World
Solidarity vigil called in Birmingham for Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub victims
A peaceful vigil has been called in Birmingham to show solidarity with the victims of the Colorado Springs shootings, which left five people dead and many more injured. Organisers of the event are calling on Brummies to honour those who lost their lives in the United States last weekend, in what has been widely described as a…
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street makes first-ever visit to Bangladesh during trade mission
West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has been in Bangladesh this week following his weeklong trade mission to neighbouring India. In his first visit to the independent South Asian nation, the Mayor met with local business, academic and political figures to reflect on the existing close ties between the West Midlands and Bangladesh; and explore new trade, diplomatic and…
Pro-Palestinian activists crash two vans into UK factory owned by Israeli arms company
Pro-Palestinian activists have crashed two vans into a factory in Shenstone as part of an ongoing attack on the military drone making company. According to the activists, two vans were ploughed into the gates of the Shenstone UAV Engines factory in Lichfield, with six campaigners directly “locked on to the vans to prevent their removal” as they obstruct…
Palestine Action activists vandalise Tamworth warehouse to protest “Israeli state-terror”
Pro-Palestinian activists have staged a rooftop protest at a packaging factory in Tamworth, vandalising the building in protest at its supposed links with Israeli arms, they claim. Daubing red paint across The Good Packing Company building, hoisting up banners and occupying the roof, four activists have been photographed spraying graffiti on the building, using sledgehammers to…
LGBTQ+ Commonwealth protest held in Birmingham during Queen’s Baton Relay
Protests were held today as the Queen’s Baton arrived at Aston Hall in Birmingham on its final stop before entering Alexander Stadium for the Commonwealth Games opening ceremony this evening. Around 50 activists from the LGBTQ+ community lined the route in Aston, calling out “state-sanctioned homophobia” in the 35 Commonwealth member states that criminalise homosexuality.
NINE YEARS ON: How the racist murder of pensioner Mohammed Saleem by a Ukrainian neo-Nazi terrorist shook Birmingham
Today marks the ninth anniversary of one of the worst terror incidents in the recent history of Birmingham when an elderly and fragile Muslim man from Small Heath was knifed to death by a neo-Nazi terrorist. On April 29, 2013, Ukrainian white supremacist terrorist Pavlo Lapshyn stabbed and murdered Birmingham pensioner Mohammed Saleem outside Green Lane Masjid…
Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay completes visit to Australia
The Birmingham 2022 Queen’s Baton Relay has completed four jam-packed days in Australia from in the last week, where over 50 Batonbearers were selected to represent their countries. Between 17 to 20 March, the baton’s journey followed recent visits to other Commonwealth Games Associations in Oceania, some of which included Kiribati, Cook Islands and New Zealand.
Photography exhibition featuring images of migrant communities to be launched in Birmingham
International renowned photographer Vanley Burke will be launching a brand new photography exhibition celebrating working class and migrant communities in Birmingham this week. The Ikon Gallery is showcasing a series of portraits documenting migrant communities in the city as part of a project, led by the University of Birmingham, capturing the migrant experience.
Thousands expected to join mass rally in London marking global UN anti-racism day
Hundreds of Birmingham residents are today joining thousands of people in London for a rally to mark international UN Anti Racism Day. As protests take place in cities around the world under the slogan ‘World Against Racism & Fascism’, the annual awareness day is being observed with a mass march through central London this afternoon.
What is Purim and how is it being celebrated by the Jewish community?
Purim is a Jewish religious festival commemorating the saving of the Jewish people from Haman, an official of the Persian Achaemenid Empire. Haman was planning to have all of Persia’s Jewish subjects killed, as recounted in the religious Book of Esther.