STOP DEPORTATIONS! Lobby of British Airways/ Anti-deportation action at Yarl's W
Campaign Against Deportations and Detention | 04.07.2005 16:45
A lobby of British Airways travel shops has been held today, 4th of July, in London and Manchester. British Airways is a favourite airline to deport people to Zimbabwe, together with Kenyan Airways.
In London we picketed the BA travel shop in Piccadilly, a very central and busy location. We held signs reading: 'BA CARRY PEOPLE TO THEIR DEATHS' and ' WHY 100 ON HUNGERSTRIKE PREFER TO DIE THAN TO GO BACK TO ZIMBABWE?'
We collected signatures for a letter to British Airways urging them not to co-operate with forced removals of Zimbabweans or others who may face torture and death on their return. The response from the public was very positive, the police attention quite amazing - a car and a van full of cops, all for a small handful of protesters! They also filmed us.
In the case of people on hungerstrike there are serious safety concerns if they are carried by airline, as their health has suffered and they are now very weak.
Notwisthanding, on the 2nd of July they tried to deport Patricia Mukandara to Zimbabwe - on a British Airways flight.
Patricia has been for over four weeks on hungerstrike - not 13 days like the newspapers say. She is very affected and can walk only with difficulty. 16 women detained with her intervened to help Patricia, physically preventing the escorts from entering her room. Although it was a thoroughly non-violent action, guards arrived in riot gear and all the women were later put in isolation as a punishment.
Patricia's solicitor won a high court order to cancel the removal - just an hour before it was scheduled. The women had already managed to delay Patricia's removal to the point it was no longer possible.
Today we demanded that British Airways stops co-operating with this sort of deportaions.
We collected signatures for a letter to British Airways urging them not to co-operate with forced removals of Zimbabweans or others who may face torture and death on their return. The response from the public was very positive, the police attention quite amazing - a car and a van full of cops, all for a small handful of protesters! They also filmed us.
In the case of people on hungerstrike there are serious safety concerns if they are carried by airline, as their health has suffered and they are now very weak.
Notwisthanding, on the 2nd of July they tried to deport Patricia Mukandara to Zimbabwe - on a British Airways flight.
Patricia has been for over four weeks on hungerstrike - not 13 days like the newspapers say. She is very affected and can walk only with difficulty. 16 women detained with her intervened to help Patricia, physically preventing the escorts from entering her room. Although it was a thoroughly non-violent action, guards arrived in riot gear and all the women were later put in isolation as a punishment.
Patricia's solicitor won a high court order to cancel the removal - just an hour before it was scheduled. The women had already managed to delay Patricia's removal to the point it was no longer possible.
Today we demanded that British Airways stops co-operating with this sort of deportaions.
Campaign Against Deportations and Detention
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