Project
Resist.

Born in Algiers in 1939, Marieme’s world view was shaped by the Algerian struggle against French colonialism and the war of independence. She experienced both the enormous hope that national liberation brings but also the reality that women’s liberation can quickly become subordinated or postponed. She later witnessed the growing power of Islamic fundamentalism and the dangers it posed to women, minorities, dissenters and civilians. Marieme refused to accept that fundamentalist movements can be defended merely because they oppose imperialism or Western powers. She challenged the Left to oppose colonialism and imperialism while also confronting the Religious Right. She never accepted the false choice between fighting racism or fighting fundamentalism. Marieme worked tirelessly to support feminist struggles worldwide and encouraged others to do the same.

Pragna Patel is an early signatory to the International Declaration on Gender Apartheid and its Destructive Consequences. Published to coincide with the 5th anniversary of the Taliban Takeover in Afghanistan and 5 years of women's resistance, it calls for an immediate end to gender apartheid in Afghanistan and for a concerted international effort to codify the concept of gender apartheid in international law. The Declaration brings together international legal and human rights experts, drawn together from many regions of the world by our shared commitment to the human rights of women and girls, issue the following International Declaration on Gender Apartheid and Its Destructive Consequences, The Declaration can be found here There will also be a launch event on Thursday 13 August with speakers from Afghanistan, South Africa and elsewhere. You can register for the event here

We have come together to stand in solidarity with Rajiv Menon KC, the criminal defence barrister from Garden Court Chambers, who is facing contempt of court proceedings. We do so as individuals and organisations concerned about violence against women and women’s rights and freedoms. Menon has been cited for contempt in relation to the closing speech he made to the jury at the trial of Charlotte Head and her fellow activists from Palestine Action: they had been charged with various criminal offences arising out of their protest against an Israeli arms factory in the UK. The context, of course, is provided by the grave and ongoing human rights violations amounting to crimes against humanity and genocide in Palestine - atrocities about which the British state would rather we remain silent so that they can remain complicit.

On Sunday 12th July, Project Resist held a public meeting for the campaign, with speakers including Sophie Naftalin, the family's lawyer Bhatt Murphy, Suresh Grover, Israel Simon, Natasha Walter and our own Pragna Patel. We were so moved by how many people turned up on an extremely hot Sunday afternoon to show their solidarity and support the families' campaign. Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm were killed by the same violent man, Carl Cooper - even though the police knew about the danger he posed. He was on bail for Naomi's murder when he murdered Fiona, and Fiona's body has never been found. The families of Naomi and Fiona are demanding justice and accountability, so that this never happens again. Please show your support by signing the petition: You can read more about the Double Injustice Campaign here.

Fiona Holm and Naomi Hunte were killed by the same violent partner. Fiona and Naomi’s families are asking us all to come together to ensure that the police are held accountable for their failures and to ensure nothing like this ever happens again. As friends, as neighbours, as concerned citizens, as campaigners for women’s rights and against racism, we need to support their fight for justice. Come to this public meeting at Livesey Memorial Hall, London SE6 4HD, to learn more about the campaign and what you can do. You can book and find out more about the speakers and the event here. For more information about the campaign go to our website page here.

Pragna Patel, our co-director, conducted the research for the vital report published today by Centre for Women's Justice on the unjust criminalisation of women who are themselves victim-survivors of abuse. The report, 'They Don't Understand Abuse', presents insights from survivors of violence and women's specialist services about police and prosecution practice when survivors are accused of offending, and recommends urgent reforms. For the full report, please go to this link

Pragna Patel, our co-director, is in the Guardian today speaking about the Suicide is Homicide campaign and its relevance to the coroner's courts. Coroner's courts are being criticised by families of victims of domestic violence for their unwillingness to consider how abuse can drive people to suicide. Pragna Patel says: 'Half of the problems in terms of lack of access to justice for these bereaved families is to do with the fact that they have such inconsistent responses from coroners.' Project Resist is campaigning for police to treat all suicides where domestic abuse is involved as potential homicides, but the campaign is also aimed at coroner's courts. You can read more here.

