thousands of people marched through London to protest the Metropolitan Police for the killing of Chris Kaba and to demand justice, reports Lucy Nichols
The police are beyond redemption: Justice for Chris Kaba

The killing of Chris Kaba is yet another reminder of the inherent racism in the Metropolitan Police and why we must fight for justice, writes Lucy Nichols
Stop Rwanda: Protesters stand up against racist deportation plans

Peter Bird reports from the protest against the Tory plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda outside the Royal Courts of Justice
The cynical routine of apologising for the past to hide the crimes of the present

Following the apology to Littlefeather for her treatment at the 1973 Oscars, John Clarke comments on the fake remorse used by politicians and institutions to cover-up their continuing crimes
The Pope’s sorry excuse for an apology for the Church's colonial crimes in Canada

The Pope’s apology to Indigenous people may be a sham but the challenge to colonial dispossession that made it necessary will continue until there is real justice, writes John Clarke
Fighting racism: Marxism vs identity politics - video

Shabbir Lakha explains the Marxist understanding of where racism comes from and why it offers a superior framework for both understanding and combatting racism compared to identity politics
Grounded: Tory deportation flight to Rwanda stopped - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's planned deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda has been stopped, but the fight to scrap the policy altogether continues, writes Terina Hine
No Rwanda: Protesters and refugees fight to stop the flight

Protesters marched up to the detention centre near Gatwick Airport where refugees who are due to be deported are being held and chanted together to stop the Tories' racist deportation plan, reports Ellen Graubart
‘Let them go’: Dalston stands up to police immigration raid

Tassia Kobylinska, a resident of Hackney, describes how the scene on Saturday when the community quickly mobilised to resist a police immigration raid targeting food delivery workers
Child Q: structural racism and its impact on BAME people

The shocking story of Child Q is not isolated, it is symptomatic of a racist system that needs to be dismantled, writes Alia Butt
Ken Burns’ Muhammad Ali: the warrior who would not fight

Exhaustive but not exhausting, Mark Dee Smith goes twelve rounds with our side’s most enduring sporting icon
Refugees are welcome here: Protesters stand up to Boris and Priti's racist plan

Protesters took to the streets to oppose the Tory government's racist and inhumane plan to deport refugees to Rwanda, reports Shabbir Lakha
Racist Rwanda refugee plan: Taking cruelty to a new level

The movement must rise to the challenge to stop Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's racist and inhumane "offshoring" of refugees, writes Yonas Makoni
Who benefited from the British Empire?

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland
The dangerous tide of Russophobia

Imperial rivalry has led to dangerous and absurd levels of xenophobia, writes John Clarke
Fighting racism with solidarity

Anti-racism day saw a broad and vibrant march through London, reports Orlando Hill
Racism: the ugly offspring of war

Lindsey German describes how aggression overseas drives racism at home
Child Q: 'we stand united against your oppression'

After the appalling police assault on Child Q, protesters in Hackney confront the racism and sexism of the state, reports Elly Badcock
Policing the Pandemic: How Public Health Becomes Public Order - book review

Policing the Pandemic raises important issues about institutional racism, but the police cannot be treated separately from the system they serve, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Rolling back racism: Why we can still defeat the Nationality and Borders Bill

In the run up to this Saturday’s anti-racism protests, Jamal Elaheebocus assesses the campaign against the draconian Nationality and Borders Bill.
No to imperialism East or West - Counterfire freesheet March 2022

The war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, Nationality and Borders Bill, the emerging global militarism, wins for strikers and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet
We’re Here Because You Were There: Immigration and the End of Empire - book review

Patel’s We’re Here Because You Were There is an important analysis of the racist logic of imperialist politics behind changing immigration policy, finds Jamal Elaheebocus
Good riddance: The long overdue resignation of Cressida Dick

Cressida Dick's role as Commissioner highlighted how deep the rot goes in the Metropolitan police and why we must oppose Tory plans to give them more powers, writes Steph Pike
The police are institutionally sexist: enough is enough

Sarah Everard’s murder by a serving police officer, police attack on a vigil for Everard, police selfies beside murdered sisters, undercover police having sex with female activists, rape and domestic violence ‘jokes’ at Charing Cross police station, humiliating strip searches...it can't go on, argues Kate Connelly
Will racism always be with us? - explainer

Yonas Makoni explains the socialist perspective on where racism comes from and how we can eradicate it
Kill the Bill: If the Tories want a fight, they have one

Protesters took to the streets around the country in renewed opposition to the Tory attack on our right to protest
End immigration detention: protesters take a stand against new Hassockfield centre

Immigration detention is cruel, expensive and inefficient, but the Tories seem determined to persecute vulnerable people. Janice Hutton reports from a protest outside the recently-opened Hassockfield centre
Sidney Poitier broke the mould of what a Black actor could be

John Clarke pays tribute to the man who refused to accept the degrading roles set aside for Black actors and who played an important role in challenging racism
The Colston 4 victory and the principled defiance we need

The acquittal of the Colston 4 is a victory for the whole movement and highlights the kind of solidarity we need to challenge this authoritarian government, writes Simon Duckett
Revolutionary Peacemaking: Writings for a Culture of Peace and Nonviolence - book review

