LAWYERS and police chiefs have warned British Asians that using the word “coconut” as a slur towards another person risks breaking hate crime laws.
They said the jibe, often used towards BAME people by members of their own community, accusing them of shunning their heritage to get ahead, may incite racial or religious hatred.
The term has been used against Asian MPs on social media in recent times, along with the authors of the controversial government-backed report into racial disparities in the UK.
The report in March by the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities, which did not find evidence of institutional racism in areas such as policing and health, was widely condemned for its findings and errors.
One tweet used the slur against a senior cabinet minister, accusing them of carrying out “the Tories’s dirty work so nobody can accuse them of being racist”.
Labour MP Khalid Mahmood, who has suffered online abuse, recalled how he has been called “Uncle Tom”.
He explained the phrase is used “if someone believes you are ‘too white’ in your policy and not of the community you are from when we all live in one society”.
Jo Sidhu QC, vice-chair of the Criminal Bar Association, told Eastern Eye: “Society is constantly trying to balance the right to free speech against the right not to be insulted on the grounds of one’s race.
“Calling someone a ‘coconut’ is a deeply offensive slur and can result in a criminal prosecution.
“It is using someone’s colour to attack them just because you disagree with their politics or views.
“It doesn’t matter if you share the same race as the person you are insulting.
“And, if you use social media, then the evidence is there for all to see, including the police.”
Paul Maleary, who made hate crime charging decisions for the Metropolitan Police, warned in April that “coconut individuals” was a racially derogatory term and calling MPs that “could be considered incitement to racial hatred”.
In 2010, Liberal Democrat councillor Shirley Brown used the phrase to describe her Tory opponent Jay Jethwa, after she backed spending cuts for ethnic minority projects at a Bristol City Council meeting.
Brown was found guilty of racially aggravated harassment and given a 12-month conditional discharge sentence.
Weyman Bennett, co-convener of the Stand Up to Racism group alongside Sabby Dhalu, told Eastern Eye: “I have been called it. It is a term of abuse, but one of the realities is the [Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities] report was denying the existence of institutional racism.
“It is the gaslighting of black communities, (of) people who have done well, got good jobs, but without understanding the disproportionate treatment.
“What is generating discontent is the sense that people feel they raise racism and Islamophobia and are told, ‘nothing to see here’.
“We are against all forms of abuse, but we have to deal with the underlying real problems.”
Some 77 per cent of Britons said making assumptions about someone’s behaviour based on their race is a form of racial discrimination, according to a YouGov poll last year. And 65 per cent of people from an ethnic minority background have heard someone telling a joke about their race.
Bennett added: “It is not the same as the P-word or N-word, it’s [used] out of frustration on their arguments being dismissed.
“The [Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities] report cost millions of pounds and the [suggestion] was, ‘you’re to blame for your own problems’.
“I have heard it a lot in schools. It is not an excuse to be abusive, but just don’t dismiss my lived experiences either.”
Dr Tina Mistry, a clinical psychologist in Birmingham, said she sees clients in therapy who struggle with their identity because of dangerous stereotypes.
She said: “They prevent people from being their true authentic selves because they feel as though they have to fit a very narrow mould. People need to realise that [words like coconut] can have a major impact on a person’s sense of identity.”
MP Mahmood called for social media companies to do more to ban abusive people.
He said, “One of the negative sides of social media is people using pseudonyms and feeling like they can abuse who they want anonymously. People have to take responsibility for their actions. They wouldn’t do that in normal life or public meetings, there would be sanctions.
“Social media has to catch up. It hurts people trying to do their job.
“You have to block that person from doing it in the first place and catch them through their computer IP address.”
Kamran Uddin, a writer and mosque volunteer, said: “I can see how use of the term ‘coconut’ can be regarded as a hate crime, as it points to an individual’s race and suggests they’re a ‘sell out’.
“I would urge Asians passionate about an issue to air their concerns in a professional way rather than resorting to verbal abuse.
“The root of this issue, I think, comes down to people thinking Asians or certain ethnic minorities are just one homogenous group that think and behave in the same way because of their international or foreign backgrounds.
“We have to be more savvy in using our vote when electing political candidates, even if we think they have the same values and ideals as us.”
