All articles

Protest against Operation Castor – more deportations to DR Congo by charter flight planned for 30th August

Operation ‘Castor’ – 2nd Charter Flight to DR Congo – Thursday 30th August 2007

News flash 17th August: XL offices occupied during ‘camp for climate action’ week against Congo deportations. See also: Trip from Climate Camp to detention centres nearby

Information from NCADC: It has been confirmed that some refused asylum seekers from DR Congo, have received removal directions (RDs) for Thursday 30th August 2007. The RDs stipulate Flight *PVT616 and ‘Operation Castor’. Operation 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 will be more than likely a Charter flight belonging to XL Airways.

These arbitrary deportations are being carried out to support the Home Office assumption that Congo is safe to return to (whilst the decision to reassess the risk has been delayed more than once). To stop this massive deportation is will be necessary for Congolese (and anti-deportation supporters) to take to the streets to protest against this tactic. Protests are already planned for 28th August, Manchester, Glasgow, Newcastle, Cardiff, London and it is hoped that this will be extended to a national mobilisation against deportation before the end of the month. In order to coordinate legal support, Congolese asylum seekers are urged to call 07971676129 and give their name, HO reference, location, phone number, and give copies of HO refusal or judge’s decision.

See also Indymedia report: A special emergency meeting is planned in London on Wednesday 22/08/2007. Read more for details about the Charter flight company, and advice in French.. Background from February: Dozens deported to DR Congo.

More to follow when we get details… this malicious deportation must not be allowed to go ahead.
Continue reading Protest against Operation Castor – more deportations to DR Congo by charter flight planned for 30th August →

All articles, Regional news and events

Stop deportation of Ugandan Jane Mary Mutetsi from Heathrow on Monday

While reporting at Loughborough Reporting Centre on 8 August 2007 Jane Mary Mutetsi, asylum seeker from Uganda, was detained. She was moved to Manchester Airport holding centre since there were ‘no beds elsewhere’. She is due to be deported on Monday 13 August 2007, from Heathrow Airport London. It looks like the flight will be Kenya Airways flight KQ101 which leaves Heathrow Terminal 4 at 8pm on Monday.

Jane Mary is a Volunteer and a member of the Women’s Group at the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum (NNRF). To object to the deportation contact the Manchester Airport IRC (Immigration removal centre), Manchester Airport, M90 4HH Tel: 0161 489 5702, Fax: 0161 489 5701. More details to follow tomorrow lunchtime.

We’re relieved to hear Jane’s immediate deportation was suspended at the last minute, now pending judicial review.
Continue reading Stop deportation of Ugandan Jane Mary Mutetsi from Heathrow on Monday →

All articles, Regional news and events

Demo at Lindholme detention centre following Campfield Breakouts

7th August: A demonstration took place this lunchtime outside Lindholme Detention
Centre, near Doncaster. From 11.30am to 1.45pm protestors showed
solidarity with the people detained inside for no other crime than
entering the UK seeking asylum from oppressive regimes at home.

Read full report on this website, and another report with photos on Indymedia UK.

See also Indymedia report: 26 migrants escape immigration prison in Oxford
These brave escapes from Campfield detention centre came after Home Office (Border and Immigration Agency) refused detainee demands last week.

See also: NCADC photos of 2004 demonstration at Lindholme detention/removal prison Lindholme 2004_1 and Lindholme 2004_2, and an Indymedia report of same 2004 Lindholme noise demo.
Continue reading Demo at Lindholme detention centre following Campfield Breakouts →

All articles

Home Office reps roasted by angry well-informed Campsfield detainees

August 2nd – Press Release by Close Campsfield Campaign

FOLLOWING TUESDAY NIGHT’S LARGE, DISCIPLINED YARD-PROTEST and Wednesday morning’s hunger strike, two Home Office representatives were called to Campsfield on Wednesday afternoon to hear the detainees’ grievances. The pair, including the Assistant Director of Escorting Services at the Borders and Immigration Authority (Philip Schoelenberger?) were confronted by an angry, articulate, multi-national delegation of 22 detainees in a meeting that lasted 2 and a half hours.

The stunned Home Office representatives promised to respond to the detainees’ grievances within 48 hours, on the understanding that further demonstrations would be put on hold until 3:30pm on Friday.

Read full article for list of detainees’ demands. The Home Office decision to move bail hearings to Newport in Wales is particularly vindictive (centre is in Oxfordshire). For more information, contact 01865 726804 or 01865 558145
Continue reading Home Office reps roasted by angry well-informed Campsfield detainees →

All articles

No Borders camp at Gatwick

From 19th to 24th September No Borders groups will gather at Gatwick Airport for the first No Border Camp in the UK. This camp will be a chance to work together to try and stop the building of a new detention centre, and to gather ideas for how to build up the fight against the system of migration controls. Details on the No Borders website.