Daniel Jakopovich’s Revolutionary Peacemaking is a fine collection of writings exploring how we can achieve a society of peace and social justice, finds Ellena Plumb-Javed
Darcus Howe: Honouring an anti-racist giant

Cici Washburn reports on the unveiling of a new plaque in Brixton commemorating anti-racist activist Darcus Howe
The false promises of Canadian official multiculturalism

Leaders like Trudeau offer only empty words about multiculturalism while presiding over a deeply racist state that continues to oppress minorities, argues John Clarke
Quebec's Bill 21: Islamophobia dressed up as secularism

Following the removal of a teacher from her job for wearing a hijab, John Clarke dissects the overt Islamophobia of Quebec's Bill 21 and argues that it must be defeated
Confronting racism is not a crime: Defend the Colston 4

The courageous protesters that took down the statue of slave trader Colston should not be the ones on trial, argue Simon Duckett and James Griffiths
Priti Patel’s racist attack on citizenship

The government’s Nationality and Borders bill which threatens the citizenship of ethnic minority Britons is a dangerous and racist law which must be resisted, argues Fatimah Ahmed
Murder in the Channel

The tragic deaths of refugees trying to get to Britain are the consequence of the government's hostile environment, argues Shabbir Lakha
Rittenhouse acquittal: A green light for the far right

The Rittenhouse acquittal is a symptom of a biased and racist system, which can only be challenged by mass action and solidarity, argues Kate O’Neil
France’s electoral chaos: Macron, Mélenchon and the fascists - interview

As France’s presidential election looms, John Mullen spoke toPhil Butland from The Left Berlin about the principal issues and balance of forces
The oppression of refugees: a UK-France collaboration

Jacob Bailey, a volunteer for Oxford Refugee Solidarity, calls for solidarity with migrants, reporting on the conditions in the camps in Northern France
'The resistance is taking shape': Wakefield rallies against Islamophobia

Chris Nineham reports from an inspiring conference in Wakefield organised to take action against Islamophobia
Europe's shame: The horrific treatment of refugees on the Poland-Belarus border

A humanitarian crisis is deepening on Europe's borders as one country after another militarises itself against the movement of refugees and desperate people, writes Kevin Ovenden
How ruling class greed, not immigration, brought down the Roman empire

Johnson’s analogy with the Roman Empire reveals a racist agenda, but it was the brutality and greed of its rulers which destroyed Rome, argues Dominic Alexander
Racism is not banter: The shame of Yorkshire Cricket - CounterBlast

The board at Headingly should be forced out for mishandling allegations of racism by Azeem Rafiq, argues Sean Ledwith
Doctor Who – apocalypse, politics, and story arcs

After a period of audience decline and a lack of narrative complexity, the new series offers the hope of a return to form, argues Sean Coote
Panther Power: the life and legacy of the young Tupac Shakur

Rapper Tupac Shakur opened up a fork in the road for the music argues Mayer Wakefield
Socialist Explainers: Short Answers to Big Questions

In this collection of socialist explainers, we’re giving quick responses to the questions that loom largest for us today
No Platform: Free speech for all?

We reprint below an article written by Lindsey German in 1986 over when and how 'no platform' should be supported by socialists. While it refers to contemporary issues then, we feel that in the light of recent debate about free speech it contains a number of important arguments which are of value today.
Race, class, and the limits of identity

Neither liberal-conservative ideas of equal opportunity, nor identity politics, understand the interrelationships of race, class and capitalism, argues Yonas Makoni
A dangerous opening for the right in Canada

The racist, anti-vaxx People's Party of Canada being the only party to have made significant gains in the recent election is a warning for the left, argues John Clarke
Set the Night on Fire: L.A. in the Sixties - book review

Set the Night on Fire is a monumental history of radical movements in 1960s Los Angeles, which holds lessons for global resistance movements today, finds Sean Ledwith
Priti racist: Patel's war against refugees

The vile inhumanity of the Tories trying to send refugee boats back across the Channel is part of creating a scapegoat for the cuts they're inflicting, argues Yonas Makoni
Batting away complaints – Azeem Rafiq and racism in cricket

Repeated failures to address the racial abuse suffered by cricketer Azeem Rafiq illustrates the endemic racism which plagues the game, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
The anti-Irish racism rooted in Scotland's elite

As Orange Lodges prepare to march, we repost Chris Bambery's analysis of the roots of anti-Irish racism in Scotland's ruling institutions
Kill the Bill: movements continue to converge on the streets of London – report

Activists from different causes remain on the streets to defend the right to protest, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
All cops are racist? The Macpherson report 22 years on - Counterblast

Over 20 years after the Macpherson report was originally published, racism remains endemic in British police forces, argues Terina Hine
Summer of Soul - film review

The recently released Summer of Soul shows us a side of the counterculture that deserves to be better known, argues Jim Aindow
Criminalising the vulnerable: the nationality and borders bill

The new ‘Nationality and Borders Bill’ is a callous move which will make life even harder for migrants and refugees, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
How feeding racism ultimately became the Home Office’s main plan

