Undercover cops spy on justice seekers, a 9-year-old prodigy & stories from Black, Asian and Arab communities in the UK you shouldn't have missed this week curated by Melissa Sigodo
Good afternoon,
Thank you for subscribing to The Thread.
A new Prime Minister has been elected.
Over the next five years, I hope that you’ll start to read less about the Windrush scandal, the deaths of Black and Asian mother’s and their babies in maternity care as well as a number of other issues affecting ethnic minorities.
I hope that the government will not use Islamophobia and racism as a tool to stay in power and that the demonisation of immigrants will end.
I know that’s a lot to hope for. But without hope, we have nothing.
Here’s your recap of all the news this week.
I've cut through the noise (and there was a lot of noise) so you don't have to.
Sport
A nine-year-old chess prodigy has made history after becoming the youngest person to represent England in any international sporting competition. Bodhana Sivanandan took up chess during lockdown and will play in the Chess Olympiad in Budapest in September. Full story.
Politics
A Black journalist was left feeling ‘angry’ and ‘on edge’ after being told he ‘could not come in’ to a Reform UK rally despite showing his press card and paying for a ticket. Femi Oluwole was then physically escorted out of the building by 2 security guards. Full story.
A second Reform UK candidate has quit the party alleging that “the vast majority of candidates are indeed racist, misogynistic, and bigoted.” Georgie David says she did “not wish to be directly associated” instead joined the Conservatives. Full story
Labour candidate Jovan Owusu-Nepaul, was left ‘broken’ and ‘in tears’ after Labour allegedly ‘intimidated him, ringing his phone repeatedly’ saying he should ‘leave [Clacton] and never come back’, a member of his campaign team, Tracy Lewis said. Lewis added that she decided to quit Labour over Jovan Owusu-Nepaul’s treatment. Full story.
Hecklers told Nigel Farage he was "racist" and that he did not "represent the working class" at a venue in London while he gave a speech after Reform UK won a fifth seat in the general election. Full story.
Legal
A woman, Naomi Hunte, 41, who made multiple calls to police and told them she was being stalked by a man, was found stabbed to death on Valentines Day after being murdered by her ex-partner Carl Cooper, 66. Cooper was then arrested and released on bail and then went on to murder another ex-partner Fiona Holm, 48, whose body has never been found. Cooper has been jailed for life with a minimum term of 35 years. Full story.
A lorry driver who caused the deaths of four people in a crash on the M25 by dangerous driving has been jailed for three years. Dexter Augustus, 60, Jennifer Smith, 59, Abigael Muamba, 31, and Lisa Gardiner, 44, were all killed in the crash. Full story.
Policing
Reform party canvasser Andrew Parker who called former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak the P-word in a Channel 4 expose will not face any criminal charges after Essex Police said no criminal offences were committed. Full story.
The Metropolitan Police has admitted to unecessarily spying on social justice campaign groups which posed no threat as well as groups campaigning for police accountability in the 1980s & 1990s, an inquiry into undercover policing has heard. The force issued an apology. Full story.
Diane Abbott has labelled the activities of undercover officers “as being racist and unjustified” after a public inquird heard that they filed secret reports on her while she campaigned against racism in the 1980s and 1990s. Full story.
The Met Police have launched a review of the investigation into a car crash at a school that killed two eight-year-old girls in Wimbledon, London, following concerns by the families of the children Nuria Sajjad and Selena Lau who said they remained “unconvinced” by the investigation. Last week, it was announced that the driver would not face criminal charges and that they had suffered an epileptic seizure at the wheel. Full story.
Health
Concerns over the hospital care of former Arsenal and Everton footballer Kevin Campbell who died last month have been flagged up by a health trust, an inquest heard on Thursday. The coroner said, “I have been notified that Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust which manages Manchester Royal Infirmary has declared a Level 5 incident [the most serious category] related to aspects of Mr Campbell’s care in which there is reference to both a delay in aspects of his care and diagnosis, and also concerns raised over decision-making processes with regards to the institutions of palliative care.” Full story.
Asian women were referred to as “Asian princesses” by Midwives at a West Midlands hospital when asking for pain relief, and women who could not speak English were left without interpreters a new report has revealed, as NHS officials raise “deep concern” over racist behavior in maternity care. Full story.
Interim CEO at the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Dawn Broderick, who was head of HR at King’s College Hospital London when it was found to have discriminated against a Black employee, has stepped down from the role following backlash from staff over her links to the case. The Independent had previously revealed that a whistleblower claimed the NMC had “failed to address racism in its ranks.” Full story.
The NHS is still “heavily dependent” on overseas workers particularly from “regions such as the Caribbean” just like during the Windrush-era, a leading director of nursing has said. Full story.
Immigration & Asylum
Migrants will be required to provide proof of their residency every year despite living in the UK for decades as part of plans to transition to digital visas which critics have warned could risk a repeat of the Windrush scandal. Full story.
Education
Goldsmiths, University of London who did a U-turn in deciding to close Black British literature courses following backlash have been accused of being “determined” to end the course after it selected its co-founder for redundancy as part of a “cost-cutting programme.” Full story.
A YouTuber who started playing public pianos at railway stations in London has inspired children to play a musical instrument after covers of classic hit songs earned him million followers. Full story.
World News
The Category 4 storm, Hurricane Beryl has claimed at least ten lives across the Caribbean and caused “catastrophic” damage in the region. Among those killed, a woman is said to have died after a tree fell on her home, while a young man was reportedly swept away by flood waters. Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness said that “an all-island curfew will be in effect.” Full story.
Newborn babies are starving to death in Gaza as their mothers who have become so malnourished cannot breastfeed. Israel has said it is the “UN's fault for not collecting” aid but the UN has said “law and order has broken down in Gaza.” Full story.
Israel has approved the largest seizure of land in the occupied West Bank in a “move that is likely to worsen already soaring tensions” over Gaza. Full story.
A woman says she was left horrified after recognising her sister while watching two viral videos on her phone of captives being “beaten and assaulted by armed men in Sudan”. Full story.
Kenya’s President William Ruto has apologised for the police brutality during recent protests against his finance bill which saw 40 people killed and the abductions of the alleged organisers. But some calling the president a “liar and accusing him of lacking empathy”. Full story.
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