In response to the the Taryn Baird court outcome Project Resist have released a statement. This verdict does not diminish the significance of our campaign and the wider struggle waged by families who seek justice in contexts where there is domestic abuse and coercive control. A very different outcome was seen in the case of Kimberly Milne whose abusive husband was convicted of homicide and sentenced to 8 years in prison after she took her own life. All such trials demonstrate that failure to prosecute in such cases has never been about the limitations of criminal law but about the lack of will on the part of the police andCPS to investigate domestic abuse related suicides. You can read more here.

Pragna Patel will be chairing a discussion with the Director of The Conspiracists a timely and compelling documentary exploring the ideas and experiences of women in the MAGA movement, and has urgent relevance for all of us trying to resist the rise of far right and conspiratorial thinking. You can join Pragna Patel and the film's director Liz Smith at the screening at the Phoenix Cinema in north London on Monday 27 April Liz Smith Page75 Productions

Project Resist have released a statement in response to the recent investigation report from the BBC into false domestic abuse allegations being made in the immigration system. Whilst the BBC is yet to ascertain the scale of this issue and do not have data about how many such false claims are made - the small number of cases they have identified are presented as a broader problem. The immediate response and rhetoric put forward by the Home Office could threaten the route that saves the lives of thousands of women and children each year. You can read more about our statement and those that support our position here.

Never Forgotten: Violence Against Women and Systemic Failures to Protect, Investigate and Convict Project Resist and the Centre for Women, Peace and Security will be jointly hosting an in person event to highlight the continuing and systemic failure to address violence against women in the UK. With a panel including families, practitioners and academics, they will focus on the brutal deaths of Naomi Hunte (2022) and Fiona Holm (2023) - both from African-Caribbean backgrounds, killed by the same abusive partner. Their preventable deaths are stark reminders of the depth of the ongoing crisis in preventing gender-based violence in the UK. This public event will take place at the Wolfson Theatre, LSE, 25th March 2026 6.45pm to 9pm, you can get your Eventbrite ticket here. If you can’t attend the meeting, please join the families in their petition for justice for Naomi and Fiona.

In advance of international Women’s Day,Project Resist Directors will be speaking at two events that focus on the intersection of the mainstreaming of the far-right and violence against women and girls. 2nd March Pragna Patel will be speaking at SSHE’s Religion, Nationalism and the Mainstreaming of the Far Right 6th March Rosie Lewis will be speaking at the GMB North West and Irish Trade Unionists at their IWD Day Event: Far Right, Domestic Violence and Trafficking- A Call to Action

Pragna Patel spoke at the annual Claudia Jones Commemoration Event at Highgate Cemetery 22nd February. Marking the 111th anniversary of Claudia Jones’ birth in Trinidad the event paid tribute to her legacy and her work. In her speech Pragna spoke of Jones’ lifelong commitment to working class struggles and the social justice movement -“At the core of Claudia Jones’ life and times and indeed of the wider civil rights movement was the idea of collective resistance. History has shown that resistance based on need and the language of rights, justice and solidarity rather than victimhood and identity, is likely to provide the most effective weapon against oppression and authoritarianism”. You can read more of Pragna Patel’s speech here.

Today Project Resist and FiLiA publish our Joint Statement on ‘Earned Settlement’. With support from feminists and grassroots women’s organisations we are opposing the government’s latest immigration proposals on settlement rights. If enacted, it will have a terrifying impact on the poorest and most vulnerable migrants, particularly women. It will create a hierarchical, two-tiered society made up of British citizens and non-citizens, with far-reaching consequences not just for migrants but for British society as a whole. You can sign and endorse the statement here.

