All posts tagged: racist

Anti-Muslim influencer launches racist attack on Mahmood after being blocked from UK

Anti-Muslim influencer launches racist attack on Mahmood after being blocked from UK

Published by Sam Flores

A self-styled anti-Muslim influencer has launched a racist attack on the Home Secretary after she was barred from entering Britain to attend a rally organised by Tommy Robinson. Valentina Gomez, based in the US, was last week given an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to speak at the Unite the Kingdom rally on May 16 organised by Robinson, the far-Right activist. However, it emerged on Monday that Shabana Mahmood, the Home Secretary, had excluded Ms Gomez from the UK, on the grounds that her presence would not be conducive to the public good. In response to the decision, Ms Gomez, 26, posted a video on social media in which she called Ms Mahmood a “dirty Pakistani Muslim”. Valentina Gomez and Tommy Robinson pictured together at the first Unite the Kingdom rally in September 2025 – Instagram Ms Gomez then claimed she would defy the prospect of arrest to travel to the UK by boat. She said: “I guarantee you that the White House will get involved. Because I’m not just coming with Jesus Christ, I’m coming with …

Dan Walker co-presenter Claudia-Liza Wanderpuije claims Channel 5 has ‘racist culture’ amid bullying allegation

Dan Walker co-presenter Claudia-Liza Wanderpuije claims Channel 5 has ‘racist culture’ amid bullying allegation

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Former Channel 5 News presenter Claudia-Liza Vanderpuije has alleged that the show has a “toxic culture of racism, sexism, misogyny and bullying” after accusing co-star Dan Walker of the latter. It was reported on Sunday (12 April) that Walker – who joined 5 News in 2022 after leaving BBC Breakfast – would be appearing at an employment tribunal this month over bullying allegations made by Vanderpuije. The presenters co-hosted 5 News together until 2024, when Vanderpuije left the channel after five years. Channel 5 brought in investigators in 2024 after Walker was the subject of a “multi-pronged” complaint from a colleague, however they found that there had been “a lack of evidence to support allegations”. Issuing a statement on Vanderpuije’s behalf, her lawyer Jonathan Coad said she’s alleging that ITN, which produces the show, and Channel 5 “tried to over up …

Harry Potter reboot roasted by ‘Black Snape’ on SNL: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Harry Potter reboot roasted by ‘Black Snape’ on SNL: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Saturday Night Live has poked fun at the new Harry Potter reboot’s casting choices. Days after HBO released the trailer for the forthcoming series adapted from J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, comedian Kam Patterson appeared Saturday on “Weekend Update” as Professor Severus Snape — a character previously played by the late white actor Alan Rickman, but now being portrayed by Black actor Paapa Essiedu. After “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost introduced Snape, Patterson joked that the franchise’s titular character was “racist as hell.” “We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell,” Snape said. “Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only Black teacher was secretly evil.” Jost replied, referring to the plot of the first book in the series: “I think he’s just …

Harry Potter reboot roasted by ‘Black Snape’ on SNL: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Saturday Night Live roasts Harry Potter reboot on Weekend Update: ‘The whole wizarding world is racist’

Published by Daniella Wilson

Get the latest entertainment news, reviews and star-studded interviews with our Independent Culture email Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Get the latest entertainment news with our free Culture newsletter Saturday Night Live has poked fun at the new Harry Potter reboot’s casting choices. Days after HBO released the trailer for the forthcoming series adapted from J.K. Rowling’s beloved books, comedian Kam Patterson appeared Saturday on “Weekend Update” as Professor Severus Snape — a character previously played by the late white actor Alan Rickman, but now being portrayed by Black actor Paapa Essiedu. After “Weekend Update” host Colin Jost introduced Snape, Patterson joked that the franchise’s titular character was “racist as hell.” “We got this new kid. His name is Harry Potter, and he’s racist as hell,” Snape said. “Harry Potter — or, the Proud Boy Who Lived — spent the whole year telling everybody that the school’s only Black teacher was secretly evil.” Jost replied, referring to the plot of the first book in the series: “I think he’s just …

Is Mandated Reporting Racist? What Families Must Know

Is Mandated Reporting Racist? What Families Must Know

Published by Jenni Sidey

One in three children in the United States will be reported to child protective services (CPS) before they turn 18. For Black children, that number is nearly one in two. This is not a minor issue. Reporting touches millions of families—disproportionately Black, Brown, Indigenous, immigrant, disabled, and poor. But most families learn how this system works only after they are already in it. This piece is for you. Read it before that happens. Understand your risks so you can mitigate them. What mandated reporting is—and what it isn’t Mandated reporters are people required by law to report suspected child abuse or neglect to CPS. This includes doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers, and many others. The bar for filing a report is low: “reasonable suspicion.” Reporters do not need proof. They do not need to ask you questions first. And in most states, they face no legal consequences for reporting you unfairly, unjustly, or incorrectly. Child abuse and neglect are also misdiagnosed. Although the vast majority of cases are unsubstantiated, CPS involvement is often traumatizing for …

Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship shows racist hopes

Trump’s attack on birthright citizenship shows racist hopes

Published by Sam Flores

In the summer of 1868, the 14th Amendment was ratified, granting birthright citizenship to “All persons born or naturalized in the United States.” Crafted in the aftermath of the Civil War, the landmark legislation was aimed at providing citizenship to formerly enslaved people. The amendment directly undid the ruling of the 1857 U.S. Supreme Court case of Dred Scott vs. Sandford, which stated that enslaved people were not U.S. citizens. More than 150 years after the amendment’s ratification, President Trump signed an executive order in January 2025 that offered a redefined interpretation of who exactly is entitled to birthright citizenship. The proposed presidential directive suggested that citizenship should not be extended to children born within the U.S. or its territories to parents who are undocumented or have temporary visas. The order — which would affect all children born to parents without permanent legal status in the U.S. after Feb. 19, 2025 — argued that “the Fourteenth Amendment has always excluded from birthright citizenship persons who were born in the United States but not ‘subject to …

Family of former Zutons star criticise police over handling of racist attack investigation | UK News

Family of former Zutons star criticise police over handling of racist attack investigation | UK News

Published by Daniella Wilson

The family of a musician who was seriously injured in a racist attack have criticised the police’s handling of the investigation, saying there have been “multiple failings” in communication. Boyan Chowdhury, a founding member of indie band The Zutons, was left with a significant head wound after being hit with what is believed to be a piece of wood, near to his home in Wavertree, Liverpool, on Saturday afternoon. Speaking to Sky News earlier this week, he said he could have been killed but that he did not have faith in the way the incident was being dealt with. He shared graphic images of his wound, which we have blurred, on social media. As Mr Chowdhury’s family say he continues to recover at home from symptoms of concussion, they criticised Merseyside Police, claiming there has been a lack of support and poor communication since the incident. “This was a violent, racially motivated attack that could have ended in tragedy,” his family said. “What has followed has only added to our trauma – missed communication, lack …

Zutons star says head-splitting racist attack could have killed him | UK News

Zutons star says head-splitting racist attack could have killed him | UK News

Published by Daniella Wilson

A former member of indie band The Zutons has spoken after being seriously injured in a racist assault, telling Sky News he could have been killed and that he wants his attackers to face justice. Boyan Chowdhury was treated in hospital following the incident, described by police as an “abhorrent” hate-related assault, which happened in the Wavertree area of Liverpool on Saturday afternoon. Mr Chowdhury, who is in his 40s, says a group of young males, believed to be in their late teens, started shouting racist slurs when he asked them to move away as they were smoking near to him and his five-year-old son. After taking his son to a neighbour’s house, he says two of the group continued to abuse him, and he was approached from the side and hit by a third. “Something in my head just said, turn around quick. Instinctively I turned and I raised my hand, I took some of the blow away.” Mr Chowdhury says he was left with a wound splitting his forehead down to his skull. …

Paapa Essiedu Received Racist Death Threats After Harry Potter Casting

Paapa Essiedu Received Racist Death Threats After Harry Potter Casting

Published by Sam Flores

Paapa Essiedu is opening up about the racist abuse he has received since being cast in the upcoming TV adaptation of the Harry Potter books. Last year, it was revealed that the I May Destroy You star would play Potions professor Severus Snape, a role previously brought to life on screen by the late Alan Rickman, in the forthcoming series. During a new interview in The Times, Essiedu spoke candidly about the abuse he’s been subjected to following his casting, on the basis of his race. He told the newspaper: “The reality is that if I look at Instagram I will see somebody saying, ‘I’m going to come to your house and kill you’.” “Many people put their lives on the line in their work,” he observed. “I’m playing a wizard in Harry Potter. And I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t affect me emotionally.” Essiedu went on to say that this type of abuse “fuels” him in some ways, and “makes me more passionate about making this character my own”. “The idea that …

Premier League football match stopped after racist abuse of player reported | UK News

Premier League football match stopped after racist abuse of player reported | UK News

Published by Sam Flores

Today’s derby clash between Newcastle United and Sunderland was temporarily paused after a report of “discriminatory abuse”, the Premier League has said. The crowd abuse, during the second half, was reported to have been directed at Sunderland’s Lutsharel Geertruida, the league’s statement said. It said the stoppage was “in line with the Premier League’s on-field anti-discrimination protocol” and the incident at St James’ Park in Newcastle would now be fully investigated. Image: Sunderland’s Granit Xhaka and Lutsharel Geertruida celebrate after the match. Pic: Action Images/Reuters “We offer our full support to the player and both clubs,” the Premier League said. “Racism has no place in our game, or anywhere in society. “We will continue to work with stakeholders and authorities to ensure our stadiums are an inclusive and welcoming environment for all.” Read more: Sky Sports match report There had been tense scenes between fans outside the stadium before the match, which Sunderland won 2-1 thanks to a late goal by Brian Brobbey. Newcastle boss Eddie Howe also commented on the incident post-match, telling Sky …