Fighting the Right

Leading anti-racism campaigner to speak at UEL about his four decades battling the far-right.

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Leading anti-racism campaigner to speak at UEL about his four decades battling the far-right.

Published

22 April 2024

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One of Britain’s most prominent anti-racism campaigners will lead a discussion at the University of East London on 1 May, on the role of community organisations in combating racism. Suresh Grover is the Director of The Monitoring Group Collective, which for four decades has been at the forefront of the struggle against racism in the UK, playing a pivotal part in numerous campaigns, including supporting the families of Stephen Lawrence, Ricky Reel and Michael Menson. All three died following racist attacks.

Mr Grover will be speaking at the invitation of the University’s Department of Law and Criminology at UEL’s University Square Campus at Stratford. Dr Nadia Habashi and Olusegun Gbede, both lecturers at the department will host the event. Dr Habashi warmly welcomed Mr Grover’s attendance at the event. 

She said,

From grassroots activism to national advocacy, Suresh Grover's breadth of experience encompasses tackling issues of state and institutional racism, racial violence, and media representation. We are thrilled to announce that he will be joining us to deliver an insightful lecture on these topics and encourage students and colleagues to join us for the event.

Mr Grover first came to prominence in the early 1980s as one of the founders of the Southall Monitoring Group, which played a key role in the fight for justice after a string of racist murders and police indifference to those deaths. The group also helped workers from ethnic minorities fight for their rights in the face of racial prejudice at a wide variety of workplaces. The group’s work is mentioned extensively in the documentary series Defiance: Fighting the Far-Right is currently available to stream on Channel Four. In one telling anecdote recounted in the series, Mr Grover talks about an occasion when he approached a police officer to inquire about an injury to a young British Asian, only to be dismissed with the remark that “it was only Indian blood.”    

The event at the University’s Department of Law and Criminology takes place on 1 May, from 10am to 1pm.

You can watch the Channel 4 Documentary:  Defiance: Fighting the Far Right | Stream free on Channel 4.

Find out about our criminology and law courses.

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