By Raoul Walawalker, a writer at theImmigration Advice Service, an organisation of UK and Ireland immigration lawyers
Tory culture wars vs anti-racist good sense

The events of the last week following the Euro 2020 final present an opportunity for anti-racists to take our arguments into every corner of the country, argues Martin Hall
The Tories won’t divide us - anti-racists take to the streets

Protesters take to the streets around the country to stand strong against racism and to call out Tory hypocrisy
Covid, crisis and the fight for a new normal - video

The opening rally of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas featuring Tariq Ali, Danièle Obono and Lindsey German
Don’t be fooled, Boris Johnson isn’t going to spend foreign aid money on the NHS

The cut to the foreign aid budget is symptomatic of Tory racism and a disdain for working class people at home and abroad, argues Lucy Nichols
Manchester is united against the racists: hundreds join demo at Marcus Rashford mural

A demonstration in Manchester met the recent and widespread racist abuse by football fans of the England team’s Black players with unity and support, reports Sabina Ofori-Kuragu
Tyrone Mings is right: racism is driven from the top

The racist abuse of black England football players has been fuelled by the Tory culture war, but the popular backlash against it marks a turning point, argues Yonas Makoni
The movement turns out to defend GRT communities from Police and Crime Bill

Protesters gathered in Parliament Square to oppose the Police and Crime Bill that is set to criminalise GRT way of life, reports Lucy Nichols
The war on woke: how socialists should respond to the culture wars

The Tories are trying to further divide the working class by fuelling culture wars, socialists must fight back on our own terms, argues John Westmoreland
The Truth About Police Stop & Search

Channel 4’s new documentary paints a vivid picture of the police’s systemic mistreatment of black people, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Class not culture: why white working class kids are really being let down

The government is trying to stoke a culture war with its latest report looking everywhere but its own anti-working-class policies for disparities in education, writes Terina Hine
Osime Brown victory: protests push back Priti Patel’s racist deportation

The success of protests and petitions in stopping Osime Brown’s deportation shows how the movement can challenge this racist government, writes Lucy Nichols
Taking the knee and taking on the racists - CounterBlast

England footballers displaying solidarity with the Black Lives Matter campaign deserve the unequivocal support of the anti-racist movement, writes Sean Ledwith
Canada’s murderous residential schools: the enduring legacy of colonialism

Following the discovery of the bodies of 215 Indigenous children, John Clarke examines Canada’s colonial past and its racist legacy
Black footballers and the media: Amad Diallo, the tabloids and racism

All young Premier League players live a glamorous lifestyle not available to most people. But only some of them get constant criticism for it, argues Euan Burns
Existence is Resistance: Palestine, Israel and the West - video

Jonathon Shafi, Sybil Cock, Shabbir Lakha and Mona Kamal discuss Palestine, imperialism and the global solidarity movement
Teaching the right lessons: Victory for Pimlico Academy students and staff

Following protests and the threat of strike action, Pimlico Academy’s out of touch headteacher has announced his resignation, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
Class solidarity in Glasgow beats Priti Patel's hostile environment

The mobilisation of the community in Pollokshields which successfully stopped the deportation of two asylum seekers is a lesson in class solidarity and anti-racism in action, reports Mark Porciani
How dangerous is Marine Le Pen?

John Mullen assesses the prospect of electoral success for Marine Le Pen and argues that she must be countered by national anti-fascist initiatives from the left
The dangerous victory for the Spanish right in Madrid

Chris Bambery analyses the Popular Party’s success in Madrid’s elections, and the increased power of the far right Vox party
Chauvin convicted: a victory for the movement but the struggle continues

George Floyd's killer being convicted for murder is a result of the Black Lives Matter movement, now it must continue to fight for fundamental change, argues Shabbir Lakha
Defend the Pimlico Academy students threatened with expulsion

Students who organised a protest against their schools racist policies have outrageously been threatened with expulsion, we cannot let this happen, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Take it to the streets: Get ready for 26 June

Lucy Nichols on why we need to bring together all the strands of opposition to the Tories onto the streets at the People’s Assembly national demonstration on 26 June
Soundtrack to the Brixton Uprising 40 years on

Marking the 40th anniversary of the uprising in Brixton, Dave Randall looks at the music that accompanied the struggle
5 reasons the new racism report is bullshit

The Sewell Report’s denial of institutional racism is really just an exercise in whitewashing the actions of a racist Tory government, argues Yonas Makoni
Sewell report: racist government exonerates itself over racism - CounterBlast

The facts show the pro-Tory report is in wilful denial about structural racism in the UK, writes Sean Ledwith
Pimlico Academy protest: students rise up against racist school rules

Students at Pimlico Academy took action on Wednesday against their school's racist policies and are demanding the headmaster resigns, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
Jazz and Justice: Racism and the Political Economy of the Music - book review

Gerald Horne’s Jazz and Justice is an illuminating history of the material conditions of African-American Jazz musicians in its classic decades, finds Martin Hall
Priti Patel is addicted to attacking refugees - CounterBlast

The Home Secretary’s latest asylum proposals are characteristically racist, callous and devoid of compassion, writes Sean Ledwith
Atlanta murders: how US imperialism is driving anti-Chinese racism

