Around the start of the 1970s, Italy entered a period of intense political violence marked by riots, bombings and assassinations, with the chaos blamed on both the far-left and the far-right. …

In the 1960s, a small splinter group emerged out of the Nation of Islam in New York’s Harlem. Initially known as the Five-Percent Nation, they would go on to form a close relationship with the administration of Mayor John Lindsay, a controversial figure who spearheaded dramatic reforms of city politics. In doing so, the Five Percenters would see their influence grow rapidly, despite the unsolved murder of their leader in 1969.

In early 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson declared that his administration was launching an ambitious new initiative. Labelled a war on poverty, the resulting programmes would soon spark conflict with local authorities across the nation. The intrusion of powerful new federal agencies was…

In 1964, Malcolm X officially split with the Nation of Islam, making allegations of financial and sexual misconduct by leader Elijah Muhammad. As a minister of the NOI, Malcolm had largely followed Muhammad’s reluctance to work with mainstream civil rights leaders, such as Martin Luther King. …

In 1991, controversial spiritual community Centrepoint was raided by the New Zealand Police. After years of rumours about child abuse, leader Bert Potter was charged with committing sex offences against minors. Along with several of his acolytes, potter was convicted of indecent assault on numerous children, including one as young…

In 1980, Italian fascist Roberto Fiore relocated to the United Kingdom, where he developed a close relationship with Nick Griffin of the National Front. Back in Italy, Fiore was a wanted man, with the authorities looking to question him about his…

Part Three: 1972–1986 Three years after the death of Fred Hampton, Fort was found to have misused federal funds, and spent a couple years in a prison as a result. In taking out the feared Fort, community tensions were lessened somewhat in Chicago, where allegations had surfaced…

Part Two: 1966–1972 By now, the War on Poverty was in full swing, having been announced by President Johnson three years prior. Along with establishing straightforward welfare programmes such as Medicare, Johnson’s war nurtured a new generation of leaders in marginalised community who were outside of the…

In 1973, Major Coxson was shot dead in his New Jersey home. A powerful figure in nearby Philadelphia, Coxson was a nightclub owner, political candidate, and reportedly a key player in the city’s turbulent underworld. At the time of his death, he had…