Calendar of Racism and Resistance (8 – 22 November 2022)


Calendar of Racism and Resistance (8 – 22 November 2022)

News

Written by: IRR News Team


A fortnightly resource for anti-racist and social justice campaigns, highlighting key events in the UK and Europe. Find these stories and all others since 2014 on our searchable database, the Register of Racism and Resistance.

ASYLUM | MIGRATION | BORDERS | CITIZENSHIP

Asylum and migrant rights

8 November: Spanish interior minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska is accused of withholding security footage evidence from the prosecutor’s investigation into the deaths of at least 23 migrants in June at Melilla, Spain’s north African enclave. (AP News, 8 November 2022)

14 November: Freedom of information requests by the Refugee Council establish that, with record delays in processing of asylum claims, over 40,000 people have waited between one and three years for a decision, and 725 have waited over five years, including 155 children. (The National, 14 November 2022)

16 November: Only 117 asylum seekers have been relocated under a voluntary EU scheme introduced in June, the European Commission admits, despite member states pledging to relocate 8,000 from Italy, Greece and Spain. (Schengen Visa Info, 16 November 2022) 

21 November: Twenty NGOs denounce visa restrictions and ‘degrading’ treatment faced by Moroccan nationals applying for Schengen visas for EU countries in their consulates in Morocco, particularly the French consulate. (Schengen Visa Info, 21 November 2022) 

Borders and internal controls

10 November: Home secretary Suella Braverman announces that military personnel will perform immigration controls at ports and airports after a few days’ training, following a strike vote by Border Force staff. The Ministry of Defence is considering the secondment request. (Guardian, 10 November 2022)

11 November: The Ocean Viking docks in Toulon, France with 234 rescued people after the Italian government refuses for over two weeks to allow it to land, causing a row between the two governments and France suspending an agreement to take 3,500 refugees from Italy. (Le Monde, 15 November 2022)

11 November: The German federal police report a dramatic increase in the number of Turkish citizens travelling along the ‘Balkans route’ to seek asylum, with Turkey now the third most common country of origin in asylum applications, after Syria and Afghanistan. (Deutsche Welle, 11 November 2022)

14 November: An ITV documentary, The Crossing, on the deaths of at least 27 people in the Channel on 24 November 2021 reveals that, as desperate passengers made 20 distress calls, British and French coastguards spent hours debating whether the boat was in British or French waters instead of sending a rescue crew. (Guardian, 12 November 2022)

14 November: Suella Braverman signs a deal with the  French interior minister, the fourth in three years, which commits France to a 40 percent increase in patrols to stop small boats leaving the French coast, in exchange for an extra £8m, taking payments to France for policing the coast to £63m per year. (BBC News, 15 November 2022)

17 November: Austria, Serbia and Hungary, declaring the ‘EU’s asylum system has failed’, sign a tripartite agreement on migration to strengthen Balkans border security, also committing to assist Serbia organise deportations. (Euronews, 17 November 2022) 

18 November: A letter from UNHCR to Greek ministers, leaked to the press, reveals that despite UNHCR’s intervention on behalf of seven Turkish ex-soldiers and a teacher who reached Samos by boat, the refugees were pushed back to sea and into the arms of the Turkish state. (Balkan Insight,  18 November 2022)

Reception and detention

9 November: Aberdeen Council announces a scheme to refurbish hundreds of empty council homes for refugees from Ukraine and elsewhere. (National, 9 November 2022)

10 November: A Welsh Assembly minister tells immigration minister Robert Jenrick it is unacceptable to house asylum seekers locally without any consultation or notification, preventing preparation and damaging community cohesion, as a number of local authorities in England and Wales including Conwy take legal action over the issue. (BBC News, 10 November 2022; North Wales Live, 11 November 2022)

10 November: Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Neal calls on the government to speed up asylum approvals to enable people to leave ‘grim’ temporary accommodation. (Independent, 10 November 2022) 

10 November: Anger greets Home Office plans with contractor Clearsprings to reopen as asylum housing a controversial housing block in Newhaven, Sussex where ten residents died between 2016 and 2021, closed after complaints of unfit conditions. (Sussex World, 10 November 2022) 

