Latest news: BUT PLEASE NOTE THE AUG 28 DEMONSTRATIONS WILL GO AHEAD AS PLANNED. Judge halts DR Congo deportations until a hearing in September decided whether the country was fit for returning asylum seekers. See NCADC and BBC News. The legal action was bought by 10 failed asylum seekers after Home Secretary Jacqui Smith refused to halt a charter flight to DR Congo on 30 August. The judge said, “I don’t consider it would be reasonable for the Secretary of State to take the attitude that she can continue to remove.”
Action will be taking place in many British cities because a number of Congolese detainees received “removal directions” for Thursday 30th August, stipulating Flight number PVT616 and ‘Operation Castor’. Castor was the ‘Operational’ name given to the ‘Charter Flight’ on the 26th February that removed 21 children and 17 adults to DR Congo. This deportation was planned before a (delayed) review of the Home Office position that DR Congo is safe. Evidence against the Home Office position is overwhelming. Early morning raids, detentions and deportations just before a “country guidance” hearing is due to take place follows a pattern where the UK Government publicly condemns abusive regimes and quietly deports their victims back to them, under the legal-radar.
THE PLANNED DEMONSTRATION WILL STILL GO AHEAD HOWEVER. It is important to keep up the pressure and continue to show solidarity with people still threatened with deportation, and nor least because the September “country guidance” hearing is still to some.
STOP DEPORTATION FLIGHTS – DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO IS NOT SAFE FOR ASYLUM SEEKERS
WHEN? Join demonstration on Tuesday 28th August 2007 starting at 12 o’clock.
WHERE? Old Market Square (outside the Council House), Nottingham, NG1 2DT.
CALLED BY : Nottingham Congolese Community.
SUPPORTED BY : Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum, No Borders Nottingham, National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, Apareco North Midland, SOS Immigration, Satellite, Africa Initiative Support.
Read background information:
1) Home Office arrange another deportation ‘Charter flight’ to DR Congo.
2) What is the Home Office motive for trying to remove so many to the DR Congo now? What you can do about it?.
Other actions against the 30th August ‘charter flight’ in Manchester, Newcastle, Glasgow and Cardiff at the same time – 28th August at 12 noon. A London Demonstration *Stop the ‘Charter flight’ to DR Congo* took place on Thursday 23rd August – 10:00am at: High Court, The Strand, London, WC2A 2LL (Nearest tube, Charing Cross) where the successful Judicial Review hearing was held in the Court to try and stop the flight.