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Glasgow Tour: Make Borders History

imc uk | 03.07.2005 18:44 | G8 2005

Glasgow. Sunday, 3 July. Invited by make borders history, a few hundred people met at cannon underground for a tour to explore the border regime as it manifests itself in the Scottish city.

The make border tour-ists split up in smaller groups, and between 1pm and 6pm, 6 groups of 50 to 100 people were walking across glasgow, each led by a tour guide, first walking off in different directions, then criss-crossing each others paths.

The tour guides were from: no one is illegal, noborder network, noborder manchester group, brides without border, and someone from the glasgow comitee to welcome refugees. At each stop, the tour guide (or someone else) gave info from a noborders / immigration perspective, and some translation was provided.

All groups visited the same landmarks, but in a different order. Many of these talks were translated. Sometimes two groups met up, formed bigger, then smaller groups or separated again, sometimes they crossed each others paths. A participant says: "groups kept crossing over... really funny, often locals were helping with directions."

The stops were:

* building of city chambers / city council.
* At the registry office, brides without borders said/played(?) something about immigration marriage laws.
* positive action - refugee housing organisation. Trolley'd soundsystem played (where?)
* army recrutiment, they highlighted issues.
* employment agency.
* british airways was boarded up and closed for three days. A participant says: "really bunkered up".
* immigration appeals court, in the eagle building - bit of samba,
* Scottish refugee council
* ministry of defence, which shares a building with sirco

All 6 groups met up at the ministry of defence. From there, they walked together as a big group of several 100 to the city center, and had a chilled street festival, with samba bands and the trolley'd sound system.

Although no registered demos in glasgow were possible, the make borders history tour took place without interruptions. The police seemed relaxed, too, despite being present in every streetcorner, and having a helicopter surveilling the scene. A participant says: "They tried to pen us in in union street, or hope street, using met tactics. But the Scottish police made them agree that we could go to the create garden."

Another one says: "In Argyle Street, we formed a bigger demo, several hundred, and walked with a samba band towards a big street, then went to the serco building and defence ministery. Many small groups brought leaflets, pamphlets, costumes, materials."

recommended links: to dallas court video from central manchester on the vid indy website to explain the issues. to the tour guide groups. to the mbh timeline. note: this posting is not quite finished... teamwork of several chatrooms and dispatchers.

imc uk

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  1. No borders, no geography..... — A Glasgow Local