On UN Anti-Racism Day, Jamal Elaheebocus looks at the anti-Chinese racism behind the recent Atlanta murders and the role of imperialism in fuelling it
Swiss burqa ban: the racist right digs in deeper

The burqa ban in Switzerland represents the latest in a series of Islamophobic policies and must be resisted, argues Maddalena Dunscombe
Royal racism isn’t new, the whole monarchy’s got to go

More than Meghan Markle’s revelations, the monarchy is rotten to the core and it’s time it was abolished, argues Mona Kamal
Shamima Begum ruling: the racist product of Britain’s wars

Keeping Shamima Begum stateless and blocking her from re-entering the UK is setting a dangerous precedent, argues Lucy Nichols.
Racism, sexism and ‘Karens’

You can’t fight one oppression by doubling down on another, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh
Five reasons why Israel is an apartheid state

Following a recent report by Israeli human rights organisation B'Tselem which called Israel an apartheid state, Sybil Cock explains why the label fits
Justifying institutional racism: Met Police defends targeting black people

The Metropolitan Police is now openly admitting its disproportionate use of stop and search against black people and that it has no intention to stop, writes Yonas Makoni
Stansted 15 not guilty: a victory for the whole movement

The victory for the Stansted 15 in overturning their convictions is a step forward against the attempts to criminalise protest, writes Shabbir Lakha
One Night in Miami: civil rights at the crossroads - review

One Night in Miami provides a vivid depiction of segregated America and an exploration of the meaning of Black liberation, finds Yonas Makoni
'The police have beat the shit out of me': justice for Mohamud Mohammed Hassan

The death of a 24 year old black man after being in South Wales Police custody and their refusal to release bodycam footage has caused outrage, reports Yonas Makoni
How to take on the fascists: New York protest forces Proud Boys retreat

Protesters in New York City have shown how to effectively combat Trumpism: on the streets, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Why Trumpism must be defeated: reactions to the Capitol chaos

Some immediate thoughts on the scenes of armed Trump supporters taking over the Capitol building on Wednesday
The Dawning of the Apocalypse: The Roots of Slavery, White Supremacy, Settler Colonialism, and Capitalism in the Long Sixteenth Century - book review

Horne’s history of early colonialism in the Americas reveals how structures of racism were constructed to support the development of capitalism, finds Jamal Elaheebocus
Small Axe: a history of racism in 5 episodes

Steve McQueen's Small Axe is essential viewing; it provides a powerful history of racism and the black struggle in Britain, argues Unjum Mirza
How To Read Donald Duck: Imperialist Ideology in the Disney Comic - book review

The first-UK specific edition of the classic deconstruction of the imperialism and racism that underpinned Disney’s comics remains eye-opening, finds Dominic Alexander
Not guilty: defend the Bristol activists who tore down Colston

The prosecution against the four Black Lives Matter activists who pulled down Edward Colston's statue must be stopped, argues Shabbir Lakha
Black Lives Matter and the terraces: the defenders take the lead

Opposition to taking the knee, an anti-racist action popularised by a global movement, shows how far there's still to go in tackling racism in football
Institutional racism laid bare: the fight for Justice for Shukri continues

As the Inquest into Shukri Abdi's death comes to a close, Attiq Malik, a lawyer for the family argues that this is not the end in the fight for justice
Britain's shame: deportation flight goes ahead despite widespread opposition

The Tories pushed on with its racist deportation flight to Jamaica even after successful legal challenges, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
'Worse than prison': shocking treatment of refugees at Napier Barracks exposed

Asylum seekers who have survived horrific journeys are now being held in such inhumane conditions they're committing self harm and attempting suicide
Windrush continued: the government's mass deportations must be stopped

Government plans to deport another 50 black people on 2 December in a continuation of the racist hostile environment must be opposed urgently
Hostile environment: how the Tories broke the law to ramp up racism

A new report shows the hostile environment is unlawful, but it's more than a technical oversight - it's the deliberate racism of the state and it must be resisted
The limits of identity politics - video

Elaine Graham-Leigh explains the origins and limitations of identity politics and what a Marxist understanding of oppression and how to overcome it offers
Starmer, Corbyn and the Labour whip: this is a war against the left

Withholding the whip from Corbyn is unjustifiable. The left must unite and fight back against Starmer's war on the left, argues Chris Nineham
Racism and football: Black Lives Matter, but not for long

Following the resignation of FA chairman Greg Clarke for racist comments, Tony Dowling looks at how football's governing bodies are letting black players down
Racists off campus: Manchester students protest against university security racism

After a black student was racially profiled by university security, students have taken to the streets of Fallowfield to demand justice
Steve McQueen’s Mangrove: anti-racist struggle takes to the stage of British history

The first instalment of Steve McQueen’s Small Axe shows the brutality faced by black community and how they organised a radical campaign for justice
Failing black people, Muslims and women: the EHRC isn’t fit for purpose

A new Parliamentary report, David Goodhart’s appointment and the exoneration of the BBC show that the EHRC is incapable of dealing with institutional discrimination
This Is What America Looks Like - book review

