Red Pepper (UK)

Book bans, immigration raids, and efforts to erase Black, migrant, disabled, trans and queer students and their histories are spreading across the US. Public schools have once again been cast into the political spotlight as the Trump administration tries to dismantle the Department of Education altogether. Teachers are beset on all sides, preparing themselves for union backlash, layoffs as a result of teaching Black and queer history, and even immigration sweeps.

In 2019, the council district I grew up in was England’s most infamous ‘rotten borough’. One-third of Fenland District Council’s candidates were returned unopposed. The first I heard about this was when my mother mentioned having not received a poll card; she was confused why. That was because, as the Electoral Commission guidance starkly states, where valid nominations only equal the number of vacancies, or fall short of them, candidates are simply declared elected and ‘no poll is necessary’.

Title: Cape Fever Author: Nadia David Publisher: Scribner UK Year: 2026 Cape Fever by Nadia Davids is a slim, slow-burning gothic tale set in 1920’s colonial South Africa, where every day routines erode into unease and subtle manipulations accumulate. Nineteen-year-old Soraya Matas lands a job at the residence of an elderly English widow, Mrs. Alice Hattingh. On paper it is an ideal arrangement: live-in maid, good wages, and one Sunday off a fortnight. In reality, it is a slow suffocation.

Title: We Grow The World Together: Parenting Towards Abolition Editors: Maya Schenwar and Kim Wilson Publisher: Haymarket Books Year: 2024 We Grow the World Together is a kaleidoscopic, groundbreaking new anthology, bringing together essays, educational resources and conversations at the intersection of caregiving and prison abolition.

Peoples’ tribunals are grassroots initiatives. They use the conventions and format of the courtroom to publicly stage evidence hearings on rights abuses that formal institutions have failed to recognise or fully address, or where impunity persists. The tradition stretches back to at least 1966, when philosopher and anti-war activist Bertrand Russell established an International War Crimes Tribunal. Together, lawyers, activists and thinkers investigated US war crimes and foreign policy in Vietnam.

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Can’t wait?! Subscribe today to get this article – and the latest issue – delivered straight to your door. You’ll also get our fortnightly premium newsletter, The Solidarity Report, and our next annual print edition. Bargain! Red Pepper is a totally independent, subscriber-funded project. No billionaire backer. No dodgy ads. No paywall. We publish everything, ethically, for everyone – first in print, then later online.

To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behaviour or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.

Can’t wait?! to get this article – and the latest issue – delivered straight to your door. You’ll also get our fortnightly premium newsletter, The Solidarity Report, and our next annual print edition. Bargain! Red Pepper is a totally independent, subscriber-funded project. No billionaire backer. No dodgy ads. No paywall. We publish everything, ethically, for everyone – first in print, then later online. David Howell is a historian of socialist politics and author of multiple books.

Can’t wait?! Subscribe today to get this article – and the latest issue – delivered straight to your door. You’ll also get our fortnightly premium newsletter, The Solidarity Report, and our next annual print edition. Bargain! Red Pepper is a totally independent, subscriber-funded project. No billionaire backer. No dodgy ads. No paywall. We publish everything, ethically, for everyone – first in print, then later online. Iker Suárez is a PhD researcher and anti-imperialist organiser