The family of Fiona Holm have just launched a new petition to the Home Secretary and Commissioner of the MET Police demanding justice for Fiona and for Naomi Hunte. Both Naomi Hunte & Fiona Holm, were killed by the same violent partner, Carl Cooper, within 16 months of each other. Both were from African Caribbean backgrounds, and both had mental health conditions which made them very vulnerable. We urge campaign supporters to sign up for the petition here. or here:

Today Project Resist launch the Double Injustice Campaign; seeking full justice for the families of Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm. Naomi Hunte and Fiona Holm were killed by the same violent partner, Carl Cooper, within 16 months of each other. On both occasions, the police knew of the risks to their lives but did not take any effective action, and both times the result was the woman’s death. Both deaths were preventable. Read more about the campaign here, stay up to date with the campaign via social media.

Watch our new Suicide is Homicide Campaign Video here. Following our successful launch of the Suicide is Homicide campaign in October 2025, Project Resist in partnership with Sharon Holland (Her Name Was Chloe Holland Campaign), together with other affected families, have been continuing to engage with policy-makers to drive change. Changes in policing and prosecution are needed in order to ensure justice for those driven to suicide as a result of abuse. Our campaign aims to ensure that every suicide linked to domestic abuse is investigated as a potential homicide. See our new Campaigns Video and updates page here.

Pragna Patel has been announced as a Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economic’s Centre for Women, Peace and Security. As part of th Centre’s Visiting Fellowship programme she will be contributing her 40+ years of women’s rights activism and expertise in gender based violence to further support research activities at LSE. You can read more here.

Pragna Patel’s LSE blog Race riots in the UK left women squeezed between the far right and patriarchy- based on recent research by Project Resist into the Far Right Rights has been published. Examining the weaponisation of VAWG as anti-immigration activists in the UK mobilise around the perceived threat to women and girls. Pragna Patel shows how the riots were also used by religious and community forces to maintain patriarchal structures of power and control. You can read more here.

To mark the beginning of 16 Days of Activism -the UN’s international call to end gender based violence, Project Resist and the Women’s Liberation Alliance are holding an online seminar to address the continued escalation of violence against women in the context of the far right. Speakers include Professor Mary Davis, Rosie Lewis and Pragna Patel. The event will be facilitated by Charli Weinberg (whose guest blog is available here).

Project Resist will be speaking at the Phoebe Centre’s annual Gender Justice and Intersectional Practice Conference. Returning for the second time, Pragna Patel will be featured as part of the Conference plenary and will be running a workshop with Faty Kane the Director of the Angelou Centre (a member of the Resist Network) about the impact of the Far Right on black, minoritised, and migrant women. The conference brings together activists, academics, policy makers and survivors to address the most urgent matters in relation to gender based violence. You can find more information here.‍ ‍

Today marks 100 days since Moroccan feminist and human rights defender Ibtissame Betty Lachgar was imprisoned in Rabat, Morocco for posting a photograph of herself wearing an “Allah is Lesbian” T-shirt. Her sentence of 30 months stems solely from an act of peaceful expression defending women’s and LGBT rights made outside Morocco. To mark the 100 days of imprisonment, hundreds of organisations, representing hundreds of thousands of members from around the world have joined the Free Betty Coalition condemning her conviction and calling for her immediate and unconditional release, humane conditions of detention, access to specialised medical treatment, and the repeal of laws restricting freedom of expression. More info on our blog and on the Council of Ex-Muslims of Britain website here.

The Suicide is Homicide campaign press conference was launched by Project Resist alongside bereaved families from across the UK, to discuss the systemic and ongoing failures on the part of the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the wider criminal justice system. At the landmark press conference and parliamentary event at Portcullis House families demanded change and highlighted systemic and ongoing failures of the criminal justice system as domestic abuse related suicides outnumber homicides for the first time. 2026 will see the launch of the campaign’s video and research. More to be announced soon.

Project Resist are proud to announce that both Pragna Patel and Rosie Lewis will be chairing panels at the October 2025 FiLiA Conference, the largest independent feminist grassroots conference in Europe. Rosie will be chairing the Why do I Have to Hide Away? The Far Right Riots & the Feminist Fight Back panel and Pragna will be chairing Domestic Abuse: Learning Through Practice panel.

