Archive July 29, 2025

The UK is slipping into racist dystopia

It has been a year since the Southport attack, which triggered furious racist riots in the streets of the United Kingdom. Unruly crowds, galvanised by false claims that the perpetrator was Muslim, went on a rampage, attacking mosques, Muslim-owned businesses, homes, and individuals they perceived as Muslim.

As the riots were raging, I was finishing my novel, The Second Coming. The book is set in a dystopian future in which a Christian militia inspired by English nationalism seizes London, bans Islam, and exiles Muslims to refugee camps in Birmingham. The events unfolding in the streets as I was writing the final chapters made me realise that today, we are much closer to the dystopian world in my novel than I had imagined.

The scenes and images that helped me shape this fictional world were inspired by the England I lived in during my youth, when racist violence was rampant. Gangs of white youth would hunt us down, especially after the pubs closed, in wave after wave of what they called “Paki bashing”.

Knife attacks and fire bombings were not uncommon, nor were the demands by far-right groups, such as the National Front and the British National Party, for the repatriation of Black (ie, non-white) “immigrants”.

Attending school sometimes meant running through a gauntlet of racist kids. In the playground, sometimes they swarmed around, chanting racist songs.

As a student, I lost count of the number of times I was physically attacked, at school, in the street, or in pubs and other places. When I lived in East London, I was with the local youth of Brick Lane, where hand-to-hand fighting took place to stop hordes of racist attackers. These assaults were not an isolated phenomenon. Similar scenes took place across the country, with the National Front and British National Party organising hundreds of marches, emboldening white supremacist gangs.

Around this time, some of my peers and I were arrested and charged with “conspiracy to make explosives” for filling up milk bottles with petrol as a way of defending our communities against racist violence; our case came to be known as the Bradford 12. These struggles, whether in Brick Lane or Bradford, were part of a broader fight against systemic racism and far-right ideologies that sought to terrorise and divide us.

The overt, street-level violence of those years was terrifying, but it came from the margins of society. The ruling political class, though complicit, avoided openly aligning with these groups. A case in point is Margaret Thatcher, who in 1978, as the leader of the Conservative Party, gave an infamous interview in which she said, “People are really rather afraid that this country might be rather swamped by people with a different culture.” It was a subtle nod of approval for racist mobs, but as prime minister, Thatcher still kept far-right groups at an arm’s length.

Today, that distance has disappeared. Prime Minister Keir Starmer and other prominent members of Labour regularly echo far-right rhetoric, promising to “crack down” on those seeking sanctuary here. His Conservative predecessor, Rishi Sunak, and his ministers were not different. His Home Minister Suella Braverman falsely claimed grooming gangs had a “predominance” of “British Pakistani males, who hold cultural values totally at odds with British values”.

While the old crude white racism has not disappeared, a more vicious form – Islamophobia – has been fanned over the past few decades. It feels like the old “Paki” bashing gangs have been replaced by a new crusading wave that equates Islam with terrorism; sexual abuse with Pakistanis; asylum seekers with parasitic hordes about to overrun the country.

This is the soil in which the Reform Party has taken root and flourished, in which ever cruder forms of racism are made respectable and electable. When both Labour and the Tories have become havens for a complex web of political corruption, Reform’s simple anti-migrant and Islamophobic tropes are projected as an honest alternative. This has propelled the far-right party to the top of polls, with 30 percent of voters supporting it, compared with 22 percent for Labour and 17 for the Conservatives.

In this environment, it was rather unsurprising that for the anniversary of the riots, the Economist magazine decided to run a poll focusing on race rather than on issues of economic decline, social deprivation and the never-ending austerity to which the working people of this country have been subjected. The survey showed that nearly 50 percent of the population think that multiculturalism is not good for the country, while 73 percent thought more “race riots” will happen soon.

The nurturing of violent racism at home has run parallel with England’s long history of enacting it abroad. The new face of racism is fed on old imperial tropes of savages that need to be tamed and defeated by civilised colonial rule. These racist ideologies, which welded the empire together, have come back home to roost.

They are playing out in the racist violence on the streets and in the state’s repression of Palestine supporters. They are also playing out in the UK’s unwavering political and military support for Israel, even as it bombs hospitals and schools in Gaza and starves children. Empire taught Britain to use racism to dehumanise entire peoples, to justify colonialism, to plunder, to spread war and famine. Genocide is in Britain’s DNA, which explains its present-day collusion with genocidal Israel.

Against this backdrop of racist, imperial violence, people of all colours and religions and none have mobilised. While they may not have stopped the genocide, they have laid bare the hypocritical barefaced lies of the British political elite. Only this sort of solidarity and challenge to racism can stop the dystopic world of my book becoming a reality.

