Runnymede Trust

13/09/2026

Stephen Lawrence should have been 52 years old today.

Yet in 1993, aged just 18, Stephen was murdered in an unprovoked racist attack while waiting for a bus. His tragic murder changed the country, and ignited a national reckoning with racism, both on our streets and in our institutions.

Today, we bear witness to a horrifying resurgence of racist violence and hostility, from the racist riots that began in Southport two years ago, to the pogroms in Belfast this summer, to last weekend’s events in Dover and Portsmouth.

This violence and intimidation is now so regular that it feels routine; it is flooding our social and political spaces and tearing at the very bonds that we need to live together. Racism killed Stephen, and racism is still killing people today.

Here at the Runnymede Trust, we have fought for racial justice and harmony since 1968. We have consistently called for the government to address the political and structural conditions enabling the escalation of racist violence, most recently through our joint call with more than 100 organisations for a comprehensive national anti-racism strategy.

We all deserve to live in safety and without fear. We need decisive government action to address the intensification of racism and stop this cycle of violence from escalating further.

We owe it to Stephen, to his memory, and to all those who work tirelessly to root out racism in our communities.

Rest in power, Stephen. Your legacy lives on 🖤

09/09/2026

150+ organisations are raising the alarm on the horrifying escalation in racist violence and intimidation.

In one weekend, we saw:
- Newly formed far-right group chanting “stop the boats” at Dover’s port.
- Groups of men gathering in Portsmouth saying they were trying to “block” the arrival of people seeking asylum.
- A fire was started in Glasgow after rumours the building was housing people seeking asylum.

These events – as with those we’ve seen previously - are not isolated incidents.

We must come together to demand the government takes serious action.

09/09/2026

Domestic abuse affects one in four women in England and Wales. But its impact is not evenly felt, with Black, Asian and minoritised women facing disproportionate barriers to safety and recovery.

As demand for services grows and funding remains stretched, creative forms of support show what recovery can look like – from culturally specific support to trauma-informed homes.

✍ Read the latest article by journalist Kitty Melrose on our blog: https://www.runnymedetrust.org/blog/supporting-survivors-of-domestic-abuse

05/09/2026

Four years ago, 24-year-old Chris Kaba was shot and killed by a Met Police officer.

Today, we remember and honour Chris' life, and offer our solidarity to his family, friends, and community on this painful anniversary 🖤

Rest in eternal power, Chris 🕊

15/08/2026

Our love and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Jason Arday.

Jason was a trustee of the Runnymede Trust for three terms, concluding his service in 2024. His death is personal to us, and we are all reeling from this news.

His death comes after an obscene and relentless media campaign that denied him the most basic human compassion. By one count, this media barrage totalled 249 media articles in less than a month, with over 20 stories per day even following his resignation.

Racism has consequences; it kills.

In his own words, Jason asked “only for understanding, for compassion, and for the space to begin again.” He was denied this. There must be a reckoning with the media and academic actors that created and fuelled the specific racism that shaped the final years of his life.

But for now, we mourn his death, along with all those who were close to him.

Rest in eternal peace and power, Jason 🕊

30/07/2026

From widespread racist violence, to attacks on places of worship and burning down homes and businesses of people of colour, our new Prime Minister is inheriting a country which is ripping at the seams.

Successive governments have not only failed to deliver a coherent and ambitious anti-racist strategy, but have fuelled and encouraged racist hatred through cruel policies which demonise and scapegoat people of colour and migrant communities.

This time it must be different. That’s why, alongside over 100 organisations from across civil society, we’ve written to the Prime Minister to urge him to deliver a national anti-racist strategy, built with civil society and communities affected by racism and discrimination.

Tackling racism will benefit us all, from fairer institutions to more equitable wealth distribution, creating healthy communities where everyone has the ability to prosper.

Read the full open letter on our website 🔗 https://www.runnymedetrust.org/news/open-letter-national-antiracist-strategy

22/06/2026

This Windrush Day, we’re promoting the work of the Windrush Justice Community Collective.

The Windrush generation were encouraged to help rebuild post-war Britain. In return, they were wrongly detained, deported, denied healthcare and work, and stripped of their citizenship, homes and livelihoods by Hostile Environment policies.

The Windrush compensation scheme, which was promised to correct these injustices, is now in its seventh year, and has still failed to deliver for many families. As of January 2026, over 60 people have died waiting for the resolution of their cases. More than half of concluded claims received zero compensation. And without access to legal advice, even those who have received compensation are receiving a fraction of the amounts they are entitled to.

A June 2025 report by JUSTICE found that the average amount offered without legal advice was £11,400. With representation, that rose eight-fold to £83,200. In the most extreme cases, one claimant’s offer went from zero to £295,000 with legal support. Another claimant’s rose from £300 to £170,000.

This is clearly a rigged system. These are not individual failings or errors, but evidence of a system that is set up to fail. This is unsurprising given the Hostile Environment demands the ongoing persecution of our communities of colour.

The WJCC petition is calling for a full public inquiry, the establishment of a new independent body to manage the compensation process, as well as free legal support and citizenship or indefinite leave to remain for all families affected.

This Windrush Day, support the victims and their families and sign the petition.

Hey! 👋 Survivors of the Windrush scandal have been given apologies and memorials, but the reality is that many are still being denied fair compensation. 😔 The Government promised to overhaul this broken system, and it’s time we hold them to it. Could you take a minute to add your name and he...

18/06/2026

"Young people are being failed, and that's about deprivation and a lack of resources, but also a lack of care and love"

In the first episode of our new podcast, Richie Brave speaks to rapper KOJ and lecturer Dr Becky Clark about the racialised myths that paint young Black people as criminals.

'When Fear Picks a Face' is now available via YouTube (https://youtu.be/JJDztJV16Ao) and wherever you get your podcasts (https://rss.com/podcasts/unpacked-young-people-violence/)

New episodes every Thursday.

16/06/2026

Grenfell is not the exception, it is the rule.

Our latest report hears from residents across London, who describe housing circumstances that have had devastating effects on their lives.

Their experiences show how trauma is produced, intensified and normalised within the housing system, to the detriment of people of colour in particular.

What people are now living through is the preventable outcome of decades of policies that consider homes as assets, instead of essential foundations of wellbeing and security.

Housing is a human right, not a conditional commodity, and it should never put our health or wellbeing in danger.

Read the full report, ‘Homes, not harm’ on our website 🔗

London’s housing system breaches basic standards of humanity, with racism embedded at its core.

14/06/2026

“Grenfell was not a tragedy without a cause”

Nine years ago today, 72 people were killed in the Grenfell fire.

Many of those residents were from working-class communities of colour, repeatedly ignored in their appeals for safety and maintenance, and fatefully instructed to remain in place as an inferno ripped through the building.

As the tower is taken down this year, it is more important than ever that we stand with the survivors, bereaved families and communities in their fight for accountability and justice. Nine years later, and we are still waiting for charges against those responsible.

Forever in our hearts. Justice for the 72 💚