Opinions

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When words are not enough

An Open Letter to the President and Decision-Makers of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Days after the French authorities approved the extradition warrant for a Lithuanian woman wanted by the Republic of Cyprus in connection with her work in the North Cyprus property sector, the Greek Cy...

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© Faculty of Education / Jason Arday

Racism kills: the tragic case of Jason Arday

Racism is an enduring scourge that has afflicted humanity for centuries. The simple definition of racism is: “Prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one’s own race is superior”. Racism is perpetrated by individuals as w...

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© Mark Pain / Alamy

2026/27 Premier League Preview: who is going to knock Arteta off his perch?

It seems like only yesterday we were watching Arsenal parading their Premier League trophy along Holloway Road. Yet the new 2026/27 Premier League Season is just days away. The slate is wiped clean and excitement is building, with the transfer window in full motion. Record fees are being exchanged b...

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© Jane Barlow / Alamy

When sport is governed by politics, athletes pay the price

A fortnight ago, the 23rd Commonwealth Games held its closing ceremony having run for 11 days in host city Glasgow, from 23rd July to 2nd August.  They were dubbed the ‘Ozempic’ Games after drastically slimming down the list of sports from 19 to 10.  However, that reduction in sporting dis...

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© House of Commons/Roger Harris & Laurie Noble

The dangerous othering behind Reform’s ‘Turkish Barbers Tip Line’

Reform’s ‘Turkish Barbers Tip Line’ is not just racism. It’s a process of ‘othering’ with dangerous consequences. Reform’s Home Affairs Spokesman, Zia Yusuf, announced on Thursday that, if elected, his party would pay members of the public whose tip-offs about businesses employing illegal...

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© Allstar Picture Library/Alamy

Why the 2026 World Cup was a failure

The warning signs appeared well before a ball was kicked. At the World Cup draw in Washington in December 2025, FIFA president Gianni Infantino presented US President Donald Trump with the inaugural 'FIFA Peace Prize - Football Unites the World'. The newly created award, and Infantino's very public...

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Review: The Divided Island – “the most balanced film on Cyprus that I have ever seen”

I recently watched new documentary The Divided Island. In fact, I saw it twice in one month. The highly acclaimed film has attracted a lot of interest from diverse media, including The Guardian, The Morning Star, and even The Church Times. Why has this film generated so much interest? One...

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General Election 2024: We say we Turkish Cypriots exist but do we really?

Rishi Sunak has sounded the klaxon for the General Election, which will take place on Thursday, 4 July 2024. Most political commentators see no way back for the Conservatives and their miserable period of government lasting 14 years is finally about to come to a crashing end.As much as I enjoy writi...

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Why we all need ‘A New Deal For Workers’: join the Central London rally on 18 June

The TUC has recently called for a mass mobilisation of trade unions to support the New Deal for Workers Campaign. This call coincides with many people in our own Turkish-speaking community feeling the pinch like never before, with the cost of living crisis sky-rocketing. Food, petrol, gas and e...

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Slavery has been abolished for over 200 years – or has it?

There aren’t many more emotive subjects in society today than to write about slavery and with the UN Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition coming up on 23 August, I wanted to share my thoughts on this with you. As a dedicated UK trade union activist and founding member of...

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