53 h. ago A ‘Black Snape’ in the new Harry Potter seems designed to cause controversy – but it could work | Jason Okundaye

Ignore the fuss: Paapa Essiedu is a brilliant actor who can bring his own depth and style to enrich the iconic characterAfter months of speculation, HBO has announced part of the cast of the latest round of Harry Potter IP-mining: the new TV adaptation of the original books will feature John Lithgow as Dumbledore, Nick Frost as Hagrid – and Paapa Essiedu as Snape. As the Mail and Telegraph’s headlines were quick to inform their readers, yes, this means a “Black actor” in that iconic role.There is a real concern that Essiedu is drinking from a poisoned chalice – that he will be associated with an author who is at the forefront of a gender-critical movement that has succeeded in redefining the rights of trans people to their detriment; that he will have to weather the racist storm of Potterheads enraged at the diversion from “book accuracy” (Snape is described as having “sallow skin”); and deal with opportunists looking to illustrate their next rant about how the world has succumbed t...

Politics

3 d. ago This unAmerican life: can you really divest yourself of everything from the US?

iPhones and Google Maps are out – and you can keep your existing friends from across the pond, but don’t go making any new onesI really wish I had a Tesla. Ideally it would be a Cybertruck but any Tesla would do. Then I could plaster it with those “I bought this before Elon went mad” stickers, shamefacedly sell it at a loss and write a performative social media post about no longer being able to stomach the guilt of driving it around town. But as I don’t actually own a car, let alone a Tesla, I’ve felt unable to add my voice to the anti-Musk and anti-Trump protests gaining momentum around the world. Until now.Of course, I will not be travelling to the US at any time soon. As former US secretary of labor Robert Reich writes, why reward Trump’s America with my tourist dollars? But as I wasn’t planning to visit America, this doesn’t feel like a sacrifice, let alone a meaningful one. So the appearance of the #BoycottUSA movement has arrived at just the right time. Here is a campaign I c...

Politics

3 d. ago Government Cheese stars explain why they were 'thrilled' that racism isn't a major theme in new Apple drama

Apple TV+ drama Government Cheese follows the Chambers family in the 1960s

Events

3 d. ago Government Cheese stars admit why they were ‘thrilled’ Apple TV+ drama didn’t include Civil Rights movement

The stars of the new Apple TV+ drama Government Cheese have shed light on the show’s unique approach to the depiction of race relations in 1960s America

Politics

6 d. ago Trans activists slam 'evil' Supreme Court ruling on definition of woman that 'put rights movement back 20 years'

There were calls amongst the LGBT + community to 'amplify trans voices' after judges decided the definition of sex in the Equality Act is binary.

Events

6 d. ago David Oyelowo shares why his 'totally unique' new Apple TV+ series is a 'career first'

David Oyelowo stars in the new Apple TV+ series Government Cheese, which launches on Wednesday

Culture

7 d. ago Inside David Oyelowo's life from 'royal family' connection to tragic reason he changed his diet

David Oyelowo is set to star in the surreal new period comedy-drama Government Cheese on Apple TV+, but what do we know about the actor's life off the screen?

Events

1 week ago The power and pitfalls of protest: how to speak out without falling victim to Trump’s playbook | Jonathan Smucker

As mass protest surges against Trump and Musk, how can we show up as effectively as possible?On Saturday I was heartened to be one of millions of Americans who took to the streets in cities and towns across the United States to stand against “the most brazen power grab in modern history”. While no official total tally of “Hands Off!” participants is yet available, the anti-Donald Trump, anti-Elon Musk actions on Saturday were certainly among the largest single day protests in US history, with rallies in all 50 states.As we seem to be entering a new stage of popular protest movements, it’s worth assessing the strategic value of protest, as well as the limits and potential liabilities. History is full of powerful examples of consequential bottom-up protest movements. The women’s suffrage movement secured voting rights after decades of struggle. The civil rights movement dismantled Jim Crow segregation. The labor movement won the eight-hour workday, the weekend and much more. Protest w...

Events

1 week ago On 21 April, Germany will deport me – an EU citizen convicted of no crime – for standing with Palestine | Kasia Wlaszczyk

Four of us have received letters from the state telling us to leave or be removed. This is a terrifying illustration of Germany’s lurch to the rightIn the first week of January, I received a letter from the Berlin Immigration Office, informing me that I had lost my right of freedom of movement in Germany, due to allegations around my involvement in the pro-Palestine movement. Since I’m a Polish citizen living in Berlin, I knew that deporting an EU national from another EU country is practically impossible. I contacted a lawyer and, given the lack of substantial legal reasoning behind the order, we filed a lawsuit against it, after which I didn’t think much of it.I later found out that three other people active in the Palestine movement in Berlin, Roberta Murray, Shane O’Brien and Cooper Longbottom, received the same letters. Murray and O’Brien are Irish nationals, Longbottom is American. We understood this as yet another intimidation tactic from the state, which has also violently s...

Events

2 w. ago ‘Hands Off’ protests begin across US to oppose Trump agenda – live

More than a thousand events expected in a show of defiance against US president’s ‘authoritarian overreach’Hundreds of protesters gathered in central London on Saturday as part of global demonstrations against Donald Trump’s administration. Crowds gathered in Trafalgar Square with banners that read “No to Maga hate” and “Dump Trump”. The rally is one of hundreds of so-called “hands off” demonstrations around the world – including in cities across the US, Paris and Berlin. The movement has been organised by more than 150 groups, including civil rights groups and trade unions. Among the protesters in London was Clarke Reinstein, 73, from Rhode Island, who told the PA news agency he was “disappointed in my fellow Americans” over the election of Donald Trump. “I’ve been in London for two months and I like being over here because people think a little differently,” he said, adding, “They made a mistake over Brexit – but they didn’t fall over like the Americans have.” A 37-year-old woman ...

Politics

3 w. ago Sexual assault allegations seem to be a badge of honor in Trump’s America. Was #MeToo an epic failure?

The push to end sexual violence has sparked a revenge campaign setting fire to women’s rights and pushing young men to the right. But organizers can learn from the movement’s lossesDressed in his trademark sunglasses and a skintight black T-shirt, Andrew Tate strode into a Las Vegas arena like a returning king. He was there to watch Power Slap, a UFC offshoot where people slap each other in the face with such force that doctors say it could lead to brain damage and death.Days earlier, Tate and his brother Tristan had been in Romania, their assets seized, awaiting trial on human trafficking charges. But following reported conversations between Romanian officials and the Trump administration, the Romanian government lifted a travel ban on the brothers. Now, as a heavily male crowd watched men slap one another so hard they collapsed, the UFC president, Dana White, warmly embraced the Tates. White, a Meta board member who was once caught on camera slapping his own wife, smiled at the Ta...

Events