Ilhan Omar has always been a fighter, and not just in the rhetorical sense. Kate O’Neil reviews the autobiography of the progressive Somali-American representative
Paul Robeson: fighter for liberation - video

A presentation on the revolutionary life of singer, actor and activist Paul Robeson by Tayo Aluko
Why Black History Month matters

Floyd Codlin responds to right wing attacks on Black History Month
Covid disparities: race is a factor but so is class

Structural racism is why ethnic minorities are more vulnerable to the virus, and it's a feature of class society not separate from it, argues Yonas Makoni
France: build the movement against Islamophobia

Following on from the recent murder of a French schoolteacher and the exploitation of the event by Islamophobic forces, we repost Left Berlin’s interview with Paris activist John Mullen
Black Power Afterlives: The Enduring Significance of the Black Panther Party - book review

Black Power Afterlives provides a range of views on the Black Panther Party, some of which hint at what a revival of the radical core of the Party could mean, argues Yonas Makoni
Republic of Islamophobia: weaponising the tragedy in France for political ends

The horrific killing of a schoolteacher is being used as an opportunity for the state to renew a racist offensive against French Muslims, argues Susan Ram
Theatre and the struggle against apartheid

Jacqueline Mulhallen on theatre and the anti-apartheid movement in South Africa and Britain
Confronting boxing's segregation history

Imperialist and racist tactics were used to attempt to ensure both literal and symbolic white dominance of the sport, argues Gavin Lewis
Justice for Joyce: Canada’s racist healthcare system

The racist abuse faced by dying Indegenous woman Joyce Echaquan is symptomatic of systemic racism in Canada, writes John Clarke
Penally camp: Pembrokeshire unites to boot the fascists out

The far-right have been mobilising at Penally camp where refugees are being housed, but anti-racists have have stepped up their organisation in response, reports Jim Scott
Racist America: forced sterilisations of refugee women

Refugee women in detention being given forced hysterectomies without consent is yet another reason why Ice must be abolished, argues Eleftheria Kousta
'It isn’t only guns that kill': racism in Britain’s criminal justice system

Attempts to minimise racism in the UK because British police aren’t armed like their US counterparts don’t stack up, argues Luna Williams
Danièle Obono interview: racism, the movement and the virus in France

Susan Ram interviews Danièle Obono, an MP with La France Insoumise on the anti-racist movement after she was racially attacked by a French magazine
'Greatness' In A Time Of Covid

A poem by Tayo Aluko
Serbia and the 'refugee crisis': from good Samaritan to guard of 'Fortress Europe'

Obedience to European diktat and fierce competition in national politics has helped to harden Serbia's policy towards refugees and migrants, argues Anja Ilić
No to the exam factory: what kind of education do we want? - video

Lindsey German discusses the state of education and what the alternatives could look like
Paris protest supports Black MP against racist magazine

As demonstrators show solidarity with demonised Black MP Danièle Obono, the left in France should continue to step up the fight against racism, argues John Mullen
Where does racism come from? - video

As part of a series on Marxism in the Modern World, Shabbir Lakha looks at the roots of racism and what that means for the struggle against it
Business as usual for police brutality

Black Lives Matter has put racist police brutality in the spotlight, but the police continue to operate with impunity, writes John Clarke
This country is non-functioning: Black Lives Matter resets itself after Kenosha

As Trump and the far right try to capitalise on urban unrest, pro athletes take the movement to new heights, reports Kate O’Neil
Jacob Blake and Kenosha: the chickens are still coming home to roost

Kate O’Neil reflects on the US empire’s latest eruption of racism and violence
The 'drowned and the saved': why migrant and refugee lives matter

As racist politicians attempt to fan the flames of prejudice and hatred, refugees need our complete solidarity, argues Floyd Codlin.
Why we need to defund the police and disarm the state

As part of a series on what next for Black Lives Matter, we repost this article exploring the demand to defund the police
Is a society without oppression possible? - explainer

Elaine Graham-Leigh analyses where oppression comes from and if it can be overcome
Why the government is to blame, not the people - CounterBlast

Boris Johnson’s Tory government should be held responsible for the scale of the coronavirus crisis, not ordinary people, argues Alex Snowdon
Immigration Nation and the brutality of America’s borders

Immigration Nation gives a damning overview of America’s cruel immigration system and the power of the American State, writes Lucy Nichols
The Met Police is using software that racially profiles ethnic groups

The new 'Origins' programme being implemented by the Met takes their policy of racial profiling and abuse one step further, reports Shabbir Lakha
The Labour leadership isn’t serious about anti-racism - CounterBlast

Starmer isn't fighting racism, he's fighting the left, writes Lucy Nichols
Black Lives Matter in a time of pandemic

Nearly two months on from George Floyd’s brutal killing, the struggle against racist police violence is contending with a catastrophic resurgence of Covid-19, writes Susan Ram
London demands justice for Breonna Taylor in seventh week of BLM protests

Saturday's march for Breonna Taylor underlines the continuing determination of the movement seven weeks on, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
UK police: racist to the core - CounterBlast

Institutional racism is not just a concept that applies to the US but a very real fact for people of colour in the UK, argues Shabbir Lakha
Far-right nationalism in Poland: persecution and resistance

