News

UK black university students who receive the poorest quality education are facing the prospect of being charged the highest fees.

The British racial divide between black and white just became a yawning chasm. The publication of university league tables and an analysis of student fees reveal a grim picture for black young people in the UK.

Stephen Lawrence: Two to stand trial. At last will justice be delivered?

Two men arrested last September will face trial for 1993 racially aggravated murder of teenager Stephen Lawrence

Stephen Lawrence was attacked by a group while waiting for a bus stop in south-east London on 22 April, almost twenty years ago. The tragic incident took place in Eltham, 1993.

Gary Dobson, 35 and David Norris, 34 are two of five suspects who have never faced a criminal trial against the charges.

Ali Dizaei, the former Metropolitan Police Commander convicted of corruption in and one of the most senior black officers in the UK, has had all his convictions quashed in a spectacular judgment by the court of appeal. He will now have to suffer a re-trial while he waits for a complete vindication.

Dizaei who has spent a year - of a four year sentence - in prison suffering extreme abuse and violent attacks was released yesterday. He was a former President of the National Black Police Association.

UEFA, the European footballing body could have made a statement of intent: racism on and off the football field will not be tolerated at any European ground. But instead the organisation well known for taking a weak line on this issue did worse than that. With video footage that clearly shows the Barcelona player Sergio Busquets cupping his hand to hide his remarks before calling an opposition Black player Marcelo a ‘Mono, mono’, which is Spanish for monkey.

Police officers are warning the Government that cuts to policing budgets will lead to an increase in crime.

Government budget cuts are leading to huge strains in the public sector. In addition to the very real threat of a series of coordinated strikes by public sector unions the Police Federation has issued its strongest warning to date that cuts to policing budgets will lead to an increase in crime.

I wrote in January this year: 

Alexander Tetenta reflects on the recent referendum on whether Britain should use the Alternative Vote system to elect its Members of Parliament to the House of Commons.

Okay folks; let’s see what’s happening on the street today. The beauty of Democracy still lies in the notion of choice, if you ask me. However, punditocracy is increasingly playing a part in delivering informed choices to the masses.

The future for young people is opaque, with more than two thirds of 14 year old girls having aspirations of becoming glamour models and more young Black men in jail than at university – it is easy to be pessimistic about their future.

However, for a group of dynamic Lewisham residents, these negative realities are being courageously challenged. Last week kickstarted the dynamic Lewisham Civic Leadership Programme, with a look at a key area of public life – our education system.

A new campaign by human rights campaigns group Black Mental Health UK calling for all police records to be destroyed at the same as innocent DNA will be discussed on Voice of Africa Radio Monday night’s current affairs news show.

Former MP Dawn Butler turned quick thinking detective when her handbag was stolen in a London Hotel last week. Instead of panicking at the thought of losing valued possessions, she raced to a computer to track her iPhone using GPS.

In an exclusive interview with The Voice newspaper, Butler told their reporter:

“Having logged on I couldn’t believe it. I could see how slowly the signal was moving so whoever had snatched my bag was on foot. I knew I could catch them up and I was determined to."

Poor communities in London both black and white are facing violence on a level that is comparable with a small war. Both Labour and Tory Councils and the Mayor have to take their share of responsibility for failing to tackle an issue that strikes genuine fear into the heart of all communities. At a time when local authorities are making deep cuts to youth and community provision.