SUPPORT THE HARMONDSWORTH 4!
Demonstrate 7 January 2008. 9am onwards at Southwark Crown Court,
1 English Grounds (off Battlebridge Lane), Southwark, London SE1 2HU (nearest tube London Bridge).
Continue reading Support the Harmondworth 4 – demo in London on Jan 7th.
Jane Mary Mutetsi detained but later freed
Report from Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum
The season of peace and goodwill has once again passed by the home office and its immigration myrmidons completely. For them, it’s peace and goodwill to all except asylum seekers. Jane Mary Mutetsi was detained while signing at Loughborough on Thursday 13th Dec 2007 and was then transferred to Yarlswood detention centre with a removal date of Tuesday, 18th December at 21.05 hours. But we are relieved to report that her removal has been stopped following an injunction application to the High Court. The matter will now need to be considered again by the High Court at a permission hearing in respect of the Judicial Review application. Anyway, Jane Mary was returned to Yarlswood on Wednesday morning, then released and came back to Nottingham by train. More Details about Jane Mary Mutetsi’s detention.
Note: NNRF has an annual christmas appeal for cash to support destitute asylum seekers – go to their website for details.
Continue reading Jane Mary Mutetsi detained but later freed
Immigration system is attacked from within and without!
We are pleased to announce that from the start of this week, the vicious UK immigration system was being attacked from within and without!
On Monday 17th December, Campsfield detainees devastated the immigration centre holding them, after assaults by guards. Blood on the floor and screams led detainees to believe a man had been murdered by guards. This is the reality of violence and fear in the state’s immigration prisons. Read Indymedia article: Campsfield IRC another disturbance in progress
Then, from 5am today, International Migrants Day, No Borders activists locked themselves to gates and doorways at 10 locations across the UK, including London, Manchester, Portsmouth, Bristol, Glasgow and Newcastle, against dawn raids on children by the Home Office’s Borders and Immigration Agency (BIA). Dawn raids were prevented in at least 2 locations by this inspirational action.
Read Indymedia articles: ?No Borders? Activists Prevent ?Dawn Raids? on Children . Action in Manchester. Action at London HQ. Pictures from Portsmouth action.
See also Guardian coverage: ‘Protesters blockade immigration depots’
We can expect much more in 2008 until these raids, incarcerations and deportations are stopped.
Continue reading Immigration system is attacked from within and without!
No Borders newsletter #2 December 2007-January 2008
Manchester No Borders have compiled the second No Borders newsletter, available for downloading [PDF format]:
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Continue reading No Borders newsletter #2 December 2007-January 2008
Small World Kitchen – event by Nottm&Notts refugee forum Women’s Group (Friday 7 Dec at Sumac Centre)
Traditional African Vegan Food will be provided by the Women’s Group of the Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum, on Friday 7th December, from 7pm (until 8pm) at the Sumac Centre, Forest Fields. Come and try it!
Full details plus flyers/posters in Sumac/Veggies online events diary. Cost will be a recommended donation.
Continue reading Small World Kitchen – event by Nottm&Notts refugee forum Women’s Group (Friday 7 Dec at Sumac Centre)
Direct action against Campsfield detention centre’s private operator
How many activists does it take to shut down the UK head offices of a multinational corporation? On 30th November it was done with just four, when activists visited the national head offices of GEO, the company which manages Campsfield detention centre in Oxfordshire.
Despite the poor publicity (the demo was not announced on any websites) the company had clearly heard that a noise demo was planned outside their Reading offices. The company had hired private security who informed protesters that GEO?s workers had been told not to come in for the day. Only the boss was in. Result! The campaign against GEO is only in its early stages, and they can now look forward to a large noise demo planned for February!
Continue reading Direct action against Campsfield detention centre’s private operator
Nottingham asylum seeker housing scandal – with video evidence
As reported on BBC East Midlands Today television news earlier this month (see video clip), frustrated asylum seekers along with the local charity, Refugee Action, have exposed an example of how a housing association “Refugee Support” is taking vast amounts of public money whilst providing worse than ‘sub-standard’ accommodation through private landlords.
Refugee Support is one of the Metropolitan Support Trust’s (MST) refugee ‘services’ that provides housing for many asylum seekers in Britain. MST in turn is part of the of the vast Metropolitan Housing Partnership. According to the Refugee support website, “MST was created in April 2007 from four organizations (Refugee Housing Association, StepForward, Threshold Support and Walbrook Support) coming together to provide a wide range of specialist services to vulnerable people.”
