Glasgow: 100+ Protest at Removal to DR Congo

CH | 22.02.2007 13:37 | Anti-racism | Migration

Over a hundred Glaswegian asylum seekers and supporters, most of African origin, held a lively protest outside the Home Office Reporting Centre at Brand Street yesterday (Wednesday). They were protesting against the detention and attempted removal of Eddie Ngienga, Angelique Lukombo and their children, here since 1999.

Protesting in Brand Street

Pastor Daly and Brigitte on the PA

We Belong to Scotland!

In unseasonably sunny weather, the mood was defiant and upbeat. A PA system was there for speakers, who include Pastor Daly from Angola and Brigitte D, who won Leave to Remain after a hard fight just before Xmas. The protest was the biggest seen outside Band Street for some months and the singing could be heard halfway to Paisley Road. Two police riot vans rolled by but disappeared, leaving 4 beat cops to play with the many kids from the families.

Eddie and Angelique were picked up in the Home Office’s sweep of Congolese families in preparation for a mass removal by charter flight by XL Airlines, coded XL4334. Families were taken from Middlesbrough, Leeds, London, and Birmingham, as well as Glasgow. The flight is scheduled for Monday 26th February at 21:00 and there is a joint campaign by all the families to have this stopped. See

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/362906.html for details and a model protest letter / fax that you can use to register your disgust.

DR Congo is one of the most deadly places in the world. Since 1998 over four million lives have been lost in the DRC and though the war is over there is no 'peace' and deaths continue at the rate of 1,200 a week. Recruitment of child soldiers in the DRC continues unabated. The infrastructure of the country's hospitals, roads and power supplies are archaic and in some areas non-existent. One of the most incomprehensible things about John Reid’s action is that last month he brought in a number of people from DRC under the “Gateway Protection Programme” and gave them refugee status. Is it about appearances rather than sense, John? Surely not.

See also:

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/02/362906.html

http://www.unitycentreglasgow.org

http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine79/charter2.html

CH
Homepage: http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine79/charter2.html

Additions

Emergency demo against DRC deportations - MON26TH 1-3PM

24.02.2007 19:10

STOP DEPORTATIONS TO DRC - CONGO IS NOT SAFE
19 Children and 23 adults from DR Congo are to be deported by Charter Flight

Home Office snatch squads have detained a number of families and individuals from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) who have been living in Briain for several years. All those detained have been served with the same removal directions: "Directions have now been given for your removal from the United Kingdom by (flight/ship) OTTHxla4334 to Congo Democratic Republic at 21.00 hrs on Monday 26 February 2007".

Emergency protest Monday 26 February 1-3pm.
Home Office
2 Marsham Street
London SW1P 4DF
(nearest tubes St James Park and Westminster)

Congo Support Project/Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!/LSE FRFI Society/NCADC

Nicki
mail e-mail: defendasylumseekers@yahoo.co.uk

Comments

Hide the following 4 comments

looks arctic there!

22.02.2007 15:11

Thanks for the report. You state that it was an unusually bright sunny day which isn't quite brought out by the heavy blue cast on all the pics making it look like it was going on inside a glacier! Reason for this is that your camera is almost certainly accidentally set to "tungsten" for the white balance setting. There should be a menu option showing a light bulb, flourescent tube, sun symbol, auto and maybe others. Best change this to the auto setting as this usually works for every situation.

hope this helps

papa razi

cheers!

22.02.2007 16:13

For the photography advice. I'll pass it to the guy who took the photos. One more reason why camera phones are just wrong :)

mama mobi

Congo is not that bad

23.02.2007 05:46

I'm a British citizen and I live and work in Congo, in the northeast district of Ituri, which is the most violent part of the whole country. It's a very big place and not to send someone to the west because of the problems in the East would be like not sending someone to Italy because there is a civil war in Scotland. It really depends on where they are from and where they are going back to, and for 95% of Congo the danger is no greater than the dangers of living anywhere in Sub-Saharan Africa, which is not to say it's great, but the solution is not to move the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa to Europe.

Concerned

25.02.2007 19:25

All failed asylum seekers are at risk when returned.
There is a great deal of evidence showing that deportees are routinely handed over by UK immigration escorts to the Congolese authorities (the offices of the director general of migration) an arm of the security services.
People have subsequently been held in Makala prison, those who can't bribe their way out or are seen as a threat to the government are at serious risk.
Recently a Human rights lawyer discovered two asylum seekers had been held in the prison for five years without charge. The UN describe the prison as'cruel and inhumane'.
A test case will hear evidence about the threat faced by deportees to the DRC on March 7th, this could put a stop to all removals. This flight must be stopped and all those held in detention centres immediately released.

Concerned