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Demonstration At Dallas Court--All Communities togather

Mansoor Hassan | 08.04.2007 20:14 | Anti-racism | Globalisation | Migration

The demonstration today ( 4th April 2007) outside the Dallas Court Reporting Centre in Salford Quays was unique in the sense that several other nationalities were there to show their solidarity with Sudanese people seeking asylum in the UK and instructed to report to the Home Office authorities day. Darfur is not safe and neither is Khartoum – that is why people are seeking protection in the UK

Demostrators at Dallas Court
Demostrators at Dallas Court

Seeking Asylum is not Crime
Seeking Asylum is not Crime

Rapar is Bridge between Communities
Rapar is Bridge between Communities


We come together across nationalities in the UK --

This is real Multiculturism

*** Sudanese and Darfurians joined in their call to stop all deportations ***
The demonstration today ( 4th April 2007) outside the Dallas Court Reporting Centre in Salford Quays was unique in the sense that several other nationalities were there to show their solidarity with Sudanese people seeking asylum in the UK and instructed to report to the Home Office authorities day. Darfur is not safe and neither is Khartoum – that is why people are seeking protection in the UK.
Afghan, Zimbabwean, Congolese, Pakistani, Iranian, Sudanese and representatives from other parts of the world crossing Asia, Africa and Europe were present on the demonstration to hear speakers and chant together: Deportations must be stopped…Seeking asylum is not a crime. No deportations to Darfur, other parts of Sudan, and other countries
The country representatives called upon as many people as possible people to join the demonstration on 12th April at 12 noon from All Saints on Oxford Road in Manchester, passed the BBC studios and on to the Peace Gardens for a Rally against all deportations and then a static protest outside the Immigration Appeals Tribunals Court at Piccadilly Gardens (beside Mount Street Metro stop).
Contact:
Abo Zakrya : Darfur Community -  abozakrya@yahoo.org.uk /07939850199

Leonard Ruredzo :Zimbabwean Community  lennyruredzo@hotmail.com /07859083772

Innocent Nkung : Congo Support Project -  innonkung@yahoo.co.uk /07871676129

Khadem Noori : Afghan Community–  noor_reg@yahoo.co.uk/ 07731788979

Mansoor Hassan, Pakistani community -  mansoorhassan46@hotmail.com /07976838070

Dr Rhetta Moran, RAPAR _  bigrapar@ntlworld.com/07776264646

This statement has been released by RAPAR at www.rapar.org.uk.

Mansoor Hassan
- e-mail: mansoorhashmi@gmail.com
- Homepage: http://www.rapar.org.uk

Comments

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NWASDG support not mentioned - why?

11.04.2007 16:29

We feel that readers should be aware that the North West Asylum Seekers Defence Group (NWASDG) were also at the demonstration at Dallas Court on 5 April from the start (12pm), with leaflets and placards in support of the Sudanese protesters and other communities that turned up, and all asylum seekers (as repeatedly made clear in our leaflets and placards). We also publicised the demo on our e-lists in the days leading up to the demo and announced it at the NOII/trade union conference in Liverpool the preceeding saturday, 31 March 2007, and at our Forum on Sunday 1 April at the Cross Street Chapel in Manchester.

Mansoor Hassan of RAPAR and NUJ was also given our leaflet at the demo and is on our e-list and saw us there. Why then were we not mentioned in the above report?

Perhaps RAPAR just forgot we were there, or maybe its exactly this kind of 'forgetful' behaviour that is holding back progress in the fight to defend asylum seekers...?

North West Asylum Seekers Defence Group (NWASDG)
mail e-mail: fightback_05@yahoo.com
- Homepage: http://www.asylum-seekers-defence.org.uk

NWASG - article censored?

12.04.2007 13:53

I submitted an article describing the demonstration at Dallas Court the day after it happened, and this article mentioned the involvement of the NWASG as it was from them I heard about the demo (at the anti-deportation conference in Liverpool.) The article is not on the Manchester Indymedia site, I don't know whether it has failed to post, or has been hidden ("censored").
The demo in fact had less than a hundred people attending, and I noticed they were mostly Darfurians. I don't know if asylum seeker groups have any political objections to the involvement of NWASG. But I would like to point out that they will have a much harder job preventing deportations without support from British-resident activists. We are in a stronger position to hassle the government to change its policies as 1. they can't deport us anywhere! and 2. we have a certain amount of political influence through being entitled to vote and lobby our MPs.
Personally, I am disgusted at the British government's treatment of asylum seekers, it makes me ashamed to be British. And I am not prepared to sit on my arse and do nothing about it. It is a pity the article I posted has not appeared, as it was intended to encourage more widespread support for anti-deportation actions. Most of the actions in the north-west seem to be happening in Manchester, with not much going on anywhere else.

Carol Laidlaw

and...

12.04.2007 13:56

I had better photographs too! But carefully edited so as not to show people's faces; the "forces of law and order" probably read this website too.

Carol Laidlaw