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Cross Border Beats: A Social for Asylum Seekers and Refugees

One of Brum NoBorders | 26.03.2006 22:01 | Culture | Migration | Birmingham

On Saturday, 25 March, 2006, the Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC) organised a social in support of refugees and asylum seekers at the Oaklands Centre in Birmingham. It was the 3rd event of its kind, and the biggest so far.





The event basically consisted of music from England, Ireland, Kurdistan, Chile and Africa, as well as free food and drinks. People present (well over a 100) were as diverse, although dominated by Iraqi Kurds as they were celebrating their Nawroz (Kurdish and Iranian New Year).

The aim of such events is to help refugees and asylum seekers feel more welcome, show them some solidarity, and help break down barriers between different communities.

If you'd like to get involved, e-mail Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign.

One of Brum NoBorders

Comments

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100 people! face facts

27.03.2006 00:27

Hang on a minute. I think you'll find it is quite possible to be anti-racist without wanting to see our national borders dissolved. These pictures and your text seem to imply that anyone who wants mass immigration halted, all varieties of asylum fraud closed down and illegals removed from the country is a 'racist'. I beg to differ. This is not what being a racist means. The 'no borders' position is completely untenable.

Lord Snooty


no borders is the only position to take if you believe in equality

27.03.2006 05:47

Dear Lord Snooty,

great name ...? if you believe in your privileges then you will be for border controls.
Do you never ask youself why it is you have the right to travel and go on holiday to and settle almost anywhere, whereas others cannot even leave their own countries, cannot even escape them, cannot get a visa .
Why should we have priviledges not open to the rest of humanity .If you believe it is only educated or skilled people coming from rich parts of the world should have the right to travel and migrate to the UK then you like our government only believe the worth of a human being is in what they can give to us, It is clear then that you have no interest in human rights or equality of opportunity which is a non negotiable element of them.
If the worth of a human being as defined by current immigration law as is the current legislation to be the economic contribution they can offer us then we have truly regressed to an attitude completely in line with imperialist thought.
No borders is the the only position that does not discriminate and hence is not racist. It may appear to most of us to be a radical position because we have never heard anyone in power advocating it and because of the tyranny of the current situation which is implicitly racist, and we are now inured to.
What is so shocking is that immigration controls are based on the classification of human beings in terms economically useful and unuseful .Not explicitly racist criteria, but they lead to contols which completely are. Call it the new faschism or slavery or whatever you want .

Given that I believe in human nature border contols and those who advocate them are also untenable. One day immigration controls will go. They will be recognised for what they anachronistic and racist ,which is in fact the nature of the history of capitalism itself.

People coming from a very large percentage of the worlds countries are unable to travel to Britain or Europe purely on the basis of where they come.We cannot continue to advocate a world in which our rights are regarded as more important than others . Lets not repeat histories mistakes . Lets remember the Jews turned away from our shores at the beginning of the war , and remember how lucky we are to live in a relatively rich and at home, at least in a peaceful country which should be able to offer a foot up to people rather than letting them starve at the gates.

Tom MacGowan
mail e-mail: goldfish1967@hotmail.com