10 November: Councillors in Carlisle plead with residents to reject hatred after a torrent of hateful social media posts greet an announcement that a local hotel will be used as asylum accommodation. (Cumbria Times & Star, 11 November 2022)

11 November: Legal challenges by Ipswich and East Riding councils to the relocation of asylum seekers to local hotels by the Home Office are rejected by the High Court, as Stockport council reveals that asylum seekers ‘cooped up’ in a local hotel face a scabies outbreak and ‘inhuman treatment’. (Observer, 13 November 2022)

16 November: The European Court of Human Rights orders Belgium to house 148 homeless asylum seekers, after the government ignored an order from the Brussels Labour Court to house them and provide for their basic needs. (ELENA weekly legal update, 18 November 2022)

16 November: As the immigration minister says small towns and villages will have to take more asylum seekers, blaming rising numbers, it is revealed that at least 40 child asylum seekers were placed in an asylum hotel near Heathrow designated for adults, where one of them was stabbed last month. (Guardian, 16 November 2022, Guardian, 16 November 2022)

18 November: A man held at Manston since his arrival in a small boat a week ago dies in hospital after being taken ill at the site. (Guardian, 19 November 2022)

22 November: As the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman confirms that he is investigating the death at Manston, which has also been referred to the Independent Commission on Police Conduct, the scandal-hit asylum processing centre is emptied of residents and closes its doors. (Guardian, 22 November 2022)

Read Joseph Magg’s in-depth analysis of the Manston facility
Deportation

10 November: The UN Human Rights Council calls on the UK to ensure its treatment of refugees complies with international laws, with special reference to the Rwanda plan. (Independent, 10 November 2022) 

Crimes of solidarity

20 November: As lawyers and humanitarian groups assisting refugees come under increasing pressure from the Greek government, a report claims that some 50 humanitarian workers currently face prosecution in the country. (Yahoo News, 20 November 2022)

Citizenship

21 November: Shamima Begum’s appeal against the deprivation of her British citizenship in February 2019 begins in the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in London, in her absence as she was refused a visa to attend. As Begum’s lawyers say she was a victim of trafficking, an MI5 witness says victims can also threaten national security. (BBC, 21 November 2022)

ELECTORAL POLITICS | GOVERNMENT POLICY

As anti-migrant, anti-equalities, anti-abortion, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQI rhetoric in electoral campaigning are increasingly interlinked, we reflect this in the coverage below which also includes information on the influence of the Christian Right as well as the religious Right generally.

8 November: Kurdish writer Kurdo Baksi criticises the  Swedish prime minister for ending support for the Kurdish People’s Protection Units militia, in return for Turkish support of  Sweden’s application to join NATO. (Morning Star, 8 November 2022)

14 November: Anti-mafia journalist Roberto Saviano goes on trial in a libel case brought by Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni, over his remarks regarding her policy towards migrants drowning in the Mediterranean. (Observer, 13 November 2022, Guardian, 15 November 2022)

14 November: Immigration minister Robert Jenrick is reported to the UK Statistics Authority for allegedly misleading MPs about asylum seekers crossing the Channel in order to push further anti-migrant measures through Parliament. (Independent, 14 November 2022)

16 November: The Swedish parliament amends constitutional protections on press freedom and freedom of expression to bring in a foreign espionage law allowing harsh penalties for those publishing information that could harm Sweden’s relations with other countries or international organisations. (Public News, 21 November 2022; The Local, 21 November 2022)

17 November: Following the Refugee Council’s warning that naming hotels hosting asylum seekers attracts unwanted attention from far-right groups, Conservative politicians including Nottingham MPs Lee Anderson and Brendon Clarke-Smith say they will not be ‘silenced’ and will continue to name such hotels. (Nottinghamshire Live, 17 November 2022)

19 November: Radim Ivan, the vice-mayor of Ostrava-Jih (Civic Democratic Party) in the Czech Republic, deletes a tweet in which he refers to Romani people as ‘gyppos’, alleging they encourage their newly-adult children to apply for unemployment benefits. (Romea, 19 November 2022)

