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When Angela Merkel addressed a press conference in Berlin yesterday morning, only hours after the attack on the Christmas market and not far distant from it, she was unflinching. She took head-on the hardest question of how the country would feel if the perpetrator turned out to be one of the million refugees to whom she had offered protection not much more than a year ago.

Most decent people would not look for cheap political points, hours after the deaths of innocent people killed by a fanatical terrorist in Berlin two days ago.

Sadly, former UKIP leader Nigel Farage knows no decency. On the contrary, Farage clearly thinks nothing about using such a tragedy to rubbish humanitarian efforts shown by German Chancellor Angela Merkal by giving sanctuary to Syrian refugees. Then whilst in full hate-flow, he stoops even lower to accuse the widower of Jo Cox, Brendan Cox, of supporting extremism.

Backed by one of the most powerful media outlets on the planet - The Daily Mail and the Mail online- the hate-filled Katie Hopkins must have felt that she could racially and religiously abuse almost anyone she wanted, particularly if they had little or no power to demand redress.

Films will not be eligible for two of the main Bafta Awards from 2019 if they do not meet new diversity criteria.

Films will be nominated for outstanding British film or outstanding debut by a British writer, director or producer only if they meet two of four criteria.

The "significant change" will bring in more people from minorities, women, people with disabilities and from lower socio-economic groups, Bafta said.

It aims to improve access on screen, behind the scenes and among audiences.

http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/casey-review

http://www.obv.org.uk/news-blogs/casey-muslim-women-are-held

The makers of the surprise Christmas ad hit who made Angielski simply set out to give a heart-warming Christmas story to the people of Poland who have loved ones in the UK, and those who live in the UK.

But this three minute wonder captures much more than the yearning for loved ones, torn apart in the search for work and a brighter future, or the difficult journey of learning a new language and culture so that you might fit in.

When Operation Black Vote undertook its first political hustings meeting, there was only one place to go, Croydon. This was because the indefatigable, big hearted, ‘don’t mess with me’, Gee Bernard demanded we go there.

It was 1997, John Major was in power, Tony Blair was about to succeed him, and we wanted, for the first time ever, to put Black political power firmly on the map. Croydon North was a marginal seat - as it is today, and Malcolm Wicks was the sitting MP.

If like me you’re female, Muslim and from an ethnic minority background, it sometimes feels like a one-way ticket into economic and social purgatory.

Despite the fact that more British Muslim women than men are getting degrees, we are the most disenfranchised group in the country. Not only are we subject to high levels of unemployment and poverty, but discrimination on the basis of our faith, gender and ethnic background hinders our entry into the labour market.