Keep Racism Out Of The General Election - Asylum Seekers Welcome Here!

March and Rally
Saturday 7th April 2001
Assemble 12.00 noon
All Saints Park (opposite Manchester Metropolitan University)
Oxford Road
Manchester

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We have now moved the date of the Manchester demonstration to defend asylum seekers to the 7th April - Assemble 12.00 noon, All Saints, Oxford Road, Manchester.

Keep racism out of the general election - asylum seekers welcome here!

We will march via China Town in memory of the 58 Chinese asylum seekers who died trying to reach safety in Britain. There will be a rally in the Peace Gardens, St Peters Square at around 1.30pm.

Home Secretary, Jack Straw has renewed his war on unsuccessful asylum seekers. In the last few days charter flights to Warsaw and Pristina, carried asylum seekers forcibly removed from the UK. He has promised a big push from next week, his target to remove 30,000 people in the next nine months. So make sure to come to Manchester on the 7th April, and lets tell Jack, 'they ain't going back.'

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Supporters of the Nazi groups, the National Front (NF) and British National Party (BNP), intend to march in Oldham on 31st March. They have been encouraged by attacks on asylum seekers made by both Tory and New Labour politicians. Recently, they held a rally of 100 people at the Tory club in Oldham. In Europe groups like the BNP and NF have fire-bombed asylum seeker hostels.

We ask all supporters of asylum seekers to join the protests against the Nazis in Oldham on 31st March.

The Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers has joined the growing list of organisations backing this protest in Oldham. Buses leave Chorlton Street Bus Station, Manchester at 10.00am. We will be travelling together as a delegation to the Oldham protest. Assembly for the anti-Nazis protest in Oldham is 11.00am outside Oldham College, Rochdale Road, Oldham.

All those protesting in Oldham will be encouraged to attend our demonstration the week after in Manchester on 7th April. If the Nazis thought they could sabotage our demonstration previously planned for 31st March they are wrong! Our demonstration on 7th April could now be even bigger than it would have been!

The monthly Solidarity Social for asylum seekers and all those with immigration problems will now take place at the Friends Meeting House straight after the demonstration on 7th April. Refreshments, as well as practical, personal, and campaigning support is offered to all asylum seekers. We will pay reasonable travel costs to those people  attending the Solidarity Socials who are directly affected by asylum and immigration laws. Financial and non-perishable goods for asylum seekers are most welcome as solidarity donations.

We hope you are able to support the Oldham protest and the 7th April Manchester demonstration.

For more information, contact the Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers, 400 Cheetham Hill Road, Manchester M8 9LE.

Telephone: Mark on 0161 881 7352 or email:  manchester@defend-asylum.org