Clan Ebor is the name given to the latest initiative to force families with
refused asylum status to return to the countries they escaped from. (See
below for more information about Clan Ebor).

Organised by Leeds No Borders the good natured crowd handed out information
leaflets, encouraged people to sign a petition, write to their MP’s, and
engaged passers-by in lively conversation about Asylum issues generally and
Clan Ebor in particular.

There were of course a few people who wanted to ‘send the lot home’, and one
misguided woman, sporting a rather nice red poppy, wanted to tell me how
much she had to pay to get her cataracts removed, and how unfair it was that
these people can come over here and get free health care. I tried to engage
her and persuade her, but I knew it was going to be an uphill struggle,
especially when she asked me how long I had been in the BNP. Some you win,
some you lose, some are just going in the opposite direction.

It was heartening though to meet many people who were prepared to listen,
and wanted to help. Even those who couldn’t quite shake the media fuelled
hysteria, were surprised, and in many cases, genuinely shocked at the way
the UK government is treating asylum seekers. Many were willing to sign the
petition, and said they would write to their MP’s.

The mother of one of the Clan Ebor families, spoke about her
situation, and how the Home Office is trying to return her to the DRC, where
the incidence of rape as a terror weapon has increased dramatically
recently, and where the rule of law is non-existent. If returned she fears
for her life, and the lives of her two children. She has decided to start a
campaign to save her family, and is joined in this by another mother. The
demo was, in part, in recognition of their efforts and to offer them our support.


Other speakers included representatives from the United Refugee Organisation, Positive Action For Refugees and a member of the DR Congolese community and a speaker from the NUT. All of them impressed upon the crowd how brutal Clan
Ebor was, how cruel, and how irrational it was.


CLAN EBOR INFORMATION

Under the Clan Ebor scheme 60 families in Leeds, Bradford and Huddersfield,
are having their situation reviewed. They are invited to a 'case
conference' where the whole family, children included, are reminded of
exactly why they have no right, according to the Home Office, to be in the
UK.

They are given 30 days to prove otherwise then subjected to a further case
conference, after which the Home Office will attempt to deport them.

The Home Office has targeted families from some of the most dangerous
countries on earth, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Somalia,
Eritrea, Ethiopia and Iran. Many of the families have been living in the UK
for more than five years and, if deported, face abuse, torture, and, in some
cases, death.

There is a growing campaign against Clan Ebor in the Leeds area. The
families are beginning to work together against the scheme, and welcome any
support.


What does Clan Ebor mean?

Ebor is an abbreviation of Eboracum, the Latin name for York.

Clan York!!!