Met police officer faces new hearing over death of mentally ill black man – The Guardian

‘A senior police officer cleared of misconduct over the high-profile death of a mentally ill black man is to face fresh disciplinary proceedings because of failings in the original case, the Observer can reveal.’

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The Guardian, 24th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mental Health Act reforms aim to tackle high rate of black people sectioned – The Guardian

‘Reforms to the Mental Health Act will help tackle the disproportionate number of black people sectioned, the government has announced.’

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The Guardian, 13th January 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Tribunal finds law firm unfairly dismissed paralegal – Legal Futures

‘A law firm dismissed a paralegal because he was close to his supervisor, with whom it was in dispute, rather than due to the allegations levied against him, an employment tribunal has ruled.’

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Legal Futures, 11th January 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

6 UK Human Rights Issues And Trends To Watch In 2021 – Each Other

‘It’s clear that coronavirus will inevitably continue to be one of the biggest rights issues of 2021 – but it’s not the only thing that should be on our radar. This selection of things to look out for – some quite specific and some more general – is by no means exhaustive and, as the last year has shown, there’s no way we can accurately predict the future. However, there are pressing issues on the horizon – here are just a few, in no particular order.’

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Each Other, 8th January 2021

Source: eachother.org.uk

‘Stockwell Six’: two men could have convictions overturned – The Guardian

‘Two men who were jailed nearly 50 years ago on the word of a corrupt detective could finally have their names cleared.
The cases of two members of the so-called “Stockwell Six”, who were accused of attempting to rob that officer on the underground, are now being referred to the court of appeal by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC).’

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The Guardian, 14th December 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Home Office sued by family of Windrush man refused UK citizenship – The Guardian

‘The family of a Windrush man denied British citizenship on the grounds that he failed a good character requirement are suing the Home Office to try to change legislation, arguing the rules are racially discriminatory.’

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The Guardian, 10th December 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Charity which helped Grenfell victims ‘institutionally racist’, review finds – The Independent

Posted December 11th, 2020 in accidents, charities, diversity, equality, fire, news, race discrimination, racism, victims by tracey

‘A charity which helped the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire has been and remains to be institutionally racist, a review has found.The Westway Trust has a “legacy of institutional racism” and has failed to “understand, identify and address radical disparity over the years”, the Tutu Foundation concluded.’

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The Independent, 11th December 2020

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Judges told they should consider previous racial bias before sentencing – The Guardian

‘Judges and magistrates are to be given explicit reminders for the first time in sentencing guidelines of the disparity in punishments being imposed by the courts on white, Asian and black offenders.’

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The Guardian, 9th December 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

What really happened to Edson Da Costa? – The Guardian

‘He was 25, a father and a car mechanic. Five minutes after being stopped by police on 15 June 2017, he was lying unresponsive on the ground. After an inquest and inquiry, family and friends are still fighting for justice’

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The Guardian, 29th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Chambers “expected” to commit to race audits and ‘positive action’ – Legal Futures

‘Chambers should conduct race equality audits and, if necessary, introduce “positive action” to address the problems identified, as well as publish anti-racist statements, the Bar Standards Board (BSB) is set to say.’

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Legal Futures, 27th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

BSB publishes anti-racist statement – Bar Standards Board

‘The Bar Standards Board (BSB) last night agreed an anti-racist statement which aims to reduce race inequality at the Bar of England and Wales.’

Full press release

Bar Standards Board, 27th November 2020

Source: www.barstandardsboard.org.uk

Racism and Football – What are the possible solutions? – Church Court Chambers

Posted November 25th, 2020 in chambers articles, diversity, employment, equality, news, race discrimination, racism, sport by sally

‘This two-part series of articles written by Yasin Patel (barrister and director of SLAM) looks at the question of “racism in football”. The first article outlined the arguments as to why discrimination and racism is “alive and kicking” in the game and the many forms in which it is prevalent throughout the whole structure of the game.’

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Church Court Chambers, November 2020

Source: churchcourtchambers.co.uk

Judges “most likely to discriminate” against Black barristers – Legal Futures

Posted November 19th, 2020 in barristers, judiciary, magistrates, news, race discrimination, racism, reports, statistics by sally

‘Black barristers are most likely to experience racial discrimination from judges or magistrates than other lawyers, a report has found.’

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Legal Futures, 19th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

We need to talk about race: a mid-term report – Counsel

Posted November 19th, 2020 in barristers, diversity, minorities, news, race discrimination, racism by sally

‘Microaggressions in court and everyday racism: what white colleagues don’t have to put up with and a 10-step plan for improving diversity and inclusion. By Professor Leslie Thomas QC.’

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Counsel, November 2020

Source: www.counselmagazine.co.uk

Positive action and proportionality: Supreme Court guidance in Agudas Israel Housing Association – Cloisters

‘In R (on the application of Z and another) (AP) (Appellants) v Hackney London Borough Council and another (Respondents) UKSC 2019/0162, the Supreme Court held that it was lawful for a housing association to provide social housing only to Orthodox Jews, in its first ever ruling on positive action. In this blog, Charlotte Goodman, an equality law barrister at Cloisters, considers the importance of the judgment.’

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Cloisters, 6th November 2020

Source: www.cloisters.com

Met police told 40% of recruits must be from BAME backgrounds – The Guardian

‘Britain’s biggest police force must hire 40% of new recruits from ethnic minority backgrounds, while officers will have to justify stop and search to community panels under new plans designed to quell the race crisis engulfing Scotland Yard.’

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The Guardian, 13th November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Met Police traffic stops to be reviewed as part of Action Plan – BBC News

‘Mayor of London Sadiq Khan has called for police traffic stops to be reviewed to look at whether black people are disproportionately affected by some police tactics.’

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BBC News, 13th November 2020

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Research lays bare Bar’s gender and ethnicity pay gap – Legal Futures

‘Female barristers and those from Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) backgrounds are likely to earn less than male and White counterparts by every measure, new research has found.’

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Legal Futures, 6th November 2020

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Stephen Lawrence murder: CPS asked to consider new charges against police – The Guardian

‘Prosecutors are to be asked to consider whether to bring new charges in the Stephen Lawrence case against senior police officers in the first botched murder investigation, it has been announced.’

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The Guardian, 3rd November 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com

Brothers stopped and searched over a fist bump to sue Met police – The Guardian

Posted October 29th, 2020 in assault, false imprisonment, news, police, race discrimination, stop and search by sally

‘Two innocent black brothers wrongly suspected by police of drug dealing after they bumped fists in the street say they were targeted because of their skin colour and will sue the police.’

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The Guardian, 29th October 2020

Source: www.theguardian.com