Runnymede Trust

04/06/2026

Fifty years on, Gurdip will always be remembered.

On the night of 4 June 1976, Gurdip Singh Chaggar was out with his friends when he was killed in an unprovoked racist attack.

He was targeted for his race and faith against a backdrop of widespread racist and anti-immigration sentiment. Suresh Grover, founder of The Monitoring Group, recalls a police officer at the scene referring to Gurdip as ‘just an Asian’.

Over the following weekend, hundreds of local South Asian people took to the streets to express their anger at Chaggar’s death, and the Southall Youth Movement (SYM) was founded shortly afterwards to defend the local population against the ever-present threat of racism.

Today, we see violence returning to our streets at levels reminiscent of the 1970s. Attacks against individuals and places of worship are sending shockwaves through our communities, while politicians and the media continue to push harmful narratives that dehumanise people of colour and embolden the far right.

What's more, the political landscape has changed dramatically in recent years - our conversations around race and racism have become more complicated and we find ourselves defending against claims that ‘anti-racism has gone too far’.

How we respond in this moment is critical.

Join members of Gurdip’s family and speakers from key organisations at a dedicated conference ‘50 Years On: Anti-Racist Defiance Then & Now’ on 6 June 2026 - https://www.tickettailor.com/events/themonitoringgroup/2219106

Photo credit: Young Rebels: The History of the Southall Youth Movement (southallyouthmovement.org.uk)

20/05/2026

“It’s not just rich people who should have beautiful historical buildings”

Twenty-five years ago, a grassroots campaign to save a much-loved bath house in a
multicultural area of Glasgow sparked the creation of a pioneering community-based
charity that is changing the lives of local residents.

In our latest blog, journalist Melissa Sigodo speaks to activist Fatima Uygen about the remarkable story of the Govanhill Baths Community Trust

Read the full article on our website 🔗 www.runnymedetrust.org/blog/its-about-the-wellbeing-of-everyone-in-our-community

Photos © 1-2, Govanhill Baths Community Trust; 3, Sam Lawson (blackops.inc)

16/05/2026

Today, far right leaders will try to spread hatred and fear on our streets. We’re all too familiar with the consequences of that politics, how quickly dehumanising rhetoric escalates into real-world violence.

The far right does not represent a united kingdom. There is nothing united about scapegoating migrants, Muslims and communities of colour for the crises affecting all of our daily lives, while politicians and billionaires manufacture division and inequality for their own gain.

The far right thrives on fear. We choose solidarity, and we won’t let hatred define our future.

Earlier this year, half a million of us took to the streets of London in the largest demonstration against the far right this country has ever seen. People of all backgrounds marched together in solidarity and hope, united against those trying to divide us.

The government must stop legitimising the narratives that fuel the far right - from hostile anti-immigration rhetoric to policies that dehumanise people seeking safety. Political leaders have a responsibility to challenge racism and division, not echo it.

Be part of the pushback. Follow us, join our mailing list or donate to support our cause 🔗 https://linktr.ee/runnymedetrust

Photo © Dana Wang

11/05/2026

Shortlisted for the Unwin Award and the British Book Awards’s ‘Discover’ Book of the Year and longlisted for the Jhalak Prize, ‘The Science of Racism’ by Professor Keon West uses clear scientific research to expose what we know about racism, exactly how we know it, and what we can do about it.

Read an extract on our website 🔗 https://www.runnymedetrust.org/blog/studying-the-science-of-racism

30/04/2026

Earlier this month, we welcomed thirteen Year 9 students from Football Beyond Borders to Runnymede’s office as part of their ‘Architects of the Future’ programme. We challenged them to present us with their ideas on the following question: “If you were in power for one day, what would you change?”. The responses were brilliant, from creating safe spaces and listening better to young people’s voices in schools, to better supporting girls and women to excel in football.

Congratulations to all the participants, and thanks to Penguin Books for the brilliant prizes!

25/04/2026

We’re taking part in the London Marathon tomorrow!

Our team this year includes a group of school friends; Joe, Matt and Ethan, as well as a father and son duo, Paul and Joe, all of whom have been training hard for the challenge.

Matt first found out about Runnymede through a friend who ran the marathon last year. He said: “The more I learned, the more I understood how essential their work is in challenging inequality and creating a fairer society. Running this marathon is my way of contributing to that mission.”