Why Do I Have to Hide Away? shines a light on the hidden impact of the 2024 far-right riots on Black, migrant, and minoritised women and children in the North of England. Rooted in powerful testimonies, it reveals how racism, violence, and systemic exclusion, particularly the silencing of women in decision-making, have left communities isolated and at risk. Developed as part of the Stories of Colour initiative and authored by Project Resist, the report also celebrates the resilience of survivors and the vital support provided by organisations like the Angelou Centre, calling on key stakeholders and policymakers to finally listen, learn, and act. Download the report here.

We are thrilled to showcase the latest issue (8) of the Feminist Dissent journal on human rights in an age of populist authoritarianism. The journal explores the origins of the concept of human rights, how they were shaped by anti-colonial struggles and the current backlash generated by authoritarian, nationalist, religious and far right forces across the globe. You can register for the SOAS event with Gita Sahgal, Judith Gotz, Chetan Bhatt & Yasmin Rehman here.

“On July 15th, the Angelou Centre and Project Resist launched Stories of Colour, a powerful, survivor-led and anti-racist initiative which centres black, minoritised and migrant women’s experiences marking one year since the far-right race riots that shook communities across the North East. Held at the BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, this was not just an exhibition—it was a call to action.” See Represent Women Article here.

Project Resist is excited to announce the forthcoming launch of Women’s Liberation Alliance (WLA) of which we are a member. The WLA is a progressive political coalition of women and women’s organisations from diverse backgrounds focused on rebuilding and sustaining a women’s liberation movement. Now more than ever, we find ourselves squeezed by the neoliberal economy and the rise and rise of the Religious and Far Right. We urgently need to find ways of escaping the simplistic and often destructive path of identity politics and instead recommit ourselves to building a grassroots politics of compassion, democracy and solidarity; one that is capable of offering us hope in these times of disillusionment and devastation. Tickets are sold out, but you can join the waiting list here.

Project Resist, Her Name Was Chloe Holland & Domestic Abuse Related Suicides have launched their Suicide is Homicide campaign. 18 bereaved families together with Project Resist are supporting a campaign demanding justice for loved ones who have taken their lives in the context of domestic abuse. Testimonies from the families highlight systemic and ongoing failures on the part of the police, the wider criminal justice system and other agencies.So far the campaign has amassed 40 signatures from prominent women’s rights organisations and activists and support continues to grow. More information about how you can join the campaign and participate in events can be found here.

Pragna Patel will be speaking at Northumbria University’s Modern Law Review sponsored conference: Gender-based violence across borders: challenges and opportunities to establishing routes to safety in a migratory world alongside Forced Marriage Unit, the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and academics, activists and legal professionals working in this field. This 2 day national conference will be exploring the nature, scale and forms of cross-border gender-based violence.

Project Resist and Rights of Women brought together VAWG organisations to examine how UKVI’s handling of counter-allegations is negatively impacting migrant women victim-survivors of domestic abuse applying for settlement. Coordinated by Project Resist and Rights of Women, a briefing addresses our concerns with how the Home Office (UKVI) currently deals with these issues: VAWG-sector-briefing-on-counter-allegations-02.04.25.pdf You can read about it on our Blog here.

Pragna is guest speaker at AWRC’s Unlocking Doors: Sustainable Solutions to the Housing Crisis Facing BME Women with NRPF “For many BME women with No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF), escaping abuse is just the beginning of an uphill battle. With no access to benefits, refuge spaces, or stable housing, they face an impossible choice—homelessness or staying with their abuser. These barriers are life-threatening and demand urgent action.”

Pragna Patel will be speaking at the Immigration Law Practitioners Association Conference 5th March 2025. The Current Issues in Immigration and Family Law Conference is an all-day conference bringing together experts from the worlds of immigration law and family law to discuss issues involving both sectors, as those fields so often overlap. We believe it is the first conference of its type that brings together the two disciplines. Places are limited but can be booked here.