Poland's right-wing populists owe their success to liberal capitalism's failure, writes Reece Goscinski
Five films on the black struggle

As Black Lives Matter continues to make gains, Counterfire writers discuss a personal selection of films concerning race and class in the US and UK
Olive Morris: British Black Panther, squatter and radical activist

In the week Olive Morris would have turned 68, Julie Al-Hinai remembers the radical black activist and her contribution to the movement
London marches for Shukri Abdi

A march for justice for Shukri Abdi advances another important campaign in the battle against systemic racism, reports Lucy Nichols
The UK is systemically racist: the fight has just begun

Luna Williams, a political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service, writes for Counterfire on racism in the UK
Erasing empire has to end: why schools need to decolonise the curriculum

Decolonising the curriculum and supporting BAME children at school is a critical step towards tackling systemic racism, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
Reconstruction in the USA: Black freedom denied - part 2

In the second of a two-part analysis, John Westmoreland explores the successes of Reconstruction, and the subsequent attempt to airbrush them from history
Racism is systemic, so why are we still talking about privilege?

Locating racism as rooted in capitalism is key to building the kind of movement that can end it, argues Shabbir Lakha
Staying in the streets: Black Lives Matter protests continue across the UK

Black Lives Matter protests continued in cities and towns all over the country for a fourth week
Reconstruction in the USA: Black freedom denied - part 1

In the first of a two-part analysis, John Westmoreland examines the contradictions of American society which laid the basis for black oppression to persist after the Civil War
Blowing open the past: Spike Lee's Da 5 Bloods reviewed

Spike Lee's latest is a powerful and deeply political triumph, finds Chris Nineham
I Am Not Your Negro - film of the week

I Am Not Your Negro is an unforgettably powerful film that you must not miss, writes Dragan Plavšić.
Don’t let the dust settle on Cecil Rhodes

The agreement to remove Cecil Rhodes’s statue is a big win for the movement and shows that protest works, argues David Jordan
Black history you can’t be without: Nine books on the struggle

A reading list of nine essential books on black history and the struggle against racism
When Alabama revolutionaries took on the KKK

Despite powerful and brutal opposition, black and white communist workers battled bravely against injustice in Alabama, writes Sean Ledwith
The coming culture war - CounterBlast 15 June

No amount of Westminster window-dressing can dampen this global revolt against racism, writes Lucy Nichols
The good, the bad and the ugly – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Black Lives Matter movement and its impact
Black Lives Matter protest marches through South London

Hundreds marched from Burgess Park demanding justice for George Floyd and justice for Grenfell, reports Cici Washburn
Reclaiming our history

Behind the symbolism of statues lies a more fundamental battle over the reality of British racism, past and present, argues John Westmoreland
Black Lives Matter protests continue to spread across the UK

Around the country, thousands of people marched, knelt and shouted against racism on Saturday. We report on some of the local Black Lives Matter protests
London: BLM protesters keep up the pressure

Protesters march to Trafalgar Square after inspiring rally in Hyde Park to continue the renewed fight against systemic racism, reports Harry Welch
Boris Johnson, statues and staying in the streets

As Johnson launches lazy attacks on the movement, now is no time to retreat, argues Lindsey German
The uprising on Trump's doorstep: Black Lives Matter in DC

The Black Lives Matter protests in Washington DC are taking the fight straight to Trump, reports Shabbir Lakha based on an interview with Sarah Govan
Prestwich takes the knee for George Floyd

Activists in North Manchester gathered for a local socially-distanced Black Lives Matter protest, reports Penny Hicks
Statues come tumbling down - CounterBlast 10 June

The growing campaign to remove racist iconography takes us nearer a progressive and decolonised curriculum for future generations argues Sean Ledwith
Black Lives Matter, the sixties and socialist organisation - video

Lindsey German interviews Tariq Ali on the Black Lives Matter protests, their significance and the struggles ahead
Black people protesting racism are not thugs - CounterBlast 8 June

Johnson’s attempt to demonise protesters in Bristol reveals his true colours, argues Lucy Nichols
#BLM: Doncaster steps up

This weekend's protest in Doncaster was an important action in the battle against those who would misrepresent the town, argues Mick Wattam
A turning point against racism – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on fighting oppression and the continuing Covid crisis
#BLM: reports from a day of protest

Thousands take to streets across the country in uncompromising stand against systemic racism
The message from London is clear: Black Lives Matter

For the third time this week, tens of thousands of people gathered in London to demand an end to police racism, reports Lucy Nichols
Même police, memo racisme! (Same police, same racism!)