The Home Office said any hate crime was unacceptable and the department was committed to tackling it.
A spokeswoman added: “Hate crimes are those crimes which include hostility based on race, religion, sexual orientation, transgender identity and disability. Something can only be recorded as a hate crime if a criminal offence has occurred."
INDIA’s efforts to secure the extradition of high-profile economic offenders from the United Kingdom, including Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, have moved forward with a recent visit by a team from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to Tihar Jail in Delhi, an official said on Sunday (September 7).
The CPS delegation visited the prison last week to review jail conditions as required by UK courts before deciding on extradition requests, the official said.
India has been seeking the return of several fugitives wanted in cases ranging from bank fraud to arms smuggling.
Authorities have assured UK courts that individuals extradited to India will not be subjected to unsafe or inhumane conditions in custody.
According to the official, the CPS team toured the high-security section of Tihar and interacted with some inmates.
Jail authorities informed the delegation that if necessary, a separate unit could be set up within the prison to house high-profile accused, ensuring their safety and meeting international standards.
UK courts have previously rejected extradition requests from India citing concerns over prison conditions. New Delhi has since given assurances that the rights of the accused will be protected, with no scope for unlawful interrogation or mistreatment.
Mallya, accused of loan defaults of over about £756 million, has been living in the UK and is contesting extradition.
Nirav Modi, the main accused in about £1.15 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case, was declared a fugitive offender in 2019 and arrested in the UK the same year. His extradition has been approved by a London court, though appeals are still pending.
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The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.
Mahmood hosted Five Eyes ministers from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in London
Home secretary says border security will be her main focus after Cabinet reshuffle
NEWLY-APPOINTED home secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday (September 8) outlined a tougher approach on immigration, warning that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa suspensions.
Mahmood, who took charge of the Home Office last week, made the remarks as she hosted ministerial counterparts from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada at a meeting of the intelligence-sharing group “Five Eyes” in London.
Her comments came after more than 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats over the weekend, one of the highest totals recorded in recent times.
Visa warning to countries
"For countries that do not play ball, we have been talking about taking much more coordinated action between the Five Eyes countries,” Mahmood said.
"And for us that means the possibility of cutting visas in the future, just to say we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you have to take them back," she added.
The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.
"I'm very clear that there has to be a strong approach to maintaining our border, and that does mean saying to countries who do not take their citizens back that we're not simply going to allow our laws to remain unenforced. That they do have to play ball, they have to come to the table and if cutting visas is one of the ways to do that, then I will do whatever it takes," she said.
Talks with Five Eyes ministers
Mahmood was speaking to reporters as she began talks with Kristi Noem, US Homeland Security Secretary, who is visiting the UK. Noem has been overseeing President Donald Trump’s deportation drive in her role with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke, New Zealand minister Judith Collins and Canadian public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree also took part in Monday’s summit. Alongside discussions on illegal migration and people smuggling, the agenda included online child sexual abuse and the spread of opioids.
Mahmood, 44, was born in Birmingham to parents from Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A University of Oxford graduate and qualified barrister, she was first elected as a Labour MP in 2010.
She has held several shadow cabinet positions and was appointed to one of the senior-most roles in the Labour government last year, becoming one of the most prominent British Muslims in the party.
In May, during Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, she issued a statement on South Asia tensions: “I share the concerns of my constituents regarding the rising tensions between Pakistan and India. Nobody wins in an escalation between the two countries, and dialogue and diplomacy should be a priority.”
“I know many in Birmingham with family in both countries will be desperately worried, which is why restoring regional stability is essential,” she said at the time.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Migrants wade into the sea to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France.(Photo: Getty Images)
MORE than 1,000 migrants arrived on small boats across the Channel on Shabana Mahmood’s first full day as home secretary, taking total arrivals this year past 30,000.
The Home Office said 1,097 migrants crossed on Saturday after nine days without any arrivals. It was the second-highest daily total this year, after 1,195 on May 31. Crossings have now reached 30,100 — 37 per cent higher than at this point in 2023 and 8 per cent higher than 2022, the record year.
Mahmood called the figures “utterly unacceptable” and said she would consider all options. She pledged the first deportations to France under the new one-in, one-out deal would begin “imminently”, with returns expected later this month.