22 November: In a video message to a parliamentary event on violence against women, Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni says it is necessary to reflect on the relationship between violence and religion, ‘especially in relation to immigrant women’, relating this to clothing limitations and forced marriages, justified by the culture of the country of origin. (ANSA, 22 November 2022)

22 November: Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage praises Labour leader Keir Starmer for his pledge to the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) that a Labour government will help business wean itself off low-paid migrant labour, saying that Labour is now to the right of the Tories on immigration. (Huffington Post UK, 22 November 2022) 

ANTI-FASCISM AND THE FAR RIGHT

With anti-migrant, anti-Muslim, anti-equalities, anti-abortion, misogynistic and anti-LGBTQI activities increasingly interlinking, we now incorporate information on the Christian Right as well as the religious Right generally.

11 November: In France, 13 members of the extreme-right Facebook group ‘Barjols’ (Crazies) are sent to trial on terrorist-related offences over a 2018 plot to attack the president and members of his government, mosques and migrants. (RFI, 11 November 2022)

12 November: In Warsaw, opposition politicians criticise the police for detaining pro-democracy campaigners while allowing demonstrators to display illegal neo-nazi symbols at Poland’s annual Independence Day march. (Euronews, 12 November 2022)

14 November: After fascist graffiti appear on public buildings, police in Padua, Italy, police raid the offices of Casa Pound and the homes of five of its neo-fascist militants, and charges are brought of support for fascism, with aggravated damages sought. (ANSA, 14 November 2022)

14 November: Scottish white supremacist groups, including Highland Division and Patriotic Alternative, are using the Telegram app to call for action against ethnic minorities, media warn. (Daily Record, 14 November 2022)

15 November: In Ireland, the anti-immigration National Party holds a meeting at the prestigious Lough Erne Resort near Enniskillen, leading to clashes with anti-fascists which are condemned. (Irish News, 15 November 2022)

16 November: Thirty years after a deadly arson attack on a refugee centre in Saarlouis, Germany in September 1991, a far-right extremist appears in court, charged with murder, attempted murder and arson resulting in death. (Euronews, 16 November 2022)

17 November: A two-day conference in Sarajevo concludes that far-right and extremist groups in the Balkans constitute a major threat, with 71 far-right and extremist groups and organisations operating in six countries in the Western Balkans, and the far Right represented in government in some Balkans countries. (Balkan Insight, 17 November 2022)

20 November: The Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) launches an investigation into far-right radicalisation in the military, with a focus on training recommendations. (National News, 20 November 2022)

20 November: In Naples, Italy, the white supremacist Order of Hagal is raided by anti-terror police, and five members, believed to have connections in Poland and Ukraine, are arrested for association for the purpose of terrorism and instigating hate crimes. (Vice, 20 November 2022)

20 November: Kent Conservative councillor Andy Weatherhood is suspended after photos emerge of him pictured in Blackshirt attire at a New British Union event in 2013. (Guardian, 20 November 2022)

20 November: In Basel, Switzerland, six members of the far-right Junge Tat are arrested after unfurling a banner stating ‘Deport Criminals’ and setting off firecrackers on the roof of the city’s main train station. (Swiss Info, 20 November 2022)

21 November: The Never Again Association reacts with dismay to the South African Constitutional Court’s decision to parole Janusz Waluś, who shot dead South African Communist Party leader Chris Hani in 1993 and is treated as a national hero by the far Right in his native Poland, with calls for him to be made president. (Cape Talk, 21 November 2022; Notes from Poland, 21 November 2022)

POLICING | PRISONS | CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

7 November: In Norway, a government-appointed commission, headed by professor Pål Arild Lagestad, recommends permanently arming the hitherto unarmed police. (News in English, 7 November 2022) 

8 November: In Spain, a police officer convicted of stirring up hatred against migrant children by posting a video clip claiming to show a Moroccan migrant raping a woman in a town near Barcelona, becomes the first person to receive a jail sentence for using social media to spread fake news. (Guardian, 8 November 2022)

11 November: Following a legal action brought by Liberty on behalf of Awate Suleiman and Unjust UK, the Metropolitan police admit that the operation of the Gangs Matrix was unlawful, breaching rights to family and private life, and that Black people are disproportionately represented on the database, and agree overhaul the list and remove most of the names. (Liberty, 11 November 2022)

