Merseyside Alliance for Racial Equality

There were a lot of people at the UKIP religious rally in Liverpool yesterday claiming they were there to 'document the day', but it was clear that some were aligned with far-right narratives around migration, Islam and asylum seekers. I spoke to one person, Cozzy, who had travelled from Manchester to 'document' the event. When I mentioned that Jesus was a refugee, he didn’t seem to appreciate it and accused me of trying to “trap” him in the conversation. No trap. Just facts, Cozzy. #UKIP #StandUpToRacism #Liverpool #FarRight #Antifascist

The UKIP 'patriots' were charming, as ever, when they descended on the city today. This one seemed particularly rattled by being massively outnumbered, so naturally he took it out on the nearest woman. 🙄 #UKIP #StandUpToRacism #Liverpool #FarRight

Newsflash: People in the UK are broke and have less disposable income.

For the second time this year, I can cite myself! 📖 Delighted to receive my author’s copy of 'Key Issues in Childhood and Youth Studies' (Second Edition), published by Routledge and edited by Elizabeth Taylor and Bee Hughes My chapter explores the impact of leaving-care pathways on the further and higher educational experiences of care leavers, and asks whether post-16 education is truly accessible to those navigating the care cliff. It was a bit of a pinch-me moment to see my name on a student reading list this week. Grateful to be in the company of such thoughtful academics contributing to this volume, and huge thanks to Liz and Bee for all their work in bringing this important book together ⭐️

Cut off your nose to spite your face

💬 Got 10–15 mins? We’d love your input! Take our short survey on delivering high-quality mental health services for children and young people — your feedback is invaluable. 📝 Quick & easy ✅ Just your reflections 👉 Fill it out here ow.ly/m5B050Xgj3e #YourVoiceMatters

Today’s Remembrance Sunday service in Halewood was incredibly moving. It was an honour to represent Halewood Town Council and see such a strong community turnout. Thank you to the Halewood Parish team and St. Nicholas for organising a beautiful service. We will remember them.

A second woman of colour has been raped in what police are calling a racially motivated attack, this time in Walsall. It comes just weeks after a similar case in Sandwell. Racially aggravated sexual violence is rising across the West Midlands. This is what happens when racism and misogyny go unchecked.

Lovely to be invited to the Hale Village Civic Service on Sunday, joining guests including the Mayors of Liverpool and Halton. It was a pleasure meeting local dignitaries and chatting with Hale residents who gave us such a warm welcome.

Labi Siffre just hit Tommy Robinson with a cease and desist order. Unc really said: You will NOT use the anthem of our liberation struggle for your hate rallies.

This year, I’ve been delighted to work with Dr Naomi Green as a support researcher on the NI Hidden Black Histories exhibition – currently on display at Shantallow Library until 30 September. For the next phase of this project, we’re looking for stories of Black people shaping modern society in Northern Ireland – from community heroes to those blazing trails in their professional fields. ➡️ Please see the last image for more details. You can nominate someone by completing the short form at bit.ly/NIstories or by getting in touch with the team directly if you know someone who deserves to be celebrated. Let’s shine a light on the people making a difference today. ✨ Contact details: 📧 Email: aynaz.zarif@nwmf.org.uk or c.sharkey@nwmf.org.uk 🌐 Website: hiddenhistoryni.org.uk 📝 Nomination form: bit.ly/NIstories #HiddenHistoryNI #BlackHistory #ChangingTheNarrative #HeritageFund #LibrariesNI #CelebrateTogether

How can grass roots activists change an unfair system? COMMUNITIES FIGHTING BACK. #Cardifftransformed2025 @chantelle_lunt @CardiffPSC @TSSAunion @RMT_SW_SWales @SouthWalesFBU @CWU_SEWalesamal @BFAWUOfficial @CardiffTC @TWT_NOW 📅 27 Sep, 10:30am 🎟️ bit.ly/4n4X

💫 Confidence. Safety. Empowerment. Self-defence at Bolton Mosque was a major success 🥊💪 A powerful session teaching young girls the importance of strength, safety, and self-belief. Strong girls today, empowered women tomorrow.

Open Table Liverpool aims to create a safe sacred space for you to explore your faith and what it means for you. Whoever you are, wherever you come from, you are welcome here! #FaithfullyLGBT #FatihfullyLGBTQ

Standard Reform logic:

In part 2 of "Why I went on GB News after they wrote a baiting article about me," I dive into how they tried to set me up for a viral moment and why it turned out to be less challenging than expected. It really shows how far-right narratives are creeping into mainstream media. Apart from the crass "on the nose" graphics and the attempt to spark a heated moment I didn’t give them, the whole experience left me thinking about how we, on the left, should engage. It’s definitely reinforced my commitment to independent media and to creating my own content, even if it takes more time. The bigger question is: do we engage, do we withdraw, or do we build our own platforms and reclaim the narrative? I’d love to hear your thoughts. Going on that show is not something I’m in a rush to repeat, and while I’m sure they’ll write about me again, I won’t be hurrying back onto their platform anytime soon. #GBNews #MediaCommentary #UKPolitics #IndependentMedia #LeftistPerspectives #NewsDebate

In part 1 of this 2-parter, I explain why I agreed to appear on GB News after they published an article describing my Good Morning Britain appearance as “an absolute disgrace” that caused “outrage.” I break down what happened on the show that led to this coverage, why I don’t think labelling shoplifters “scumbags” is the best way to tackle the rise in shoplifting, especially when worsening poverty is a major factor, and my reasoning for going on a show that, shockingly, has some of the UK’s highest news viewer ratings. Check out part 2 to see who they tried to catch me out with on the show, and how I responded. #GBNews #GoodMorningBritain #MediaCommentary #UKPolitics #BritishMedia

🥊 Boxing at Audley Junior School – Building Champions Inside and Out! We’ve wrapped up another amazing round of boxing sessions with the incredible students at Audley Junior School! #academyzs #teamzda #DisciplineThroughBoxing #ResilientKids #MindBodyPower #YouthWellbeing

Today's newsletter features a powerful essay by @chantellelunt on the government's decision to scrap the Vagrancy Act ✍️ We also have our view from The North, featuring another big scoop over in Blackpool 👀 Plus, our regular Reform Watch, featuring the latest kerfuffle's in Reform-dominated councils, as well as our Digest, where we recommend our current faves. Click the link below to read it - and make sure to subscribe for more.

A few weeks ago, I had the absolute pleasure of working with 20 Stories High on the R&D for Black Brown and Blue, a new verbatim play written and directed by Keith Saha, which I’ve been associate producing alongside an incredible creative team. The R&D sharing took place at the Everyman Theatre's rehearsal space, and it was such a powerful experience — from the stories we gathered to the phenomenal talent in the room. Hats off to Ade for portraying me so perfectly that even my friends and family commented on how she’d captured my mannerisms to a tee! Huge thank you to the officers and former officers who allowed us to interview them — your honesty and vulnerability are the heartbeat of this work. I’m genuinely excited to see how this project develops as we continue to centre lived experience, storytelling, and truth in our creative spaces. If you’d like to know more about the play, feel free to drop me an email or dm. #BlackBrownAndBlue #20StoriesHigh #EverymanTheatre #VerbatimTheatre #CreativeJustice #LivedExperience #StorytellingWithPurpose