It very good to hear that at 12.30 hours today, an application to the High Court in London was issued seeking a judicial review of the decisions of the Home Office in this matter. The removal directions set for Sunday 1st June have now been cancelled by the Home Office, and an application will be made to them this afternoon for Mr Yezza to be released while his case is reconsidered. David Smith, of Cartwright King solicitors in Nottingham, says ?We hope and trust that the Home Office will now release Mr Yezza and reconsider his case properly and in accordance with the law; we will proceed vigorously with the High Court action unless they agree to do so.? The decision was reported on Channel 4 TV news tonight.
Continue reading Hicham Yezza application for judicial review cancels Sunday removal (but it’s not over yet).
Monthly Archives: July 2008
Asylum seeker and refugee destitution has doubled in 18 months, 4 times for children. Rough sleeping increased by a third.
The following newpaper article about a study that revealed a ‘doubling’ of asylum seeker and refugee destitution in 18 months is from the Guardian and was forwarded by NCADC. If you are on the ground and count amongst the ‘refused’ this will of course come as no surprise. But the answer is not to make the Home Office more efficient – the goal must surely be to counter the whole idea that people can be deprived of the basic necessities of life. Having to resort to charities and church handouts is an undignified last resort, although less so when asylum seekers are able to be involved in a process of self-help like many do at the NNRF. On the otherhand, it is good that so many in the wider community are seeing the need to blatantly defy the government’s attempts to punish the failed and refused by denying them food and shelter. Other examples are the Oxford parents who have organised to foster asylum seeker children so their parents cannot so easily be deported, and community action against dawn raids by police and immigration officials who turn up to take people away in Newcastle, Glasgow and elsewhere. All this is saying to the state – we’ll refuse your authority if you refuse those in our community. This is at least one positive outcome from this distressing situation, because state power is at the root of border and immigration misery.
Asylum seeker and refugee destitution has doubled, says trust
Destitution among refused asylum seekers and refugees in Britain has more than doubled in 18 months, according to a report which describes government policy on the issue as “unacceptable”.
The number of children affected has quadrupled and rough sleepers have increased by a third, says the follow-up study by the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust. The trust prompted a national debate in March last year after revealing how many failed asylum seekers were surviving only through charity and church support. Chaired by the broadcaster and writer Kate Adie, and including Sayeeda Warsi, now Lady Warsi, the Conservative shadow minister for community cohesion, the original inquiry highlighted an “invisible population which can neither go home nor contribute to British society”.
Full article: Martin Wainwright, The Guardian, Thursday July 24, 2008
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/jul/24/i…dpublicservices
Continue reading Asylum seeker and refugee destitution has doubled in 18 months, 4 times for children. Rough sleeping increased by a third.
‘Freedom of Movement’ bloc on Stop the War march – Manchester, Sept 20th
Across the world we see an unprecedented increase in border management and social control. The UK government are at the forefront of this and they are holding their annual party conference in Manchester, from 20th to 25th September 2008. The Stop the War Coalition have called for a march through Manchester on Saturday 20th September. Manchester No Borders and the Anarchist Federation (Manchester group) invite “all anti-authoritarians, anarchists and all those against states, nations and borders to join the ‘freedom of movement’ bloc, and to play a trick or two on those clowns in the Labour Party circus. Let’s collectively imagine a world without borders and wars and fight together to realise this!”
Demo starts 12.30am in All Saints Park, Cavendish Street, Manchester, M15 [Map]. The route will go up Oxford Road left before St. Peter´s Square and on towards Castlefield. To join the bloc, look out for the large ´freedom of movement´ banner.
On day before march, join ‘Roma Solidarity demo’ 11.30am on Friday 19th Sept at the Italian Consulate:http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407058.html
Continue reading ‘Freedom of Movement’ bloc on Stop the War march – Manchester, Sept 20th
Regional Border Agency picket by No Borders South Wales & Bristol
A couple of days ago, activists from No Borders South Wales and No Borders Bristol demonstrated outside the UK Border Agency?s regional office for Wales and South West in Cardiff today in protest against the UK?s racist and repressive migration controls.
“One of the main reasons we do a regular picket of this place is to distribute leaflets to the refugees who are victimised there. By informing them about the support that?s available and urging them to campaign for the right to stay in the UK, we encourage people to take control of their lives rather than submitt to whims of an asylum regime that aims to de-humanise them at every turn.” Full story and pics on Indymedia:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/08/407236.html
Continue reading Regional Border Agency picket by No Borders South Wales & Bristol
No Borders Camps taking place in Germany, Greece & Turkey.
The human cost of migration control and detention camps on Europe’s borders (and inside or outside of EU) has never been clearer. This summer a number of gatherings and direct action events will be talking place in Germany (17th-24th August), Greece (29th-31st August), & Turkey (3rd-7th September). Participants are invited to all of these, details as follows:
Antira Summer Camp, Hamburg, Germany: http://camp08.antira.info/aufruf.html
No Border – Patras 2008, Greece: http://www.noborderpatras.org/en/
Dikili No-Border Camp 2008, Turkey: http://dikilinobordercamp.blogspot.com/
These transnational connections are vital for No Borders activists who are not prepared to live in a world of arbitrary borders that were created not by ordinary people, but by ruling elites.
