Friday, November 5, 2021, marks the 13th day of Richard Ratcliffe's hunger strike. Speaking to the Guardian, he said that this time, it is more visceral. "It's smaller, darker, more pointed. I'm saying things I wouldn't have said two years ago," he added. Ratcliffe's hunger strike is aimed at pressuring the British government to take action in releasing his wife.
On October 16, 2021, Deputy Assistant Commissioner Dean Haydon, the senior national coordinator for counter-terrorism policing, officially declared Sir David Amess's murder as an incident of terrorism. According to Haydon, the Metropolitan police's early investigation revealed "a potential motivation linked to Islamist extremism."
A Christian couple from the Isle of Wight in the British Isles plans to sue the government over the transgender guidelines implemented by the school previously attended by their children. The couple plans to request a judicial review over the Department for Education’s support of Cornwall Schools Transgender Guidance.
A study published in the Social Psychological and Personality Science journal on March 5, 2021, postulated that the lack of perceiving religious imagery or other displays of faith is more likely to predict atheistic tendencies later in life.
In 2013, two British comedians "wanted to do something that was like church but totally secular." Sanderson Jones and Pippa Evans were on their way to a gig when they discussed the idea. On January 6, 2013, the first-ever meeting of the Sunday Assembly took place in The Nave, a pub in the boroughs of London. The Sunday Assembly has since spread all over, mainly in the UK and in the US.
There were about 70 independent congregations. Ever since the pandemic hit, more than half have gone dormant or completely closed.
A wide range of religious organizations in the UK was subject to an inquiry investigation regarding child abuse. The inquiry revealed “shocking failures” and “blatant hypocrisies” in how these religions handle abuse allegations. Children are subjected to abuse of power and victim-blaming by religious leaders and, as a result, are often not reported.
In early August, Prabjot Singh, a 30-year-old Sikh, and his friend Arminder Singh visited the Tir Prince Fun Park in North Wales. The two men were at the funfair together with their families. While queuing for a ride in the funfair, one staff member called Prabjot over, then asked him to step out of the line. Arminder, clarifying things on behalf of Prabjot, who is not fluent in English, asked about the request.
On July 6, Naz Shah — Bradford Labour MP (UK) — delivered an impassioned speech in Parliament during a discussion for the Police, Crime, Sentencing, and Courts (PCSC) Bill . In her speech, Shah has directly compared the “emotional harm” of the cartoon depictions of the Prophet Muhammad and the destruction of status. She also asked if there is a “hierarchy of sentiments” since the British Government is planning to impose prison sentences of up to 10 years and none for drawing cartoons of Muhammad.
In March 2021, a teacher showed his students a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad by the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo during a lesson at Batley Grammar School. His action sparked protests outside the school, with dozens of people deeming it "inappropriate" and some of them demanding him to be fired.