Russia jails journalist for alleged Navalny links amid crackdown on dissent

As the Kremlin intensifies its crackdown on dissent, a Russian court has sentenced journalist Olga Komleva to 12 years in prison on “extremism” charges stemming from her connections to an opposition group.

Komleva, 46, was found guilty of “extremist” ties to her alleged false information about the Russian army in her reporting on the Ukrainian conflict and her alleged involvement in the late opposition leader Alexey Navalny’s banned political party on Tuesday.

The verdict highlights Moscow’s growing repression, which now targets both former opposition figures and active critics.

Komleva had volunteered for Navalny’s party before it was banned in 2021, according to an independent newspaper called Mediazona. She later covered Russian military assault on Ukraine and anti-government protests for independent newspaper RusNews.

In addition to enacting comprehensive censorship laws, the Kremlin has expanded its decade-long crackdown on independent media as part of its campaign in Ukraine.

A district court in the city of Ufa, in central Russia, found that the defendant had engaged in extremist activity and “spread intentionally false information about the armed forces’ actions,” according to a statement.

The defendant was found guilty, and the defendant was given a 12-year prison sentence, the court continued.

Both charges were untrue, and the journalist denied guilt.

After hearing the verdict, Komleva smiled and waved to a group of people who came to her and said, “I love you all,” according to a video released by RusNews.

Komleva, according to Mediazona, has diabetes and had trouble getting medication while undergoing medical supervision.

Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s main rival, was declared an “extremist” by Russian authorities in 2021 after he died in an untold cell last year in an Arctic penal colony.

Everton sell women’s team to parent company

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Everton have sold their women’s team to the parent company which owns the club – a move that will improve their compliance with the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability rules (PSR).

The team has been purchased by Roundhouse Capital Holdings, which is owned and controlled by American businessman Dan Friedkin.

The Friedkin Group completed its takeover of Everton in December 2024.

The move allows the women’s team to act as a standalone entity and attract minority investment.

The men’s team, meanwhile, benefits from the sale being recorded as revenue in the club’s accounts, which positively impacts their PSR position.

Under PSR, clubs cannot exceed £105m losses over a three-year period. Everton were deducted points in 2021-22 and again in 2022-23 for breaching the rules.

Everton are the third Premier League club to sell their women’s team to navigate the Premier League’s financial rules.

Chelsea sold their women’s team to parent company BlueCo for nearly £200m in June 2024. Subsequently, the team attracted the attention of Reddit founder Alexis Ohanian, who purchased an 8-10% minority stake in May.

Aston Villa sold its women’s team to holding company V Sports in June.

‘An opportunity for more money to come into the women’s team’ – analysis

Everton have transferred ownership of the women’s team to a separate part of the Friedkin Group empire, which is still under the broad control of Everton. It’s a sideways move.

It’s an investment opportunity. We’ve seen the fantastic success of the Lionesses. We’re seeing, especially in the United States, a huge interest in the women’s game.

Therefore, you can now sell part of the women’s team and keep control of the men’s. It’s setting up the business to perhaps be more profitable going forward.

It’s within the rules. We saw similar take place with Chelsea and Aston Villa. The women’s team at Everton has control of Goodison Park, so that would make it an attractive all-in proposition.

It is positive news because it means there is the opportunity for more money to come into the women’s team from a minority investor. There wasn’t enough attention given to the women’s team under the old ownership group.

If you get the surroundings right, if you get the pricing right, you can attract a new type of fanbase and a different demographic. You can go to sponsors and partners and say, “we are the women’s team, we are different from the men’s team, and you can benefit from that.”

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Ali Shariati and the Iranian revolution

The Iranian revolutionary scholar Ali Shariati’s life served as the catalyst for the Islamic Revolution of 1979.

Ali Shariati, a well-known Iranian scholar whose revolutionary ideas helped form the ideological foundation of the Islamic Revolution of 1979, is the untold story. In this film, Shariati explores how the Shah’s Iran’s radical interpretation of religious thought redefined Islam as a revolutionary force in opposition to authoritarianism and repression, and how this led to an escalating generation’s need for change.

In Paris in the 1960s, Shariati was exposed to fresh concepts, including Algeria’s fight for French independence. The Shah’s secret police repeatedly imprisoned him and called him subversive.

Trueshan death overshadows Scandinavia Goodwood Cup win

Images courtesy of Getty

The opening day of Glorious Goodwood was overshadowed by a fatal injury to former champion Trueshan as Scandinavia defeated stablemate Illinois to claim the Goodwood Cup.

Hollie Doyle pulled up a sharply from Trueshan, who had an injury that later turned out to be fatal, halfway through the Group One feature race.

The director of equine welfare for the British Horseracing Authority (BHA) said, “What happened unfortunately was just an accident, mid-race, in a straight line going up the hill.”

