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Ciara Garcha

We don’t need a ‘cure’: Challenging the discourse around autism

From Albert Einstein to Anthony Hopkins, autistic people have doubtless achieved many amazing things. But we should not oppose those who seek to eradicate or cure autism because of the successes of notable autistic individuals, but because autistic people are people too. Our lives are important and worthwhile no matter what we may or may not achieve. Support for autistic people should not be predicated on exceptionalism, but on humanity.

This is England: Football and the nation

The national team celebrated diversity, embraced difference, and spoke up for those facing oppression. But this fails to map onto society at large. They showed what Englishness and our idea of the nation could be, but not what it is. The ideal of England offered throughout this tournament was just that: an ideal, far removed from reality.

The Ugly Side of the Beautiful Game

"The dichotomy encapsulated by the situation in Qatar is embedded in football around the world: the flashy wealth and fame of football are built on abuse and suffering. Profit is increased at the cost of human lives." Ciara Garcha analyses football's issues with dirty money.

Manchester, football and the Glazers: the background to the Manchester United fan protests

Old Trafford, the Theatre of Dreams, has seen many iconic moments of footballing history. And yet, fans flooding onto the perfectly manicured pitch in...

Beyond the White Male Pale: Why our conversations around Autism and disability need to be intersectional

CW: Contains mentions of ableist, racist and sexist language as well as descriptions of eating disorders. "It is not known the proportion of the UK’s diagnosed autistic population of 700,000 and the UK’s innumerable undiagnosed autistic population who identify as women and/or People of Colour. But we have a duty to represent those people and the diversity of challenges and experiences in our conversations about autism." Ciara Garcha argues that we need greater intersectional conversations and representations of autism in the media.

Greed is nothing new in football

News of a proposed European Super League, including the so-called ‘big six’ English Premier League teams, broke on Sunday to much shock and dismay...

The Conservatives’ attack on the ECHR: A Long Time Coming

"Scrapping the ECHR and starting afresh with a ‘British Bill of Rights’ would embolden the government with both symbolic and literal power." Ciara Garcha investigates the history of the 'British Bill of Rights' and considers how it would impact the UK's relationship with the European Union.

The Punjabi Farmers Standing up for India’s Democracy

Photographs of the ongoing Indian farmer strikes have trickled through to social media feeds across the world, in stark contrast with the relative silence...