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Protest on the day of Moreton Hall detention centre official opening – June 1st 2011

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On Wednesday June 1st 2011 a noisy demonstration was held outside Morton Hall Immigration Removal Centre in Swinderby, Lincolnshire, expressing dismay, disgust and anger against the opening of another new detention centre. No Borders activists from Nottingham were joined by Campaign to Close Campsfield (Oxford).

Morton Hall was officially opened by immigration minister Damian Green. The centre, previously a prison, has space to hold single men with 393 bed spaces. There is ongoing refurbishment work at the centre, so detainees will arrive in stages until the centre is finished (due to complete in September).

Background:
http://ncadc.wordpress.com/2011/05/27/new-immigration-prison-official-opening-ceremony/
http://www.nobordersnottingham.org.uk/regional-news-and-events/new-detention-centre-announced-at-hmp-morton-hall-in-lincolnshire/

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BREAKING BORDERS #3 – Saturday June 18th – Starting off Nottingham Refugee Week 2011

BREAKING BORDERS #3! Saturday June 18th. Launch of Refugee Week in Nottingham 2011!

In conjunction with Hyson Green Youth Club and New Art Exchange.

Come down for a spectacular evening of live music, dance, poetry, visual arts, information, international cuisine…and fun!

We will have an afternoon of FREE dance, music and arts workshops:

First at… New Art Exchange 2pm – 5pm including… Capoeira Brazilian Dance African Dance Drumming Scrap art
Then at… Hyson Green Youth Club 5.30pm – 7.30pm – Kurdish Dance African Storytelling Multi-cultural music

Then an evening of live performance…

BREAKING BORDERS 2011 8pm – 1am

Music

OGGA KATTALOG AND THE GENTLEMEN BANA – Afro-funk to get you dancing…
AISTAGUCA – Balkan Gypsy Wedding band
NGOMA – Zimbabwean sounds, Afro-pop fusion…
UNIQUE WORLD – International music collective feat. Sami Haque
LOUIS CYPHER – First Blood fam.
LOST PROPERTY – Local hip-hop collective
PETRICA BISTRAN – Acoustic Romanian sounds
BLACK FEATHER – Acoustic improvisations

Also live poetry from:

Takunda Chaurura Chingombe
Teodora Todorova
Petrica Bistran
Bessie Ndlovu

Dance…

Traditional Mongolian Dance – Gantuya and Khaliun

Also a range of international fresh cooked food will be on sale

There will also be art displays by local / international artists, information stalls, open mic, bar and other exciting things…

Come down!

Suggested donation: £2 (unwaged) / £3 (low-waged / students) / £5 (waged)

ALL EVENTS ARE FREE TO REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS

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Barnardo’s role in Child Detention revealed

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Does Barnardo’s legitimise child detention? By Frances Webber 17 March 2011, 10:00pm

“The children’s charity’s decision to work with the UK Border Agency (UKBA) in its planned short-term family detention facility has caused alarm among campaigners.”

See also: Barnardo’s to operate detention centre in which children will be imprisoned in ‘secure’ accommodation

Barnardo’s won’t lessen trauma of child detention

Why Barnardo’s is providing support for families at new pre-departure accommodation: http://www.barnardos.org.uk/news_and_events/current_news.htm?ref=67322

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No One Is Illegal – video of an action in London

No One Is Illegal has begun a nationwide week of leafletting and stunts to try to get the idea of No/Open Borders out to the wider public. THE CAMPAIGN STARTS TODAY, and runs through till next Friday. Visit http://www.noii.org.uk/ for details and download broadsheet: http://www.noii.org.uk/files/NOII_Broadsheet_2011_A4.pdf They also commissioned the Love Police to do this video: No One Is Illegal (video featuring Charlie Veitch and The Kindness Offensive) action in London

A YouGov poll, whose results arrived yesterday. Confounding many assumptions about the British public, 54% OF THOSE INTERVIEWED AGREED with the statement: People should be free to live and work wherever they wish, and enjoy the same rights as all other residents. No one is illegal.

SIGN THE DECLARATION (and get as many others as possible to do the same): http://nooneisillegal.wufoo.com/forms/sign-the-no-one-is-illegal-declaration/

Regional news and events

English for speakers of other languages ‘Defend ESOL’ rally in Nottingham – report and photos

Cartoon picture of people on a globe speaking different languages - ESOL campaignAt 3.30pm on Thursday 24th March 2011 staff and students of courses for ‘English for speakers of other languages’ gathered in the Old Market Square, Nottingham for a protest rally against the cutting of ESOL funding, along with many supporters including those in the University and College Unions who were on strike the same day.

Full story and photos: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1074
Petition and more information about the campaign: http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/defend-esol.html
See also, Notts Save Our Services articles on education cuts: http://nottssos.org.uk/tag/education/

Regional news and events

Small World Cafe/Cinema is back Wednesdays at the Square Centre, Nottingham from 30th March 2011

SMALL WORLD CAFE are back at the Square Centre, Alfred Street North starting with,
Lebanese Night
Wednesday, March 30th
Doors open at 7.00pm with the film “West Beirut” at 8pm. Light refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=157682374287895

Small World Cafe Mongolian Night
Thursday, April 21th
Join members of the Nottingham Mongolian community for a Small World Cafe night, doors open at 6.30 pm, film “cafe of the yellow dog” at 8.30pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=187352707972968

Small World Cafe Kurdish Film Night
Thursday, April 14th at 7:00pm, film at 8pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Film title: Welcome
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=206329959383271

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Miriam Hollis

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Many people involved in No Borders and anti-deportation activities will already know about the passing away of Miriam Hollis in her sleep just after midnight on Saturday 26th February 2011. Miriam coordinated the Sankofa Foundation and in her professional capacity counselled survivors of war and torture. She was also involved with the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns and gave support to many asylum seekers and refugees in Nottingham and Notts and elsewhere.