13 November: The police disciplinary system is in disarray, claims the Times, blaming a backlog of 76 police misconduct hearings on a stand-off between the Home Office and legally qualified chairs who are seeking indemnity after being sued by the officers they dismiss. (Times, 13 November 2022)

13 November:  Gwent police order an external investigation into ‘abhorrent content’ shared by police officers and found on an officer’s phone after his death. In one message the Grenfell Tower blaze was described as the ‘Great Muslim Bakeoff’.  (Wales Online, 13 November 2022)

13 November: Figures released by the National Police Chiefs’ Council in response to FOI requests show that BME people received one-third of all the fines issued for attending events with amplified music during lockdown from March 2020 to July 2021. (Guardian, 13 November 2022) 

16 November: After an absence of ten years, a portrait of Jenő Szemák, a fascist-sympathising judge who served in Hungary’s wartime fascist government, is re-hung in Hungary’s highest court. (Guardian, 16 November 2022)

16 November: Three Manchester teenagers, including a youth leader who addressed MPs in Parliament, sentenced to 8 years for conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm on the basis of Telegram chat messages after the killing of a friend, are refused permission to appeal, in a case described as guilt by association. (Guardian, 16 November 2022)

17 November: Home Office figures reveal that more than 3,000 children, one-third black, were strip-searched by police in 28 forces in England and Wales in the year to March, while 19 percent of adults strip-searched were black. Greater Manchester Police, South Yorkshire, Surrey, Sussex and Thames Valley did not provide statistics. (Telegraph, 17 November 2022)

18 November: After an inquest finds that West Midlands police failings ‘materially contributed’ to the deaths of Raneem Oudeh and Khaola Saleem in Solihull in 2018, Southall Black Sisters criticise the police culture which ‘fails to take domestic and honour-based abuse seriously’. (Guardian, 18 November 2022)

21 November: Freedom of information requests reveal that only 10 Met officers out of 412 investigated for abuse on WhatsApp or social media sites were sacked, with the vast majority given written warnings, and others put on ‘reflective learning practice’ or given ‘management advice’. (Guardian, 21 November 2022)

21 November: In his opening remarks to the inquiry into the death of Sheku Bayoh in police custody in Fife, Scotland, in 2015, chair Lord Brocadale condemns the ‘despicable racist abuse’ directed at Bayoh’s family and solicitor, saying that in some instances it ‘may amount to hate crime’. (Guardian, 22 November 2022)

Shekuh Bayoh banner held by women at the annual UFFC rally October 2022
Justice for Sheku Bayoh banner at the 2022 annual UFFC rally.

21 November: A Vice News investigation reveals a 2008 Metropolitan police operation that involved a hip-hop record shop and recording studio run by undercover officers. ‘Operation Peyzac’ resulted in 35 arrests, with campaigners and those affected describing it as ‘entrapment’ of young black men. (Vice, 21 November 2022)

22 November: An investigation begins into allegations of beatings and torture by 45 prison officers, doctors, officials and interim warders of Ivrea prison, in northwestern Italy. As the trial of 105 prison officers and local health agency officials at Santa Maria Capua Vetere, accused of brutally suppressing a ‘riot’, also begins, evidence is presented that suspects exchanged texts beforehand, stating ‘We’ll kill them like veal calves’ and ‘tame the beasts’, and afterwards, ‘four hours of hell for them’. (ANSA, 22 November 2022)

COUNTER-TERRORISM AND NATIONAL SECURITY

11 November: The Belgian authorities say Yassine M, who killed a police officer and wounded another in a stabbing attack in Brussels, had been on a counterterrorism list of potential extremists. There are calls for the interior minister to resign. (Euronews, 11 November 2022) 

14 November: In a statement, the National Association of Muslim Police express concern about the number of Muslims referred to Prevent, including Muslim police officers referred after religious pilgrimages. The number of referrals from the West Midlands is highlighted, and the Association argues that the term ‘Islamist’ should be dropped from counter-terror policing. (Birmingham Mail, 14 November 2022)