See also: http://noborderswales.wordpress.com/2008/0…der-camps-2008/
Continue reading No Borders Camps taking place in Germany, Greece & Turkey.
Emergency support demo called on evening of continued Campsfield hunger strikes
An emergency support demo for Campsfield protesters, where there are currently up to 60 people on hunger strike (nearly a third of all of those inside), has been called by Campaign to Close Campsfield this evening Tuesday 12th August at 6:00 pm.
Location of demo:
Campsfield House IRC
Langford Lane
Kidlington
Oxfordshire
OX5 1RE
No Borders Nottingham sends solidarity greetings and hopes that the action will achieve some change, with the closing of Campsfield as just the start!
Read more info about the hunger strike started by 13 Iraqi Kurdish detainees against their continued detention and threatened deportation to Iraq, which is now supported by many others who are incarcerated in Campsfield, on BBC Oxfordshire website…
Asylum seekers on hunger strike (12 August 2008):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/7556290.stm
See also: Campsfield claims ‘unsurprising’ (mistreatment of detainees, 15 July 2008):
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/oxfordshire/7507882.stm
Continue reading Emergency support demo called on evening of continued Campsfield hunger strikes
Ndeh Family Must Stay! Solidarity Gathering (with cookies), 11am-1pm, Sheffield Peace Gardens, Saturday 9th August 2008
Saturday 9th August 2008, 11:00am – 1:00pm
Sheffield Peace Gardens. Sheffield
Claude and Majolie N’Deh, and their children Kirsty, Gael and Jason Cyril are Cameroonian’s Seeking Sanctuary in the UK. A Solidarity demonstration will be held, Saturday 9th August 2008, 11:00am – 1:00pm, Sheffield Peace Gardens, Sheffield. “16-year-old Tilda Swinney and friends want to prove that every child matters – and are campaigning for Claude Ndeh and his young family to be given permission to stay in the UK. They are baking cookies this week and will give one as a thank-you to everyone who signs the petition for the Ndeh family to stay.”
NCADC newszine information about Ndeh family: http://www.ncadc.org.uk/Newszine97/Ndeh%20Family.html
Continue reading Ndeh Family Must Stay! Solidarity Gathering (with cookies), 11am-1pm, Sheffield Peace Gardens, Saturday 9th August 2008
Appeal for burial funds after death of refused Iraqi Kurd from Doncaster
Mohammad Hussain dies of cancer following 8 years struggling to gain refugee status
by INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF IRAQ REFUGEES-IFIR
Appeal for funds to send Mohammad Hussain?s body home to be buried
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR) is sorry to inform you that one of our comrades Mohammad Hussain died of cancer on Sunday 3rd August. Many of you will know Mohammad Hussain from Doncaster. He was a big man with a big heart. Mohammad was originally from Erbil in Northern Iraq. Mohammad has been a political campaigner all of his life. He was forced to leave Erbil and seek refuge in the UK March 2000, following threats from the Kurdish Democratic Party because of his political campaigning.
Unfortunately Mohammed became one of the many Iraqi Kurds caught up in the UK Home Office asylum system. But until the very end of his life, Mohammed never gave up on the fight to gain refugee status. He was arrested and he was moved from Lindholme detention centre to Campsfield detention centre in Oxfordshire, to Tinsley House and then to Haslar. The Home Office tried to deport him on 14th June 2008 to Iraq via Royal Jordanian Airlines but 44 minutes before he was due to be deported his solicitor and the campaign to defend him sucessfully stopped his deportation. While he was in the detention centre at Lindholme he was very stressed and suffered much pain. When he explained that he had a lump in his stomach which was getting bigger and harder he was given a mild painkiller, then sold a headache tablet by the detention centre ?doctor?. Mohammad died but did not get refugee status.”
For the eight years Mohammad was in the UK he was a constant and fierce defender of refugee and human rights. Mohammad worked with many refugee charities and organisations.
Download IFIR full leaflet including appeal: [attachment=15]
See also, Stop Deportations to Iraq news blog: http://www.csdiraq.com/
Mohammad Hussain Mohammad 11th March 1962 ? 3rd August 2008
Continue reading Appeal for burial funds after death of refused Iraqi Kurd from Doncaster
Another BA flight leaves for Nigeria without family HO wanted to deport on July 2nd
Yesterday No Borders South Wales reported another successful campaign to stop a deportation flight. Family Kemi Ayinde, Taiwo Salami, and Yasim Salami were not deported as the home office had planned, although they were taken to the airport at 6am on morning of 2nd July and actually boarded the plane bound for Nigeria. Airways staff were talking about ?all the phone calls? before informing the family that they were unable to fly them as they had been advised Kemi was not fit to travel. The family?s case is not over; they are currently imprisoned in Yarlswood detention centre without legal representation and still with the threat of immanent deportation hanging over them.
Supporters were called to a Public Meeting in Butetown, Cardiff this evening (3rd July) to hear first hand accounts of contending with British border controls from local asylum seekers Babakhan ‘Babi’ Badalov and Constance Nzeneu, followed by a discussion and practical advice on resistance to the UK Border regime.
Full article on No Borders South Wales website:
Sanctuary for Kemi Ayinde, Taiwo Salami, and Yasim Salami
Continue reading Another BA flight leaves for Nigeria without family HO wanted to deport on July 2nd