Institute of Race Relations newspaper cuttings

Topics include:

- Large amount of reports following riots in Brixton, Southall and Toxteth.

- Reports concerning Michael Heseltine’s inquiry into the Toxteth riots.

- Reports concerning the independent inquiry into the Moss Side riots.

- Reports speculating as to the cause of the riots, including evidence submitted to the Scarman Inquiry. Unemployment and poor housing conditions are identified as major contributing factors.

- Large amount of reports regarding the police in the wake of the riots, including; complaints of police brutality and the death in custody of Winston Rose; accusations of racism within police forces; calls for the resignation of Kenneth Oxford, head of Merseyside police; and reports that the police were ill-prepared to deal with the riots. There is also a smaller section of reports praising police behaviour, and calls for a more diverse police force, including the recruitment of black officers.

- Large amount of reports concerning the National Front, the New National Front and the British Movement. These primarily centre on debates over planned marches, and the banning of marches by these groups by local councils. There are also reports of free speech concerns following the banning of marches. There are reports of the trials of National Front member David Riley, and of New National Front editor Joseph Pearce. There are also reports of a large circulation of right-wing literature and the production of a National Front themed board game.

- Large amount of reports concerning racism within schools, and efforts to combat it. There is also some mention of the Rampton report, and critique of multi-cultural education by the Runnymede Trust.

- Large amount of reports of racially motivated attacks, including physical violence, property attacks and fire and petrol bombings.

- Reports regarding the teaching of multi-language education within schools.

- Large amount of reports of discrimination, primarily within housing and employment. In particular, a case of employment discrimination at the British Leyland plant in Cowley is highlighted. There are also cases of discrimination within healthcare and within pubs and clubs reported, particularly in the latter case regarding the treatment of travellers.

- Reports on the debate surrounding Enoch Powell’s remarks on repatriation.

- Large amount of reports regarding the release of the Parliamentary Home Affairs Committee Report on race relations.

- Reports regarding the debate over companies requesting employee’s ethnic background for monitoring purposes. There are also debates regarding “positive discrimination” practice within employment following suggestion by Roy Hattersley MP.

- Reports regarding the effect of popular culture on racism with the release of the Rock and the Right report by Eric Moonman.

- Reports on racial unrest within Sheffield.

- Reports linking the recent racial unrest with the history of racism within the UK.