The next planning meeting (meeting III) for the Gatwick No Border Camp will be held in the Cowley Club, Brighton on Sunday August 5th, from 1pm. Everybody who wants to get involved in the planning of the camp is welcome – plus venue is 10min walk from the beach! If you need a place to stay in the area or want to contribute to the agenda, please contact g-anbc2007@riseup.net
Continue reading No Borders camp at Gatwick →

All articles

Congo Solidarity Action: Saturday July 13th TBC

The Home Office have requested yet another adjournment of the Country Guidance on the DRC. It’s unsatisfactory response to the recent petition concerning the situation as it stands may be found at http://www.pm.gov.uk/output/Page12237.asp No Borders Nottingham is supporting the call for for a national mobilisation – suggested date Friday 13 July TBC – to protest as strongly as possible about the continuing delay in delivering justice to Congolese asylum seekers…
Continue reading Congo Solidarity Action: Saturday July 13th TBC →

All articles

Camps for No Borders – Ukraine/EU, Britain (Gatwick), Mexico/USA

2007 is witnessing a resurgence of No Border Camps, which were instrumental to the No Border movement from the late 1990’s onwards. Three No Border camps for 2007 have recently been announced. The first will be in the Ukraine at the intersection of five countries and at the border of Fortress Europe. In September, it is the turn of our very own Gatwick airport, where the government is planning to build yet another prison for migrants. Finally, in November, there will be another No Border camp at the Mexico/US border, where every year hundreds of migrants die trying to cross the desert or at the hands of the vigilante ‘border police’, the Minutemen. No Borders are holiding (noe held) a public meeting on Saturday, 30th June 2007, in London to discuss the Gatwick Camp. You can contact the camp’s working group at g-anbc2007@riseup.net Read more about the No Border Camps on the Indymedia website. Read about the Gatwick camp Sept 19th-24th on the No Borders website. Get involved!
Continue reading Camps for No Borders – Ukraine/EU, Britain (Gatwick), Mexico/USA →

All articles, Regional news and events

The Case for No Borders – what was discussed at Nottingham meeting?

Meeting report: ‘The Case for Open Borders’ – A Refugee Week event speaker – Teresa Hayter

Teresa Hayter (member of the Close Campsfield Campaign and an author of the No One is Illegal Manifesto) gave a thought provoking talk to a well-attended meeting at the Refugee Forum’s Square Centre on the evening of 19th June. Teresa made the case that migration controls are rooted in racism and right-wing ideology and that any distinctions made about whether someone is a genuine asylum-seeker, an economic migrant, an illegal worker, or whatever just prop up the system of control. We shouldn’t be demanding ‘papers for all’, instead we should be getting rid of the need for papers. Anti-immigration arguments are little different that those used against Jewish or Irish immigrants in the past. In addition tightening of the screw against refugees goes in parallel with the waging of war by our governments – many recent immigrants are Iraqis. All immigration rules, harassment of asylum seekers, the difficulty of getting refugee status, and the horror of detention centres are all part of a racist agenda to prevent and deter freedom of movement. We must struggle for complete freedom of movement for all. It was noted that immigration controls are actually quite new to Britain (1905) and especially for people in the ex-colonies who were able to come freely to Britain until the 1960s.

In the discussion after, various points were made and questions asked:

How does ‘the system’ really benefit from borders? Is it mostly to further a racist ideology? Do our rulers just want to create fear of others in order to ‘divide and rule’? Or does a capitalist system need to invoke the threat of illegal immigration to make the working class ‘at home’ feel vunerable economically?

Do some trade union fears about immigration threatening jobs make any sense, or does this attitude actually prevent workers linking up to fight for equal pay and benefits? The idea of the welfare state is that you have to ‘put in’ to ‘get out’, but doesn’t this attitude help create division? What’s this we/they thing anyway – shouldn’t we all just be ‘citizens of the world’?

Is there a difference in the way immigration controls are sold to the people in the USA with its historical embracing of immigrants, compared to Britain with its sense of superiority from the days of empire? Or is the apparant positive attitude to immigrants in USA reserved only for its anglo-saxon settlers?

Is it right to only blame governments for creating such a terrible situation for asylum seekers in Britain, or should people be blamed for doing nothing about the racism, and abuse in detention centres?

Will it take a revolution to get rid of borders, or could it just collapse on its own if immigration control became unworkable, knowing that the capitalist economy already depends so much on immigrant labour whether legal or illegal?

Should we be concentrating on fighting the result of an anti-immigrant culture, like the successes of the far-right in some areas of Notts (in recent elections)?

** Read about other activities for Nottingham Refugee Week 2007 – 16th?24th June
Continue reading The Case for No Borders – what was discussed at Nottingham meeting? →

Skip to content