DISCRIMINATION | EQUALITIES | HUMAN RIGHTS

9 November: The RomanoNet organisation in the Czech Republic says that a decision by the health ministry not to compensate a Roma woman who was illegally sterilised is a ‘display of structural antigypsism’. (Romea, 9 November 2022)

12 November: Birmingham city council’s Labour group is accused ‘of not taking racism and discrimination seriously’ after an anonymised survey of BME members raises concerns over use of racial slurs and claims that areas with high BME populations are ‘purposely neglected’. (Guardian, 12 November 2022)

15 November: Pub chain Greene King pays thousands of pounds in damages to 12 Irish Travellers who were refused service during a boxing match between Dylan White and Tyson Fury. (Guardian, 15 November 2022) 

EDUCATION

9 November: Keele University strips medieval historian Philip Morgan of his honorary title and evicts him from his office after he questioned why he should show his passport for a ‘right-to-work’ check upon returning from retirement to teach at summer school. (Times Higher Education, 9 November 2022)

18 November: In Italy, an estimated 100,000 students march in various cities against new education plans, calling on the far-right government to abandon the rhetoric of meritocracy and arguing that the renamed Ministry of Education and Merit will institutionalise discrimination. (Morning Star, 18 November 2022)

20 November: Eton College offers an ‘unreserved’ apology for the behaviour of students who allegedly directed racist and misogynistic slurs towards visiting state schoolgirls during a speech by GB News’ Nigel Farage a few days earlier, and cheered Farage’s anti-migrant comments. (Independent, 20 November 2022)

HOUSING | POVERTY | WELFARE

10 November: As the inquiry into the Grenfell fire ends after 400 days of evidence, with the report unlikely to be produced until at least October 2023, counsel to the inquiry says each of the deaths was avoidable, and accused organisations involved in the block’s refurbishment of spinning a web of blame. Families’ group Grenfell United say they will fight on for accountability. (Guardian, 11 November 2022) 

Grenfell Tower draped in memorial green heart and text "Grenfell: forever in our hearts".
‘Grenfell: forever in our hearts’ memorial. Credit: Cory Doctorow, Flickr.

14 November: The UN calls on the UK to tackle rising poverty, making 302 recommendations aimed at preventing homelessness, better food security for young children, and equal rights for people with disabilities. (Guardian, 15 November 2022)

15 November: A coroner says that the death of two-year-old Awaab Ishak following prolonged exposure to mould in his family’s flat should be a ‘defining moment’ for social housing providers. The family, originally from Sudan, issue a statement alleging discriminatory treatment by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing. (Guardian, 15 November 2022)

19 November: As tenant activists say they are considering bringing a corporate manslaughter charge against Rochdale Boroughwide Housing following the death of Awaab Ishak, its chief executive is sacked. (Guardian, 19 November 2022)

21 November: A report by Heriot-Watt University and the Oak Foundation finds ‘overwhelming’ evidence that people from BME communities experience disproportionate homelessness. (Independent, 21 November 2022) 

EMPLOYMENT | EXPLOITATION | INDUSTRIAL ACTION

13 November: Nepali workers recruited for Kent farms for six months under the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme are told to leave after two months for lack of work, leaving them thousands of pounds in debt. (Observer, 13 November 2022)

14 November: A study by the Institute for Fiscal Studies finds that despite educational success by minority ethnic groups, most continue to earn less than their white counterparts, with clear evidence of discrimination in the labour market. (Guardian, 14 November 2022)

14 November: The Confederation of British Industry (CBI) demands urgent action to relax work visa rules for overseas workers, to deal with chronic staff shortages. (Guardian, 14 November 2022)

16 November: An employment tribunal finds that London Overground rail workers were subjected to a ‘toxic’ culture of racist bullying. Arriva Rail London provides no information on disciplinary action, citing data protection rules. (Guardian Series, 16 November 2022)

19 November: A Birmingham jury finds Hawkeswood Metal Recycling Company and Ensco 10101, as well as two directors, guilty on 12 counts of health and safety breaches which contributed to the deaths of five Black African-origin workers, who were killed when a wall collapsed at the recycling plant in July 2016.The families issue a statement via Black Lives Matter UK. (UKBLM, 19 November 2022; Enfield Independent, 19 November 2022)

21 November: Majority-migrant cleaners, caterers and housekeeping staff at London Bridge hospital win a campaign brought by the Independent Workers of Great Britain (IWGB) union for an end to ‘exploitative’ outsourcing arrangements, and are to be brought in-house from April 2023, the union says. (Morning Star, 21 November 2022)

CULTURE | MEDIA | SPORT

While we cannot cover all incidents of racist abuse on sportspersons or their responses, we provide a summary of the most important incidents. For more information follow Kick it Out.