The family has decided to have a small and private funeral. They however would like to invite everyone to Miriam’s wake which is going to be held on Thursday 3rd of March from 6.30pm onwards at:

The Polish Eagle Club
2 Sherwood Rise
Nottingham
NG7 6JN

Tel: 0115 962 4859

Everyone is welcome. We’ll there until 11pm (maybe later). It was Miriam’s wish that people brought some food and ate together so please feel free to bring what you can (vegetarian food only please – daughter’s request)

There will be a commemoration book for people to leave messages and a mic for people to share memories and stories.

I look forward to seeing you on thursday so we can all pay tribute to the very special woman Miriam was. Gone but never forgotten. Always loved & always in our hearts.

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‘New’ detention centre announced at HMP Morton Hall in Lincolnshire

Of the three prisons that the government have just announced that they will be closing over the next few months, HMP Morton Hall on the Notts/Lincolnshire border will now be re-roled as a detention centre. A closed adult female prison with 329 places, it has already been in use as a specialist centre for Foreign National Prisoners for a couple of years, and will now be handed over to the UK Borders Agency. This should bring the number of UK detention places up to something like 2900 places.

Source: http://www.justice.gov.uk/news/newsrelease130111a.htm

Background: http://nobordersbrighton.blogspot.com/2010/02/hmp-morton-hall-to-become-irc.html

See also:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Children-time-visit-prison-mums/article-1262383-detail/article.html

No Borders Nottingham aims to hightlight the continued use of Morton Hall as a place of detention. We aim to organise a workshop / roadshow around the issue of Morton Hall and how to support people detained there. The last Government dropped the idea of using it as a detention centre and an earlier workshop / roadshow was put on hold. For details about this, please watch this space.

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Defend ESOL (English for speakers of other languages)

A meeting was held on 8th Dec with UCU (Universities and Colleges Union) and NNRF (Nottingham and Notts Refugee Forum) about a cut to funding for ESOL (English for speakers of other languages).

The government’s proposals for changing ESOL funding next academic year pose an extremely serious threat. They radically restrict the rights of many non-English speakers to publicly funded classes, and threaten the jobs of ESOL teachers. In their new strategy for FE, the government will restrict access to public funding to students from ‘settled communities’.

Only those students ‘actively seeking work’ and receiving JSA or the new ESA (Employment and Support Allowance) would be eligible for full fee remission. Others would be subject to so-called ‘co-funding’, which in all likelihood means an increase in course fees, including for those in low-paid jobs and on Working Tax Credit or housing benefit. In addition, asylum seekers and students on Section 4 support would no longer be eligible for publicly funded language classes.

This attack on ESOL funding would undermine integration, progression and access to decent employment. It could push provision back into the margins of voluntary teaching and under-resourced community classes.

UCU and the Refugee Forum are jointly organising meetings for teachers, students and others to discuss what action we can take to defend ESOL.

More information:

See IRR: Coalition announces cuts in ESOL funding
http://www.irr.org.uk/2010/december/ha000017.html
See NATECLA letter to the TES –
A national organising meeting has been convened by the lecturers’ union, UCU, with NATECLA, the Refugee Council and individual ESOL teachers / researchers. This will be on January 12th 4.00pm at the UCU London Office,
http://www.natecla.org.uk/uploads/documents/doc_3205.pdf

Contact – Notts Save Our Services Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=129772307075242

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FREE THE YARL’S WOOD 3

In February 2010 prisoners at Yarl’s Wood immigration prison organised a hunger strike. They demanded an end to indefinite and abusive imprisonment. Their courageous protest lasted five weeks, despite violent attacks by guards at the detention centre.

As retribution several people involved in the hunger strike were moved to prisons. Three of those targetted in this way are still behind bars: Denise McNeil, Sheree Wilson and Aminata Camara. They have been away from their families, friends and communities for too long.

Their struggle was “for everyone in detention”. We need to support those who take action on the inside. When they use prison to try to silence resistance we will fight back. At the start of a new year, let’s show them that they have our support and that the struggle for freedom goes on.

At 4pm on New Year’s Eve demonstrate outside Holloway Prison, Parkhurst Road, in solidarity with the Yarl’s Wood 3. Please invite your friends and family. All ages are welcome. Bring noise-makers. [Map]

The nearest underground station to HMP Holloway is Caledonian Road on the Piccadilly line. Buses from outside the station go to the prison.

The Yarl’s Wood 3 will also have bail hearings in the coming month. Your support is very welcome. If you would like to come to the court to show support for them contact freedenisenow@gmail.com.

For a good source of more information visit: http://www.ncadc.org.uk/campaigns/DeniseMcNeil.html

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