From March 2025, Project Resist will create space to amplify the political voice of sister activists and organisations working to end gender-based violence, racism, and other forms of oppression as well as campaigning for access to rights and justice. We will welcome guest bloggers who wish to share some of their key campaigns and insights on how to build solidarity and widen our commitment to building an equitable and diverse social justice movement that is rooted in anti-racist, anti-fundamentalist and feminist principles. We will be opening with a guest blog from Charlie Weinberg, an award winning political educator, international feminist activist and co-founder of the Women’s Liberation Alliance.

Project Resist is working in collaboration with the Girlington Centre in Bradford to support black and minority women who continue to encounter prejudices and obstacles when reporting domestic abuse and coercive control to the police. Yet again, we see systemic misconduct and incompetence in the police handling of such cases. Our work with Shareen and the Girlington Centre forms part of our advocacy work to improve women's access to justice. You can find the full press release here.

Pragna Patel will be participating as a guest at the Resilient Democracy Conference that is being organised by Unlocking Democracy 21st and 22nd February. Project Resist consider the expansion of all women’s democratic rights in civic life to be a key pillar of our work. Unlock Democracy is a not for profit organisation which campaigns for greater transparency and accountability of the government in relation to a range of democratic mechanisms and needed reforms.

Project Resist, One Law for All and the International Bar Association have come together to mark International Women's Day on 6 March by convening a public meeting on the unconscionable practice of gender apartheid in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran and to demand that it be codified in international law as a crime against humanity. See the press release for the event on our blog. See here for more details and to register: Places are limited and will be allocated on a first come first served basis.

Project Resist continued our Specialist Advocacy Training sessions with the incredible women from Ubuntu Women Shelter ( a migrant led women’s organisation based in Glasgow). The training was intense and joyous, we learnt so much from this powerful group of women. We have now delivered this training to 8 organisations and over 70 frontline black and minoritised staff and volunteers to strengthen frontline specialist intersectional grassroots advocacy. We have many more sessions planned over the next year. Watch this space!

Project Resist is currently working in collaboration with the Angelou Centre and Resist Network on a submission to the Women and Equalities Committee’s 2025 new inquiry into community cohesion. In this submission we will document the egregious impact of the far-right riots on black and minoritised women and girls and the organisations that support them. There has been a muting of the voices of black and minoritised women and girls in relation to the riots and the ongoing racialised violence and exclusion that women and children continue to experience. More to follow soon.

Project Resist has made a submission to the Independent Sentencing Review. (January 2025) on black and minority women’s experiences of sentencing in the criminal justice system. We are also signatories to an open letter calling for an end to the punishment of women who are survivors of domestic abuse. See Women in Prison — Stop Punishing Domestic Abuse Survivors.

In November Project Resist began our Resist Network specialist Advance Advocacy training with over 30 frontline advocates from 4 of the Resist Network organisations based in the North West of England. The training is grounded in rights based principles and aims to strengthen the work of specialist black and minoritised frontline organisations that are working in an increasingly hostile environment. More training will be delivered throughout early 2025, with further information to follow.

Project Resist joined other women in protest against the brutality of the fundamentalist Iranian regime organised in London by One Law For All and FEMEN. We stood in solidarity with Ahoo Darhyae and the women of Iran. Ahoo Darhyae is the latest in a long line of women beaten and arrested by the Iranian police for dissenting against the imposition of the hijab. We stand against the daily assaults, denigration and torture of women that is taking place and endorsed by fundamentalist power not just in Iran but worldwide See short blog piece here.

Pragna Patel will be speaking at the National Black Crown Prosecution Association (NBCPA) conference in Birmingham and running a workshop exploring the experiences of black and minority women in the criminal justice system within the context of violence against women and girls.

Pragna Patel will be speaking at P.H.O.E.B.E Centre's first annual Gender Justice & Intersectional Practice Conference Friday, November 29. The in person confeerence will take place during 16 Days of Activism for Gender-Based Violence along with sector leaders Naana Otoo–Oyortey MBE (FORWARD) and Wanjiku Mbugua – Ngotho, (BAWSO) and others. You can book your place here.