9 November: KFC apologises for a promotion on its app inviting German customers to celebrate Kristallnacht, the nazi pogrom against Jews, by ordering fried chicken and cheese. (Guardian, 10 November 2022) 

12 November: The neoconservative Henry Jackson society claims that tensions in Leicester are the result of accusations by ‘Islamist radicals’ being spread through social media. Majid Freeman, one of those accused, claims this report itself is a propaganda piece which excuses Hindutva ideology. (Telegraph, 12 November 2022)

12 November: Following a scandal and equivocation, the Polish Football Association fires a man with neo-nazi and criminal connections hired to act as a bodyguard to players such as Robert Lewandowski. (First Sportz, 13 November 2022; Notes from Poland, 12 November 2022)

16 November: A 63-year-old man from Stevenage fined £150 by Westminster Magistrates’ Court after racially abusing a steward at Craven Cottage football stadium. (MyLondon, 16 November 2022)

17 November: Over 170 actors, writers and producers sign an open letter accusing the jury of the 2022 European Drama Prize in Germany of ‘modern-day McCarthyism’, after it cancels a Lifetime Achievement Award to British playwright Caryl Churchill over her support for Palestinian rights and the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement. (Guardian, 17 November 2022)

18 November: England T20 World Cup winner Alex Hales is reprimanded by the England Cricket Board after a social media post shows him in blackface in 2009. Former cricketer Ateeq Javid is also reprimanded for antisemitic messages with Azeem Rafiq in 2011. (Guardian, 18 November 2022)

18 November: The Mathias Corvinus Collegium think-tank launched in Brussels is immediately criticised as a vehicle of the Hungarian government that funds it. Directed by Frank Furedi, it aims to facilitate ‘a mature and in-depth debate on the cultural tensions’ that cross the ‘Old Continent’. (Le Monde, 19 November 2022; Euronews, 18 November 2022) 

20 November: Research conducted by the Centre for Countering Digital Hate shows that Twitter failed to delete 99 of 100 reported racist tweets aimed at footballers in the week prior to the World Cup. This comes just a week after Elon Musk updated Twitter’s rules on hate speech. (Observer, 20 November 2022)

21 November: Former footballer Jason Lee speaks about how the racist, blackface depiction of him by comedian David Baddiel 25 years ago has had a detrimental impact on his life, with Lee still experiencing racist jibes as a result. (Guardian, 21 November 2022)

21 November: The head of Show Racism the Red Card criticises Conservative MP Brendan Clarke-Smith, after he celebrated the England football team’s decision to not wear the pro-LGBT rainbow armband by urging the team to also refrain from the anti-racist gesture of taking the knee before kick-off. (Mirror, 21 November 2022)

21 November: New Earth Theatre, a company of British east and south-east Asian (BESEA) artists, announces it has pulled its upcoming production WORTH from the Sheffield Crucible theatre because of the venue’s decision to stage Miss Saigon, a musical New Earth argue contains ‘damaging tropes, misogyny and racism’ towards Vietnamese people. (Guardian, 21 November 2022)

22 November: A report by UK Music finds that the number of BME workers in the music industry has decreased, with employees from ethnically diverse backgrounds disproportionately affected by pandemic-related job cuts. (Guardian, 22 November 2022)

22 November: Meta’s oversight board orders Instagram to reinstate a clip of drill music by Secrets Not Safe by Chinx (it had been removed following a Met police request). An FOI request reveals that over a 12 month-period the Met filed 286 requests to take down or review posts about drill music, with 255 granted. No other genre was targeted. (Guardian, 22 November 2022)

RACIAL VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT

For details of court judgements on racially motivated and other hate crimes, see also POLICING | PRISONS | CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

