The man Tasered by Greater Manchester Police in front of his terrified child speaks about George Floyd’s brutal death in police custody in the US. Floyd’s death has seen the US gripped with riots and peaceful protests, with many demonstrations in the UK showing solidarity with the civil rights movement in America. A man who […]
Mounting pressure on Andy Burnham to act against police brutality as watchdog investigate GMP’s tasering of a man in Stretford
Labour party activists have joined the growing number of calls for action on police brutality and an inquiry into Greater Manchester Police’s use of Tasers, especially in BAME communities, following the Tasering of a man in front of his child at a petrol station in Stretford last week. Labour anti-racist activists have this week joined […]
Police Taser use increase poses growing ‘threat to life’, report warns
“Tasers should be abolished” say authors of Resistance Lab report which shows Greater Manchester Police increased their Taser use by 73% in a year. A significant increase in Taser usage by Greater Manchester Police (GMP) poses a growing “threat to life”, particularly against BAME groups and people with mental and physical disabilities, the report says. […]
Council in partnership with ‘most brutal police state in the Middle East’ says Amnesty International
Manchester City Council’s business partnership with the Royal Family of Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, came under heavy criticism from activists and academics at a packed public meeting in the Central Hall on Oldham Street last Saturday. Describing the UAE as “the most brutal police state in the Middle East”, one speaker from […]
Malika Booker: ‘Museum for the countless Mothers of Black bodies dead in state custody’
Inspired by Article 9 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Malika Booker created this poem for inclusion in A Poetic Declaration, commissioned for the Ripples of Hope Festival at HOME in Manchester, in September.
School children across Greater Manchester are creating a new Poetic Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which will be unveiled online on 10 December – Human Rights Day.
Policing of pandemic disproportionately affected people of colour, report says
Policing of the pandemic “maintains racial injustice, further entrenches existing structural inequalities, and poses a threat to the safety and wellbeing of racially minoritised and working-class communities,” the authors say.
Unrest in Hong Kong and The Peterloo Massacre: is history repeating itself?
“Those that cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” George Santayana 1863-1952 The Peterloo Massacre and the events surrounding it are considered to be pivotal in the UK ‘s history towards obtaining universal suffrage. 200 years later, we are again witnessing the same process going on in Hong Kong where the cry for […]
There’s no Pride in Abu Dhabi, yet the council is still in bed with this abusive state
Manchester Pride is a wonderful life affirming event that highlights the progress made in accepting sexual and gender preference diversity in the UK, and the many changes we still need to make to provide LGBT+ people with equal rights and opportunities. Manchester City Council (MCC) is broadcasting its support for the event, but these words […]
The legacy of Black Power in Moss Side: activist Coca Clarke tells her story
Coca Clarke is an 85-year-old Black Power activist and she is still an active member of the vibrant Moss Side community, a community that – despite its many laudable efforts – struggles to shake off the lazy stereotypes and assumptions placed on an entire community by the media since the ‘gang wars’ of the ‘80s […]
Former Black Panther joins local community leaders for anti-racism event in Moss Side
Moss Side has historically been one of the most deprived areas in Britain, and still today it suffers from the narrative regarding the events of the 1980s and 1990s that saw widespread poverty and unemployment lead to high rates of drug-related crime and a series of shootings. However, Moss Side also consists of a bold […]