Concerns remain that a possible collapse of the French government, with prime minister François Bayrou facing a confidence vote on Monday, could delay returns and a new maritime law allowing French police to intercept boats in the Channel, The Times reported.
The 30,000 mark has been reached earlier this year than any other since records began in 2018. It was reached on September 21 in 2022, October 30 last year, and not at all in 2023.
Mahmood, appointed home secretary after Angela Rayner’s resignation, is expected to outline plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military sites.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Reshuffling ministerial deckchairs does not change the obvious fact Labour has totally lost control of our borders.”
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Demonstrators gather at the entrance of the parliament during a protest against corruption and government’s decision to block several social media platforms, in Kathmandu, Nepal September 8, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)
Thousands of young Nepalis march in Kathmandu against social media ban and corruption
Government blocks 26 unregistered platforms, citing fake news and fraud concerns
Police use tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse protesters
Critics accuse government of authoritarianism and failure to deliver on promises
THOUSANDS of young Nepalis marched in Kathmandu on Monday demanding that the government lift its ban on social media platforms and address corruption.
Nepal blocked access to 26 unregistered platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, on Friday. Popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in the country who rely on them for entertainment, news, and business. Authorities said the shutdown followed a Supreme Court order from September last year, which required companies to register in Nepal, appoint grievance officers, and establish local compliance.
The government said social media users with fake IDs had been spreading hate speech, fake news, and committing fraud. In a statement on Sunday, it said it respected freedom of thought and expression and was committed to "creating an environment for their protection and unfettered use".
Many demonstrators carried national flags and placards reading "Shut down corruption and not social media", "Unban social media", and "Youths against corruption". They began their rally with the national anthem before marching through the city.
"We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here," said student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24. "We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal."
Another student, Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she opposed the "authoritarian attitude" of the government. "We want to see change. Others have endured this, but it has to end with our generation," she said.
Protester Bhumika Bharati added: "There have been movements abroad against corruption and they (the government) are afraid that might happen here as well."
Since the ban, TikTok — still operational in Nepal — has carried viral videos comparing the lives of ordinary citizens with those of politicians’ children showing off luxury goods and vacations.
On Monday, thousands of youths, including students in school uniforms, tried to march to parliament but were stopped by police who had set up barbed wire barricades. Authorities said demonstrators attempted to break into parliament by pushing through police lines.
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and batons to disperse the crowds, officials said. "We have imposed a curfew which will remain in force until 10 pm local time (1615 GMT) to bring the situation under control after protesters began to turn violent," said Muktiram Rijal, spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office.
Nepal has restricted social media platforms before. The Telegram messaging app was blocked in July over fraud and money laundering concerns, and TikTok was banned for nine months before being restored in August last year when it complied with local rules.
Many Nepalis believe corruption is widespread, and prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s government has been criticised by opponents for failing to deliver on its promises. About 90 per cent of Nepal’s 30 million people use the internet.
The protests come as governments worldwide, including the US, EU, Brazil, India, China and Australia, have been tightening oversight of social media and Big Tech, citing concerns over misinformation, privacy, online harm and security. Critics warn that such measures risk limiting free expression, while regulators argue that stricter controls are needed.
(With inputs from agencies)
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People try to board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE UK government said on Sunday it is examining the use of military sites to house migrants, amid growing criticism over the practice of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.
"We are looking at the potential use of military and non-military use sites for temporary accommodation for the people who come across on these small boats," defence secretary John Healey told Sky News.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement that migrants using boats to cross the Channel from France was "utterly unacceptable".
According to figures published Sunday by the Home Office, more than 30,000 people have arrived in Britain by boat since the start of the year.
Mahmood also said a new deal with France, which came into effect in early August, would allow Britain to detain those arriving by boat and return them to France.
The arrangement requires Britain to accept an equal number of eligible migrants from France.
Some hotels currently used to house migrants have seen protests, and the government is also facing legal challenges. By law, asylum seekers must be provided with accommodation and access to health care.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to end the use of hotels within four years. The government has already reduced the number of hotel places by half compared to a year ago.
The previous Conservative government had already prepared two disused military bases to house several hundred asylum seekers, a measure criticised by migrant-aid groups.