Racism

Campaigners from across the country gathered together to discuss and plan for Stand up to Trump, a coalition with a plan to take on the US president

Beneath the ambition lurks the murky waters of reaction, notes Kevin Ovenden

The Orange one’s disastrous 10 days in office, reviewed by Kara Bryan

Trump's Muslim Ban is appalling and Theresa May's refusal to condemn it is outrageous. Organising against both is critical.

We cannot give ground to the racists but must defend free movement of people as one of the most basic of rights

This can be the start of a new wave of dissent, argues Lindsey German

The NHS crisis, Durham teaching assistants and defending free movement - Counterfire's freesheet edition 015, January 2017

Furious chorus of 'No justice, no peace - No to racist police!' as over 400 people block a main road in rush hour - Jack Sherwood reports

Trump’s inauguration will be marked by worldwide protest, Shabbir Lakha explains why we should be organised and united against the new US President

Ron Nixon’s Selling Apartheid shows how money and power can be used to promote even the most immoral and distasteful of causes, finds Jacqueline Mulhallen

As President-elect becomes President, Sean Ledwith takes a look at the Trump administration

After eight years of Democratic rule, the American brand of liberalism that accompanied the country’s rise to global hegemony looks exhausted

Lindsey German debates the issues surrounding Brexit with Michael Gove and others on Sky News

Buy online: A cutting edge guide to the way class and women's oppression intersect, and how emancipation must be linked to system change

The Casey report will only add to the level of hostility and suspicion that Muslims face daily argues Chris Nineham

In this comprehensive account of social issues rooted in the neoliberal reign of terror, Henry Giroux provides a crucial critique of free-market fundamentalism in 2016, finds Shabbir Lakha

Why Thomas Mair, the white supremacist terrorist who murdered Jo Cox MP, should have been prosecuted for terrorism

What does Brexit mean? What should we be demanding? Lindsey German takes on these questions in the second talk of our new series, tackling the big issues of the day

How did Trump win? What do we do now? John Rees takes on these questions in the first talk of our new series, tackling the big issues of the day

On Remembrance Sunday, Andrew Marr and the BBC decided to air an interview with Marine Le Pen reports Shabbir Lakha

We must fight for an alternative to barbarism, argues Lindsey German

This short, sharp and powerful collection of essays is a stirring inspiration in the search for liberation and justice, finds Adam Tomes

Counterfire publishes more reactions to Trump's election, as world politics is thrown into crisis once again

Counterfire publishes more reactions to the US elections, as world politics is thrown into crisis once again

French authorities and the British Home Office have washed their hands of remaining refugees in Calais, explains Shabbir Lakha

The closure of the Calais camp is an act of barbarity, but solidarity with refugees remains strong, argues Shabbir Lakha  

Connecting terrorism with Islam, as Sun columnist Kelvin MacKenzie did, is not intellectually respectable - no matter what Ipso says

The government is not just being bureaucratic, it’s deliberately shirking its responsibilities, argues Shabbir Lakha

We must keep the spirit of Cable Street alive by confronting organised racism and fighting the effects of the capitalist crisis, argues Feyzi Ismail

In spite of its desperate campaign, the Hungarian government failed to mobilise enough voters to support its anti-refugee policy, writes Bob Oxley

A brutal attack in the heart of Middle England highlights the reality of everyday racism, reports Maz Saleem

The left must be uncompromising in asserting some fundamental arguments against immigration controls, racism and austerity, argues Kevin Ovenden

As the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Cable Street approaches, Chris Bambery looks at the events that took place in 1936 Britain and the lessons we can take from them

Len, A Lawyer in History is the important story of Leonard Weinglass and other activist lawyers in the US who represented people targeted for their politics, finds Alan Wieder

Kevin Ovenden considers the aftermath of the brutal assassination that rocked domestic politics and identifies currents the mainstream is anxious to ignore 

A special issue of the journal Race and Class vividly illustrates the history of black and anti-racist struggles for peace and equality in Britain, finds Dominic Alexander

While Owen Smith and the Labour right play political football with antisemitism, Kevin Ovenden looks at the serious rise in fascism across Europe

A look at the political life of Tupac Shakur, and the implications for today's black movement, from Sean Ledwith

As France imposes this draconian ban, Lindsey German states why we must say no - clearly and unequivocally

As Theresa May declares her intention to stamp out slavery, John Westmoreland delves into the roots of its modern form

Sean Ledwith considers Donald Trump's ascendancy within the context of the history of the Republican Party and American power

The rise of the populist right shows that the centre cannot hold, and a socialist alternative is the only solution, argues Elaine Graham-Leigh

A support group gathers disturbing testimony from people deported by commercial contractors, reports Lotte LS

Dragan Plavšić offers an alternative take on Britain’s decision to leave the EU, the rise in racist incidents, and considers parallels with Yugoslavia 

Shabbir Lakha reports on this week's London activist meeting of Black Lives Matter, as participants discuss the next steps for the movement 

We should not allow the attempt to turn concerns about sexism and racism into a weapon for the right to beat the left, writes Lindsey German

As racist attacks escalate in the US, and continue in the UK, the show of solidarity from Britain's streets is inspiring, writes Shabbir Lakha

With many of the old political certainties breaking up, Lindsey German argues that the left have to rise to the challenge.