His left hind pastern broke, putting him in a precarious position.

When the vet arrived, “Alan] King] went down there and told them that they had no other choice but to put him down.”

The nine-year-old won the Long Distance Cup at Ascot three times, the Prix du Cadran twice in Paris, and the Goodwood Cup when Doyle became the first female jockey to win the event. She also won the Prix du Cadran twice in 2021.

In the two-mile race, Scandinavia and Illinois battled it out for a thrilling victory to give Irish trainer Aidan O’Brien a one-two finish.

After the victory, jockey Wayne Lordan told ITV, “He has improved all year.”

He jumped up two miles to face the older horses today. Although it was a challenging task, I believe he acted reasonably and there is still room for improvement.

“Today, it was about figuring out how smart he is, and he’s undoubtedly a very smart stayer.” He would win the Ascot Gold Cup the following year.

Trainer O’Brien continued, “Scandinavia is a typical Justify; he just won’t lie.” He “puts his head down” and “will not let go.”

 Wayne Lordan riding ScandinaviaImages courtesy of Getty

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‘I know what I need to do’ – rising star Woad targets Open

Images courtesy of Getty

Lottie Woad is the favorite to win the AIG Women’s Open at Royal Porthcawl just one week after turning professional.

The most exciting prospect in British golf is seeing a startling rise. She was the Scottish Open champion on Sunday when she arrived in Wales.

She won the Irish Open and placed third in the most recent women’s major, the Evian Championship, in the same month as she ended her amateur career.

The bookmakers have noticed. Tiger Woods in his pomp and, more recently, Scottie Scheffler, who is only just starting out in her professional career, are typically the exceptions to this rule.

However, the Surrey-born 21-year-old is playing golf like a pro and shows a level of maturity beyond her years.

This week, will she win? Former Women’s Open champion Karen Stupples, a NBC commentator, told BBC Sport, “Yes, absolutely.”

She almost almost won at Evian last year, and she came 10th as an amateur that year.

The player admits that her stunning debut in the paid ranks has come as a bit of a surprise despite the fact that she appears unfazed by the attention she is generating.

She told BBC Sport, “I don’t believe you can predict that.” “It’s obvious that I was playing fairly well. However, winning a contest, especially your first one, is never an option.

I was just trying to get some good golf experience so that we could just try it out, which is how it turned out. I guess I won, then.

World No. 1 Briton Charley Hull and world no. 1 Nelly Korda, who were Woad’s first two Dundonald rounds, complimented Woad, who said: “I think I’ve had so many experiences playing in professional events as an amateur.

“Being in those big groups and playing with those players didn’t really feel that different.”

Next, it’s important to carry on the remarkable transition from amateur to professional, where it is currently the most talked about player.

There are always issues you need to fix and maintain, said Woad, and I know what I need to do to do it.

“So just having good prep and, I mean, knowing that you can’t expect to play well all the time, especially on a challenging course out here,”

This perspective adds to Woad’s maturity and adds a striking quality to her game.

According to Stupples, “Lottie Woad is the most accurate golfer I’ve ever come across.”

She will respond, “Oh, okay, I’ll just make three birdies then,” if you tell her that she needs to win.

And if she does it, well, it won’t have any impact on her in any way if she doesn’t. To her, it’s as fundamental.

The winner of the 2004 Women’s Open said, “She has intangibles that other players don’t.”

She doesn’t hesitate to ask, “OK, what must I do to achieve them?” when she examines her goals. And she consents to everything being accomplished.

She stands out from the majority of other players because most players are a little hesitant to look at a leaderboard. They are a little unsure of what will happen next.

She is not in any way frightened of that, in any way or form. And it is incredible.

After playing the first 36 holes with her last week on the Ayrshire coast, Korda used that phrase to describe the newcomer. The world’s number one proclaimed it was “absolutely amazing.”

“Her calmness and process impressed me a lot. People sometimes seem fidgety and kind of doubt themselves when she performs her shot routine, especially when it’s stressful and in the heat of the moment, but she persevered.

She adhered to her process every single time, and I think one of the things I noticed was how mature she is in comparison to her peers and how at ease she was in the heat of the moment.

Korda continued, “You can see that she has put a lot of hours in.” Her putting is excellent, her game is strong, and she hits the ball well off the tee.

Woad, Lilia Vu and Lydia Ko, who won gold at the Paris Olympics last year, have been given another plumb draw this week.

The English golfer has golfing dreams of their own. She said, “I adore golf unwaveringly.

You can practice and develop in a wide range of ways, and there are so many components to it. I just adore competing and practicing.

As she arrived at Dundonald with her first professional trophy last Sunday night, Woad listened to the penalty shootout on the car radio, which gave England’s Lionesses even more glory.

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