"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can only be aroused by two things: first, an ideal, which takes the imagination by storm, and second, a definite intelligible plan for carrying that ideal into practice." - Arnold...

The new ' Bs' of Belfast got me reflecting on what it is to 'be'. I'm afraid that this alliterative campaign first brought to my mind an anecdote I learnt as a child growing up on the edge of the damp dump (sorry, picturesque Victorian...

A trawl through some of the online responses to the coverage of Bilal Abdulla's words on Iraq at his ongoing trial reveals a predictable variety of replies from some who find his views totally unacceptable, to those who are willing to...

I am circulating this press release from my friend, Dashty, at the International Federaton of Iraqi Refugees, published today, and would urge all members and supporters of Amnesty to write to the new Immigration Minister to protest the...

The appointment of Phil Woolas as the new Minister for Immigration is not good news for anyone dreaming of, or trying to hold on to, an anti-racist society that welcomes newcomers. One blog noted earlier this year, when Woolas was...

Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights has recognised the realities of migrants' lives in his call for migration not to be criminalised. Thomas Hammerberg says : “…many migrants cannot claim refugee status, even if their...

Benjamin Zephaniah, the Rastafarian dub poet, was recently talking on Radio 4 about the focus on China's human rights record during the Olympics. The gist of what Zephaniah said was: how would the UK react when London holds the...

Ronan Bennett gave an inspiring lecture as part of Feile an Phobail . The former Long Kesh prisoner, author and now writer of his first hundred million dollar movie starring Johnny Depp, gave fascinating insights into the writer's...

There is a lot to be said for 'bringing human rights home'. I personally believe that, as individuals and humans, we have the moral authority to criticise other countries and others' governments for human rights abuses. If this was not...

Where human subjectivity continues to be celebrated, and the potential of connection, solidarity or relationship, advocated through protest or letter-writing, a better future must surely soon materialize. Committed readers of this blog...

In support of asylum-seekers in Northern Ireland who may be detained, the Refugee Action Group has produced an information pack setting out their rights. [i] Those rights include the right to liberty, the right to legal advice and...

Belfast 2008: Protesting Deportations – What Next? In collaborationwith the Refugee Action Group, Belfast Exposed has organised a paneldiscussion around the issue of UK deportation. Do come along to this free discusson event on 27 May...

The Belfast Salon presents: The Citizenship Pub Quiz White’s Tavern 2-4 Winecellar Entry, Belfast 7.30pm Tuesday 6 May Door Tax £2 O P E N B O R D E R S E V E R Y O N E ’ S A C I T I Z E N Imagine, it’s now mandatory to pass a...

The US soldier back from tour on Iraq sobs into his wife's shoulder as he tells how he is haunted by the rape and killing of a fifteen-year-old Iraqi woman by his fellow soldiers. All around him, his homecoming party calls out...

Privacy International listed the UK as the leading surveillance society in the EU in 2007 in its survey of 47 countries. The UK is the only country within the EU to be classified as ‘an endemic surveillance society’. It finds itself in...

TheHome Secretary yesterdayset out her plans for a “triple ring of security aroundBritain”. This “triple ring” entails the funding of new SpecialBranch police to patrol UK borders; tougher checks at borders and ID cards forforeign...

I must admit that my gut reaction was one of discomfort: would we manifest our solidarity with the victims of CIA waterboarding with a parody of this torture in a Belfast swimming pool? I think my unease comes down to this. The...