Daniel Trilling

Irecently came across​ a Labour Party pamphlet from 2010. ‘Every one of us needs to roll up our sleeves and get to work to build strong and tolerant communities,’ it reads, ‘arguing the case for the politics of solidarity and hope, as opposed to the politics of division and defeat.’ It was among the papers I’d gathered while working on a book about the British...

Andy Seaman​ felt out of place when, on 26 May 2022, he walked into the Irish Cultural Centre in Hammersmith. Andy has little connection to Ireland; he’s from East London and his family’s roots are in Dominica. But earlier that day he had heard on the radio that the centre was hosting an event run by the organisation Troubles, Tragedy and Trauma. He told me that he felt...

Between​ 1881 and 1914, around 150,000 Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe settled in Britain, fleeing poverty and pogroms in the Russian empire. Most of them made their homes in the slums and tenements of London’s East End, but by the middle of the 20th century many had moved to Hackney, a few miles up the road. Hackney isn’t in the East End – to believe otherwise is, as...

The embassy official​ paused, collecting herself for a moment, before handing me the document. ‘Mr Trilling, it is an honour,’ she said. ‘This is in recognition of the great injustice done to you and your family. It should never have happened, and you should always have been a German citizen. I hope this brings you great joy.’ It was last October, and I was at the...