Joe signed up after getting a job on the Runnymede team. “Since joining Runnymede, I've seen first hand their important role in holding power to account. With everything that's happening in the country at the moment, I feel like their work is more important than ever.”

His father, Paul, added: “It feels like we've gone back to the 1970s with the amount of overt racism going on, so raising some money for this trust can help them counter the lies that are being spread.”

We’re sending all our encouragement to the runners this Sunday. Racial justice organisations aren’t typically represented at events like these, so we’re grateful to the TCS London Marathon for the opportunity to promote the Runnymede Trust and the work that we do.

If you’d like to support our team, and our mission to progress racial justice in the UK, please consider making a donation via our website or our marathon fundraising page 🔗 https://2026tcslondonmarathon.enthuse.com/runnymedetrust/profile

23/04/2026

“What do our communities really need for the conditions of safety, accountability, protection and health?”

Our latest report, ‘Keeping Us Safe’, calls for a fundamental shift in how the UK approaches safety, harm prevention and justice. Drawing on polling and in-depth community-based qualitative research, it finds strong public support for social investment over punitive enforcement when nuanced choices are on offer.

As Farzana Khan, with Healing Justice LDN, emphasises in the report’s foreword, the systems we rely on to create safety, justice and health cannot themselves be places of injustice, harm and violence.

Read the full article on our website 🔗 https://www.runnymedetrust.org/blog/keeping-us-safe

22/04/2026

“Stephen’s story serves as a potent reminder that our commitment to racial justice must be constantly renewed”
- Baroness Doreen Lawrence OBE

Racism is often a matter of life and death. This was especially true for Stephen Lawrence, a bright young man who dreamed of becoming an architect. Today marks 33 years since he was murdered in a racist attack, at just 18, igniting a national reckoning with racism, both on our streets and in our institutions.

But today, politicians and the press continue to stoke division, scapegoating Muslim communities, migrant communities and communities of colour for problems that stem from those in power. Hateful rhetoric is fuelling the rise of the far-right and contributing to a growing climate of fear, hostility and violence across the country.

The Runnymede Trust was founded in 1968, and our primary object since has been to promote racial harmony. We saw that harmony last month when hundreds of thousands of people joined the Together Alliance for the biggest anti-racist demonstration in British history.

We felt the hope and connection in our communities, particularly among young people who, like Stephen, still have ambitions to become the architects of a brighter future.

Today and every day, we renew our commitment to progressing racial justice and carrying forward Stephen’s legacy.

Rest in power, Stephen. Your legacy lives on 🖤

Support the Stephen Lawrence Day foundation and their work to build his name for future generations.

The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation will inspire a fairer and just society through Stephen’s legacy engendering equality , diversity and inclusion for young people and communities globally. To find out more visit: www.stephenlawrenceday.org

20/04/2026

What actually keeps us safe?

Drawing on polling of over 5,000 people across Britain, we found that more than half of the public believe investing in social and public services would do more to prevent crime than increasing police numbers or powers

Through a series of workshops across the UK, we explored how communities are already building responses to harm rooted in care, accountability and prevention, and what it would take to scale these approaches

Safety grows from the foundations of a flourishing society - secure housing, strong public services, connected communities - and systems that support people rather than punish them when they are most in need

We greatly appreciate the support and collaboration of our partner organisations and all community members who contributed to this research

The 4Front Project, Bawso, BSWN: Black South West Network, CRER Scotland, Imkaan, the Mwanzo project, the No Police in Schools campaign (Northern Police Monitoring Project & Kids of Colour), Poetic Unity, Refugee Action, Release, See Me Scotland, and The Traveller Movement

Your work shows what becomes possible when we centre care, dignity and collective wellbeing

Read the full report on our website 🔗 https://www.runnymedetrust.org/publications/keeping-us-safe-rethinking-policing-harm-and-justice

10/04/2026

“Football still has a long way to go in terms of education and acceptance.”

Samuel Okafor, chief executive of Kick It Out and a former professional footballer, tells journalist Kitty Melrose about discrimination in English football and why the game faces a crucial moment for change.

Read the full article on our website 🔗

Discrimination in English football has reached record levels, from grassroots to the professional game. At the same there is rising concern about the tone of debate around immigration and identity within the sport, fuelled earlier this year by contentious comments from Manchester United’s co-owner...