The vote to leave the EU was fuelled by class divisions, argues Alastair Stephens

Whatever the outcome, the left will have to unite after the referendum to fight against racism, austerity and war argues Lindsey German.

Shabbir Lakha reports on the Convoy to Calais, which the French police shamefully turned back at the border

While mainstream ideology repackages its old myths and lies, Kevin Ovenden argues for a radical re-assertion of class-based anti-racism 

A vote to leave the EU seems a distinct possibility, and anti-capitalists need to ready for what lies ahead, writes Chris Bambery

Nigel Farage's latest outburst is part of a growing sexualisation of racism, argues Lindsey German

We need working class solidarity in support of the refugees - John Westmoreland reports on building the convoy in Doncaster

Defending Malia Bouattia's record as an anti-racist campaigner, Shelly Asquith argues that the NUS has the right to criticse Israeli politics

The No.10 website has refused to host a petition calling for an inquiry into Tory racism. We are organising our own, reports Feyzi Ismail

The EU is an enemy of working people, as well as those fleeing poverty and war. Now more than ever, the labour movement must advocate to leave

Today marks the third anniversary of Maz Saleem’s father Mohammed Saleem's brutal murder by neo-Nazi Pavlo Lapshyn

The media's reporting of the election of Malia Bouttia has ignored the woman and her policies

Victor Kiernan’s The Lords of Human Kind is a classic dissection of the racist pretensions of European imperialism, argues Dominic Alexander

As fascists and racists seek to exploit the refugee crisis, our embedded reporter Maz Saleem witnesses how our side fights back 

Anti-racist activist Maz Saleem reports from Piraeus Port, Athens, the frontline of the current refugee crisis

As the EU referendum draws closer, and the Tories split further, Chris Bambery looks at why the debate is not the orgy of racism that so many predicted

The officers who killed Jean Charles de Menezes will not be prosecuted. Maz Saleem looks at a system that allows the police to avoid accountability

Demonstration in support of refugees on Saturday 19th March captured in photographs by Jim Aindow

We must use every opportunity to build a united movement against racism

Frank Barat argues that we have to understand the root causes of terrorism if we are to achieve a peaceful world

As the Tories descend into civil war, we argue that a vote to leave the EU would be a blow against the neoliberal order 

Writer and activist Kevin Ovenden discusses the rise of racism across Europe and the struggle against it

Watch Lindsey German's speech from the ‪#‎RefugeesWelcome‬ demonstration in London in solidarity with those fleeing war

We must stand up in solidarity with refugees and migrants argues Maz Saleem

This week the 'key text' in our series is an article written by Tony Cliff on Marxism and oppression, introduced by Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

The racist scapegoating of refugees recalls the darkest moments in Europe's history, writes Lindsey German

With Islamophobia rising across the world, why do the media continue to ignore the fact that #MuslimLivesMatter asks Maz Saleem?

Sexism and racism have to be challenged without bowing to the far right, who are using sexual assaults to attack refugees, argues Kaveh Yazdani

We need to understand the sources of Islamophobia and stand with Muslims when they are under attack, argues Zara Nelson

The Prime Minister's denigrating language about migrants is true to his class, says Alastair Stephens

David Cameron's attacks on Muslim women come within the context of rising Islamophobia across the world, writes Lindsey German

David Cameron has further stigmatised the Muslim community - suggesting that those who do not learn English may have to leave the country - Rabina Khan responds

Defeat without having to face a decent opposition may be more useful than success for the continued growth of Le Pen's Front National, argues Alistair Stephens

Not since the 1930s has a far right, indeed a fascist party done so well in an election in Western Europe, writes Alastair Stephens

As the Indian prime minister visits Britain, Sheena Sumaria talks to writer Amrit Wilson, founder member of the South Asia Solidarity Group, about Modi's violent past and neoliberal policies

Jim Aindow looks at the history and impact of an inspirational anti-racist movement told through the photos of Syd Shelton in an exhibition at the Rivington Place gallery

Director Stanley Nelson tells the story of one of the most influential radical movements to emerge from the United States, whose legacy is both enduring and politically misunderstood, writes Season Butler

Shadia Edwards-Dashti reports on a delegation from England and Scotland to the refugee camp near Calais on Saturday

Amandla Thomas Johnson on the importance of Black History Month

The idea that securing the borders and making life for asylum seekers harder represents an adequate response to the refugee crisis is not only inhumane, but deeply naïve

In the wake of the wave of demonstrations to support refugees, the long history of anti-racist organisation is recalled in the current issue of Race and Class, finds Dominic Alexander

Tens of thousands of refugees have organised and triggered a wave of social solidarity which in some countries is unprecedented writes Kevin Ovenden