In Paris and across France, thousands of protestors are defying bans to express their outrage at police racism and violence, reports Susan Ram
Why I'm angry: People's Assembly Youth Takeover

Shabbir Lakha speaks on a People's Assembly platform on Black Lives Matter protests, racism and the pandemic in Britain and how we fight back
Ten days that shook America

The brave defiance of the protesters in America has the ruling class in retreat, argues Chris Nineham
Noughts + Crosses: a reverse reality that illustrates systemic racism - review

Despite some dubious changes, this BBC adaptation of Malorie Blackman's exploration of race and class is well worth watching, says Shabbir Lakha
London on the march: Black Lives Matter

At a second mass demonstration in London, thousands of protesters gathered in Hyde Park to racist police violence in the US and here, reports Jamal Elaheebocus
White supremacist in the White House: Trump’s rotten record of racism

Trump’s predictably divisive response to the killing of George Floyd has only served to fan the flames of US anti-racist resistance
Coronavirus: death rate higher if you’re poor and BAME

The report into disproportionate BAME deaths from Covid-19 confirms that structural racism is at the heart of the problem, writes Lucy Nichols
Justice for George Floyd: model resolution and window poster

Counterfire has produced a model resolution you can pass in your organisation and a poster you can download to put on your window or in your area
Where are the US protests going? - interview with Chris Smalls

Counterfire's Shabbir Lakha interviewed Chris Smalls, former Amazon employee and now an organiser, about the protests sweeping across the US against racist police violence
The Battle of the Beanfield: an important anniversary in the history of state brutality

Cathy Augustine, Co-vice Chair of the Labour Representation Committee, remembers the Battle of the Beanfield, 35 years after the largest mass arrest of civilians in English legal history
Black lives matter: Brixton takes to the streets

A young angry crowd marched to oppose the murder of George Floyd and highlight racism and police brutality in the UK, reports Dave Randall
This government wants to follow the money, not the science – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the Covid-19 lockdown, Tory mendacity and the US revolts

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Racism

Racism

David Baddiel’s Channel 4 film focusing on antisemitism and the progressive left promotes a hierarchy of racism that only benefits the right argues Leah Levane

Capitalism creates displacement, and the left must be for equality of movement and the freedom of sending-countries, argues Hannah Cross

Norman Thomas reports from a protest outside Manston camp against the mistreatment of refugees and racist rhetoric from Suella Braverman

Tories stoke racism to deflect from their austerity programme, observes Peter Morgan

Braverman’s vicious stance over refugees highlights a factionalised Tory Party, which Sunak struggles to control, argues Terina Hine

Tories in meltdown, the movement we need, protests in Iran, NHS workers balloting to strike, why they don't want us to talk about class and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Paul Mackney pays tribute to Avtar Singh Jouhl

In the third part of the series on class, Chris Nineham explains why a class analysis is needed to understand and fight oppression

A new production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible draws out well the resonances between witch-hunts and contemporary politics, finds Lindsey German

Justice for Chris Kaba, the crisis in our schools, why we need to fight for peace in Ukraine, myths of monarchy, the intensification of climate breakdown, Felixstowe and Liverpool dock strikes and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Oscar Cousins reports from the protest outside New Scotland Yard against the killing by police of Chris Kaba

Thousands of people marched through London to protest the Metropolitan Police for the killing of Chris Kaba and to demand justice, reports Lucy Nichols

The killing of Chris Kaba is yet another reminder of the inherent racism in the Metropolitan Police and why we must fight for justice, writes Lucy Nichols

Peter Bird reports from the protest against the Tory plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda outside the Royal Courts of Justice

Following the apology to Littlefeather for her treatment at the 1973 Oscars, John Clarke comments on the fake remorse used by politicians and institutions to cover-up their continuing crimes

The Pope’s apology to Indigenous people may be a sham but the challenge to colonial dispossession that made it necessary will continue until there is real justice, writes John Clarke

Shabbir Lakha explains the Marxist understanding of where racism comes from and why it offers a superior framework for both understanding and combatting racism compared to identity politics

Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's planned deportation of asylum seekers to Rwanda has been stopped, but the fight to scrap the policy altogether continues, writes Terina Hine

Protesters marched up to the detention centre near Gatwick Airport where refugees who are due to be deported are being held and chanted together to stop the Tories' racist deportation plan, reports Ellen Graubart

Tassia Kobylinska, a resident of Hackney, describes how the scene on Saturday when the community quickly mobilised to resist a police immigration raid targeting food delivery workers

The shocking story of Child Q is not isolated, it is symptomatic of a racist system that needs to be dismantled, writes Alia Butt

Exhaustive but not exhausting, Mark Dee Smith goes twelve rounds with our side’s most enduring sporting icon

Protesters took to the streets to oppose the Tory government's racist and inhumane plan to deport refugees to Rwanda, reports Shabbir Lakha

The movement must rise to the challenge to stop Boris Johnson and Priti Patel's racist and inhumane "offshoring" of refugees, writes Yonas Makoni

Nadhim Zahawi’s demand that teachers teach about the 'benefits of the British Empire' is not about teaching a balanced view - it's about using history to support the Tories' patriotic narrative, argues John Westmoreland

Imperial rivalry has led to dangerous and absurd levels of xenophobia, writes John Clarke

Anti-racism day saw a broad and vibrant march through London, reports Orlando Hill

Lindsey German describes how aggression overseas drives racism at home

After the appalling police assault on Child Q, protesters in Hackney confront the racism and sexism of the state, reports Elly Badcock

Policing the Pandemic raises important issues about institutional racism, but the police cannot be treated separately from the system they serve, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

In the run up to this Saturday’s anti-racism protests, Jamal Elaheebocus assesses the campaign against the draconian Nationality and Borders Bill.