Pragna Patel will be the Keynote Speaker at the Faith to Faithless Conference in London. The conference will examine abusive behaviours such as domestic violence and coercive control through to so-called ‘honour-based’ violence, which can include sexual violence and attempted murder.

On Friday 16 August, Pragna Patel spoke at an ‘in conversation’ event to mark South Asian Heritage Month hosted by the National Black Crown Prosecution Association. Entitled ‘Free to Be Me’, she spoke about her journey as an activist over the last 40 years in support of black and minority women rights across the UK. She referred to a range of milestone cases and campaigns for equality and justice that she has been involved in, highlighting in particular the failure of state and community organisations to protect and deliver justice to some of the most marginalised and vulnerable women and girls.

Project Resist has been involved in regional responses to the recent wave of racist far right violence. As members of Feminist Dissent, we have contributed to Feminist Dissent's recent call for solidarity in the wake of the riots and the weaponisation of VAWG. Read about this here. Project Resist is working with led by and for organisations regionally to address these ongoing concerns. More to follow.

On 10 July, Pragna Patel contributed to a panel discussion following the publication of Susanna Rustin’s book, Sexed: A History of British Feminism.She took part in a rich and stimulating discussion about the connections between the current struggle over women's sex-based rights and those conducted by pioneering women of the past.

Project Resist has a featured article on the FiLiA website, mapping the concerns and issues faced by BME led grassroots organisations and groups. Project Resist is currently working in partnership with FiliA as part of their ongoing Legacy Project to develop policy that centres black and minortised women and girls.

Project Resist and the Resist Network submitted a 16 page response to the DHR statutory guidance review, to raise serious concerns about the the ways that Reviews are currently conducted. Working collaboratively, this forms part of Project Resist's ongoing strategic VAWG policy development.

Pragna Patel co-authored this article on the recent important Michaela School ruling with other members of Feminist Dissent, which you can read fully on the Project Resist blog or here.

Pragna Patel spoke at a conference on the state’s controversial immigration law and policy: “Contesting The Hostile Environment” organised by Social Scientists Against The Hostile Environment. Taking part in a concluding discussion on the way forward, she focused on the importance of legal challenges and political organising as a way to counter the despair and injustice created by the anti-immigration agenda pursued by successive governments.

Pragna Patel will be speaking about violence against BME women alongside Womens Resource Centre, Refuge and Surviving Economic Abuse and other organisations- at the Westminister Insights conference in Manchester. Pragna will be focusing on the causes and consequences of VAWG.

Rosie Lewis will be delivering a workshop at the national Rosa Fund Conference for grassroots women's organisations across the UK. Rosie will be supporting sector organisations to increase their fundraising confidence and resilience. You can book a place here.

Pragna Patel spoke to an audience of funders and family court strategists about the issues experienced by black and minoritised women and children in the family courts. Both Project Resist and the Resist Network have raised our ongoing concerns about these matters in our recent submissions to Grevio and UN VAWG Rapporteur consultations.

Rosie Lewis will be speaking at the Women's Resource Centre annual 2024 "Currency of Change" conference in Manchester on the Economic Justice Panel. The panel's key themes will relate to women’s economic empowerment – at personal, community and organisational levels. Focusing on economic justice in terms of fairness and equality for all, the panel will discuss the unequal distribution of wealth and the many economic disparities that women experience.

Read Pragna Patel’s article for the Guardian defending the rights of women and drawing attention to wave of religious fundamentalism targeting the rights and freedoms of women. You can also find more information about Project Resist’s ongoing work on Fundamentalism and women's rights on our Campaigns and Projects page.

As contributors to Feminist Dissent Project Resist supported this joint statement; standing in solidarity with the people of Gaza and against fundamentalism. You can read the statement here, and the statement is also featured as part of Project Resist's blog. You can read more about Project Resist and Feminist Dissent here.