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Glasgow Police Try to Stop UNITY Rally, March Still On!

CH | 07.04.2006 17:16 | April 2006 No Borders Days of Action | Anti-racism | Migration | Repression

In a last-minute move, Glasgow's Trades Hall has cancelled the booked rally of asylum seekers and friends there tomorrow afternoon. Strathclyde Police appear to have had a role in the decision a No Borders activist condemned as "racist".

UNITY, the new asylum seekers union along with Glasgow No Borders had planned a joyful march from the Home Office Immigration Reporting Centre at Brand Street to a rally at Trades Hall on Glassford Street. Speakers from the new union, No Borders network and Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees would address the crowd. "The journey from a place where are isolated and kept in fear, to a place where we can come together to support one another is an important step in our healing process. Why are we being denied this?" one said.

UNITY and No Borders Glasgow have condemned the decision as "racist". "There's no other explanation for it," said Tim Waterstone, a spokesman for the campaign. "They say it's because they don't do political events but this is about bringing asylum seekers and supporters together. Why can the STUC or the Refugee Council rally there but not asylum seekers?"

Trades Hall had given no hint of the event being a problem until they were contacted by Strathclyde Police.

The march will go ahead as planned, alternate arrangements for the rally are being made. People are asked to come along and make this the "biggest demonstration by asylum seekers in Scotland ever".

CH
- Homepage: http://www.openborders.org.uk

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Display the following 2 comments

  1. Rally now at Carnival Arts; text of Press Release — Tim Waterstone
  2. hey admin! — clumsy