8 November: One male and two female suspects are arrested in relation to a racially aggravated physical and verbal attack against a male victim on board a bus in York. All three are released on bail pending further police enquiries. (The Press, 8 November 2022)

9 November: A 27-year-old man is convicted of racially abusing, threatening and assaulting two police officers while being arrested for an unrelated matter on 23 March in Brighton. Lewes Crown Court sentences him to six months in jail. (The Argus, 9 November 2022)

10 November: A 36-year-old man is found guilty of directing racially aggravated harassment and threats toward staff at a fish and chip shop in Balloch on 24 August last year. Dumbarton Sheriff Court orders him to complete 120 hours of unpaid work and undertake alcohol and drug counselling. (Clydebank Post, 10 November 2022)

10 November: A 34-year-old man is subjected to a racially aggravated attack in Redcar from three unidentified men dressed in black, who kicked the victim repeatedly and stole his car keys, although they did not steal the vehicle. (Teesside Live, 11 November 2022)

10 November: Falkirk Sheriff Court orders a 33-year-old man to complete 155 hours of unpaid community work over 12 months for threatening behaviour and breach of bail, following an incident in May, where he insulted his partner and subjected her friends to racist and homophobic abuse when they arrived at her home in Falkirk to offer support. (The Falkirk Herald, 15 November 2022)

11 November: A 30-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of assault and possession of class B drugs after allegedly using racist language and attempting to attack two women in Belfast. (NewsLetter, 11 November 2022)

12 November: A 52-year-old is convicted of a racially aggravated public order offence after racially abusing a West Ham player during a football match at Elland Road on 25 November. Leeds Magistrate Court also find him guilty of making threats against Leeds United fans on the day, and issue him an eight-week custodial sentence (suspended for 12 months), 100 hours of unpaid work and £775 in fines. (West Leeds Dispatch, 12 November 2022) 

14 November: A 38-year-old inmate at Addiewell Jail is convicted of racially aggravated assault for an attack on 7 September last year which left a fellow inmate with serious brain damage.  The High Court in Glasgow adds four years and eight months to the defendant’s custodial sentence, which was set at a minimum of 18 years in 2009 when he was found guilty of a racially motivated murder. (Glasgow Live, 14 November 2022)

14 November: Two women, aged 43 and 46, are charged with racially aggravated public order offence and wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm in relation to the stabbing of a man in his 40s in Newcastle on 12 November. Two men, aged 49 and 29, were also arrested in relation to the crime and released on bail. (Chronicle Live, 14 November 2022)

14 November: Durham Police launch a public appeal to identify a male suspect in relation to two racially aggravated incidents in Durham on 7 October. In both cases, the suspect directed racial abuse at female pedestrians while riding his bicycle. (Durham Constabulary, 14 November 2022)

16 November: In the first nine months of 2022, there were 65 attacks on shelters for asylum seekers and refugees in Germany, almost as many as in the whole of 2021, according to the Federal Ministry of the Interior. Attacks are also getting more serious, with three asylum seekers hostels burnt down in October. (Le Monde, 16 November 2022)

18 November: Four shots are fired at a rabbi’s house near the Old Synagogue in Essen, Germany. (Deutsche Welle, 18 November 2022)

18 November: A 59-year-old woman from Shipley is found guilty of a racially aggravated attack against an officer at Bradford police station on 14 May 2022. Bradford and Keighley Magistrates’ Court fines her £120 and orders her to pay £232 in additional court charges. (Telegraph & Argus, 16 December 2022) 

The calendar was compiled with the help of Graeme Atkinson, Sira Thiam, Sophie Chauhan, Louis Ordish and Joseph Maggs. Thanks also to ECRE, the Never Again Association, Stopwatch and The Week in Work, whose regular updates on asylum, migration, far Right, racial violence, employment and policing issues are an invaluable source of information. Find these stories and all others since 2014 on our searchable database, the Register of Racism and Resistance.


‘Grenfell: forever in our hearts’ memorial. Featured image credit: Cory Doctorow, Flickr


The Institute of Race Relations is precluded from expressing a corporate view: any opinions expressed are therefore those of the authors.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.