The war in Ukraine, the cost of living crisis, Nationality and Borders Bill, the emerging global militarism, wins for strikers and more in this month's Counterfire freesheet

Patel’s We’re Here Because You Were There is an important analysis of the racist logic of imperialist politics behind changing immigration policy, finds Jamal Elaheebocus

Cressida Dick's role as Commissioner highlighted how deep the rot goes in the Metropolitan police and why we must oppose Tory plans to give them more powers, writes Steph Pike

Yonas Makoni explains the socialist perspective on where racism comes from and how we can eradicate it

Protesters took to the streets around the country in renewed opposition to the Tory attack on our right to protest

Immigration detention is cruel, expensive and inefficient, but the Tories seem determined to persecute vulnerable people. Janice Hutton reports from a protest outside the recently-opened Hassockfield centre

John Clarke pays tribute to the man who refused to accept the degrading roles set aside for Black actors and who played an important role in challenging racism

The acquittal of the Colston 4 is a victory for the whole movement and highlights the kind of solidarity we need to challenge this authoritarian government, writes Simon Duckett

Daniel Jakopovich’s Revolutionary Peacemaking is a fine collection of writings exploring how we can achieve a society of peace and social justice, finds Ellena Plumb-Javed

Cici Washburn reports on the unveiling of a new plaque in Brixton commemorating anti-racist activist Darcus Howe

Leaders like Trudeau offer only empty words about multiculturalism while presiding over a deeply racist state that continues to oppress minorities, argues John Clarke

Following the removal of a teacher from her job for wearing a hijab, John Clarke dissects the overt Islamophobia of Quebec's Bill 21 and argues that it must be defeated

The courageous protesters that took down the statue of slave trader Colston should not be the ones on trial, argue Simon Duckett and James Griffiths

The government’s Nationality and Borders bill which threatens the citizenship of ethnic minority Britons is a dangerous and racist law which must be resisted, argues Fatimah Ahmed

The tragic deaths of refugees trying to get to Britain are the consequence of the government's hostile environment, argues Shabbir Lakha

The Rittenhouse acquittal is a symptom of a biased and racist system, which can only be challenged by mass action and solidarity, argues Kate O’Neil

As France’s presidential election looms, John Mullen spoke toPhil Butland from The Left Berlin about the principal issues and balance of forces

Jacob Bailey, a volunteer for Oxford Refugee Solidarity, calls for solidarity with migrants, reporting on the conditions in the camps in Northern France

Chris Nineham reports from an inspiring conference in Wakefield organised to take action against Islamophobia

A humanitarian crisis is deepening on Europe's borders as one country after another militarises itself against the movement of refugees and desperate people, writes Kevin Ovenden

Johnson’s analogy with the Roman Empire reveals a racist agenda, but it was the brutality and greed of its rulers which destroyed Rome, argues Dominic Alexander

The board at Headingly should be forced out for mishandling allegations of racism by Azeem Rafiq, argues Sean Ledwith

After a period of audience decline and a lack of narrative complexity, the new series offers the hope of a return to form, argues Sean Coote

Rapper Tupac Shakur opened up a fork in the road for the music argues Mayer Wakefield

In this collection of socialist explainers, we’re giving quick responses to the questions that loom largest for us today

Neither liberal-conservative ideas of equal opportunity, nor identity politics, understand the interrelationships of race, class and capitalism, argues Yonas Makoni

The racist, anti-vaxx People's Party of Canada being the only party to have made significant gains in the recent election is a warning for the left, argues John Clarke

Set the Night on Fire is a monumental history of radical movements in 1960s Los Angeles, which holds lessons for global resistance movements today, finds Sean Ledwith

The vile inhumanity of the Tories trying to send refugee boats back across the Channel is part of creating a scapegoat for the cuts they're inflicting, argues Yonas Makoni

Repeated failures to address the racial abuse suffered by cricketer Azeem Rafiq illustrates the endemic racism which plagues the game, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

As Orange Lodges prepare to march, we repost Chris Bambery's analysis of the roots of anti-Irish racism in Scotland's ruling institutions

Activists from different causes remain on the streets to defend the right to protest, reports Jamal Elaheebocus

Over 20 years after the Macpherson report was originally published, racism remains endemic in British police forces, argues Terina Hine

The recently released Summer of Soul shows us a side of the counterculture that deserves to be better known, argues Jim Aindow

The new ‘Nationality and Borders Bill’ is a callous move which will make life even harder for migrants and refugees, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

By Raoul Walawalker, a writer at theImmigration Advice Service, an organisation of UK and Ireland immigration lawyers

The events of the last week following the Euro 2020 final present an opportunity for anti-racists to take our arguments into every corner of the country, argues Martin Hall

Protesters take to the streets around the country to stand strong against racism and to call out Tory hypocrisy

The opening rally of Counterfire's Revolution! Festival of Marxist Ideas featuring Tariq Ali, Danièle Obono and Lindsey German

The cut to the foreign aid budget is symptomatic of Tory racism and a disdain for working class people at home and abroad, argues Lucy Nichols