Well, this news report shows not only how some of these ‘vulnerable people’ spoken of by MST were forced to shame them by getting Refugee Action and the local BBC involved to make public just what a terrible state their house was in, but also how one of them was threatened with being made homeless for complaining when offered it. The ceiling was leaking and falling in and the heating did not work.
Typically, the BBC also concentrates on ‘cost to the taxpayer’, although at least they remember to say that government policy won’t let asylum seekers work, so their housing has to be provided by the state. The report also explains that this is not an isolated case, mentioning other complaints in Leicester (with 12 people sharing one shower). So next time someone goes on how asylum seekers are costing the taxpayer, remind them that it’s rip-off merchants like Metropolitan, and the private landlords they deal with, that are taking the piss here.
YouTube video clip: http://www.youtube.com/v/Nm9Hk0YYg9A.
Continue reading Nottingham asylum seeker housing scandal – with video evidence
Defend the Harmondsworth 4! – London support meeting is announced
Defend the Harmondsworth 4!
Come to a meeting on Tuesday Nov 27th 7pm at
Transport House
128 Theobald’s Road
Holborn
London WC1X 8TN
Background:
In November 2006 detainees at Harmondsworth immigration detention centre (close to Heathrow airport) protested against conditions inside the centre and their treatment by the guards. The centre was damaged and the detainees were moved to other detention centres and prisons. Three detainees were charged with criminal damage and a further detainee was charged with conspiracy to cause criminal damage.
The trial of these “Harmondsworth 4” is due to start in January and we are inviting people to a public meeting to discuss how we can support them before, during and after the trial. In previous years there have been defence campaigns following similar incidences at Campsfield (Kidlington, Oxfordshire) and Yarl’s Wood (Clapham, Bedfordshire).
Please come to help building a powerful campaign.
No Borders No Nations!
For more detail e-mail: harmondsworth4 [at] riseup.net / noborderslondon [at] riseup.net
Continue reading Defend the Harmondsworth 4! – London support meeting is announced
Dignity not detention – report from march to Lindholme prison in October
Dignity Not Detention!
Full report on Indymedia (follow link for background, more reports and photographs): http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/10/384688.html
Asylum seekers, refugees, trade unionists and supporters from all over the North marched from the Home Office in Sheffield to Lindholme Detention centre near Doncaster between 26-28th October. The marchers were demanding “The right to work for asylum seekers” and stating that “Seeking asylum is not a crime.” They finished at Lindholme immigration removals centre, the nearest such centre to Nottinghamshire, where asylum seekers are often held without having committed any criminal offence. The demonstration there on Sunday 28th was joined by supporters from Nottingham.
A rally was held at the fence of Lindholme and the marchers could hear detainees inside chanting in response to them. A candlelit vigil for those who’d died in detention centres was held and speakers from many countries, including the Congo, Zimbabwe, Sudan, Iran, Iraq and South Africa spoke. The demonstration is the latest in a series of protests at Lindholme making the demand to “Shut Down Lindholme!”
Continue reading Dignity not detention – report from march to Lindholme prison in October
No Borders Nottingham at Sumac Centre, Thursday 25 October, 7.00pm
No Borders Nottingham presents an evening to discuss the idea of a world without borders and how we might get there. We hope to make you angry & inspired! We’ll be showing an amazing video about tearing down fences at detention centres around the world. We’ll also give a brief report-back from the recent transnational No Borders camp near Gatwick, which opposed the building of a new detention centre there. You can find out about local campaigns, including against our nearest detention centre, Lindholme, and also The Friends of Amdani Juma, which is opposing the Home Office’s vindictive attempts to deport a local activist. And there’ll be great vegan food provided by the Women’s Group of the Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum and the Sumac bar will be open too.
Date & time: Thursday 25 October, 7.00pm start.
Venue: The Sumac Centre, 245 Gladstone Street, Forest Fields, Nottingham.
Directions to the venue (with map) can be found in the Sumac Centre events diary.
For any other info please contact us using our web form.
See you there!
Continue reading No Borders Nottingham at Sumac Centre, Thursday 25 October, 7.00pm