The West's wars have played a central part in the refugee crisis, says Lindsey German

Medea Benjamin talks to Counterfire about the prospects of American foreign policy, the anti-war sentiment in the US, and the Black Lives Matter movement

Lee Jasper takes issue with the BBC's new 'fly on the wall' documentary about the Metropolitan Police

Charlotte Gerada writes on the smear campaign against Rabina Khan that the media won't discuss

With the focus of hatred aimed at migrants the elite culprits of society's problems hide behind racism

The interwoven history of racism and liberation in Cuba and the United States in Race to Revolution illuminates a new historical narrative, argues William Booth

With the Tower Hamlets mayoral election round the corner, Dilly Hussain questions whether another ‘coup’ awaits Lutfur Rahman’s successor

Alastair Stephens looks at how riots changed American history and represented a historic challenge to the ruling order

Judge Mawrey's comments offer a disturbing insight into the mindset with which he approached the Lutfur Rahman case and which prevails amongst Britain's ruling elite

The real solution to state racism  lies with the people - only a motivated, organised, disciplined mass movement can bring change to America argues Lee Jasper

We must end a foreign policy that is causing mayhem and misery across vast swathes of the globe

Rather than being ignored, Hopkins should be sacked as a columnist and the Sun should be hauled before the authorities for providing a platform for explicitly racist speech

Offensive jokes are a significant part of the infrastructure of prejudice argues Jeremy Messenger

In Athens thousands joined the Greek leg of the international day of action against racism and fascism. Kevin Ovenden reports

Islamophobia has become an institutional norm - we need to stand shoulder to shoulder with Muslim communites and oppose military interventions and wars argues Chris Nineham

Mark Perryman welcomes the release of the Orgreave Justice Double CD of rebel music, old and new

Pegida's attempt to launch an anti-muslim movement in the UK by holding a protest in Newcastle was massively outnumbered by a counter-mobilisation by Newcastle Unites. Alex Snowdon reflects on the lessons

German group Pegida is set to hold its first UK demonstration on Saturday, but will face concerted opposition. Alex Snowdon explains

Selma chronicles the three-month period in 1965, when Martin Luther King led a  campaign for equal voting rights. Review by Sean Ledwith

Muslims are caught in a 'clash of civilisations' narrative in which they are seen as backward while Western civilisation is portrayed as the saviour

We need to refute the idea that we're living through a 'Clash of Civilisations' between the West and Islam - it's dangerous bunkum argues Chris Bambery

Danièle Obono, a leading member of the French Left, speaks about the impact of the recent attacks and the dangers of Islamophobia

Figures obtained by a Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police show a 60% increase in the monthly average compared to period prior to Lee Rigby murder

Next Saturday is the 20th anniversary of Eric’s Selhurst Park Kung Fu kick assault on a supporter. Philosophy Football'sMark Perryman celebrates a night when football took sides

Two years ago today supporters of the fascist Golden Dawn stabbed 26-year-old Pakistani retail worker Shahzad Luqman to death. Kevin Ovenden writes on the fight against racism in Greece in his eighth dispatch from Athens

Written by Olivier Cyran and originally published in December 2013 as 'Charlie Hebdo, not racist? If you say so…' this article attacks the magazine's 'crude racism'. Translated by Daphne Lawless

Lindsey German looks at twelve features of last year that will shape politics in the year ahead

There’s a double standard where Islamist terror is met with hysteria, while far-right terror is met with indifference, writes Lindsey German

Gus John: the use of flags to send a message to immigrants and their offspring about who really belongs to Britain should be condemned by Ed Miliband

Lindsey German: Muslims in Britain could be forgiven for thinking that even when they do the right thing, it’s wrong

James Meadway challenges the anti-immigration hysteria and argues that Britain is a better place to live because of the contribution made by migrants

Kevin Ovenden looks at the history of race and class in London's East End and the current battle to beat back the Tory attack on Tower Hamlets

Why are black people with mental health problems still more likely than whites to be heavily medicated, restrained and detained against their will?

We should, as a society, be working together to target predatory men and protect our vulnerable from abusers and those who protected and enabled them. Let's not forget how the authorities failed these children and blamed the victims. That's the real issue, not ethnicity.

We the undersigned call upon you, the Right Honourable Teresa May, Home Secretary personally to consider the case of Sushilananda Sraman (HO:  S1445819) for protection in the UK under the 1951 Refugee Convention or for Humanitarian Protection, or consideration outside the usual immigration rules as a matter of the utmost urgency.

Sean Ledwith looks at the police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson and the rising against the racist machine

The planned deportation of asylum seeker Sushilananda Sraman exposes our government's disregard for human rights

Palestinian groups and individuals inside and outside of historic Palestine have signed the following statement in solidarity with their brethren in Ferguson, Missouri.

Thousands of children have been strip-searched in child prisons and secure children’s homes despite a government pledge to stop, half of them were black or ethnic minority, many under 12 years old