Dawn raids stopped on UN International Migrants Day
IMCista | 18.12.2007 15:16 | Migration
On Tuesday 18/12/07, activists from the No Borders Network, marked UN International Migrant's Day, by blockading immigration reporting centres in Glasgow, Bristol, Newcastle and Portsmouth. Arriving at the centres in the early hours of the morning, the activists aimed to prevent Immigration Enforcement Officers from staging dawn raids, in which families are often rounded up in preparation for removal to countries from which they have been forced to flee.
In Bristol, activists arrived in time to lock onto vehicles, and a police officer wasoverheard confirming that a dawn raid had been planned. In Portsmouth, activists were locked onto the swing barrier and gates by 4.30am and believe that another dawn raid from that site was thwarted. Glasgow activists were in place by 5.30am when Immigration Enforcement Officers arrived and were unable to leave the car park with their vehicles due to a tripod, and people d-locked to the gates. Newcastle activists dressed in Santa outfits locked onto the gates and used arm tubes to prevent vehicles from leaving the car parks. 2 of the Glasgow activists were cut free from their D-locks and arrested, whilst a tripod continued to ensure that vehicles could not leave the car park. Activists at the other sites were able to leave without any arrests taking place.
In Manchester, the local Immigration Reporting Centre Dallas Court had its gates locked with a motorcycle chain, and a banner reading "Caution snatch squads – we are watching you” was hung. Later, at 10 am, the Home Office in Marsham Street SW1, London was disrupted after activists blocked the entrance and unfurled a large banner declaring "No Child is Illegal: Child Detention is a Crime".
The actions took place the day after a disturbance at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre, when detainees responded to a particularly violent attempt to remove a man born in Benin, by destroying CCTV cameras, light fittings and plumbing fixtures. One detainee reported that the Blue Wing was "devastated".
Meanwhile, Nottingham activists spent Monday and Tuesday campaigning to stop the deportation of Jane Mary Mutetsi, a Rwandan national who fled to Britain via Uganda after her husband was murdered and she was subjected to a gang rape and severe beating by Rwandan soldiers in which she lost the sight in one eye, her left ovary and several teeth. Jane Mary faces deportation to Uganda, where it is rumoured that there is a warrant for her arrest.
Last week, the NCADC reported that several detainees had been succesful in resisting deportation attempts.These included Tarls Wood detainee Maud Lennard, a Zimbabwean national who has managed to resist 7 deportation attempts. Ms. Lennard fled Zimbabwe on a Malawian passport that she obtained through bribing officials, and the UK immigration services have decided that she can therefore be deported to Malawi.
Earlier in the year, a No Border Camp was held in Sussex to protest against the proposed building of a new Immigration Removal Centre at Gatwick Airport, which forms part of the plans for a massive expansion of Immigration Removal facilities. Time and time again the UK state has been seen to be failing in its duty to offer refuge to those who flee political oppression and persecution.
IMCista
Additions
oops
18.12.2007 16:55
south coast snow boarders
About today
18.12.2007 17:37
This was supposed to be a a beginning of a new campaign against immigration controls and dawn raids. We will be back, time and again, we will keep on trying to stop every single dawn raid, and invite others to do the same. We can make this policy unworkable. eventually we will stop all deportations and border controls.This was a brilliant day, even though we can´t say we stopped all of them, we certainly had an eventful day. but in order to make this reach beyond the pages of Indymedia, it must be a part of an intensifying campaign. We will stop these atrocities, and what´s more, history will be on our side this time, as next generations will learn to see past the hype, those that helped to enforce those controls will be left with nothing more than ¨this was our job¨as a justification, and those that did nothing with ¨we didn't know¨. but history showed time and again that these excuses do not entitle one for neither forgiveness, nor peace of mind.
Freedom, Rights, Equality. End Deportation Of Migrants!
Photo!
18.12.2007 18:40
katie
e-mail:
katie_hast@yahoo.co.uk
Homepage:
http://katie_hast@yahoo.co.uk
Glasgow blockaders in Court!
19.12.2007 12:25
This will be the Glasgow Sheriff Court.
Come down to support them if you are around.
katie
London action
19.12.2007 23:26
The link is:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/12/388101.html
F.R.E.E.D.O.M!
Jane Mary Mutetsi and Felicia Sakwe still here!
19.12.2007 23:42
Last minute legal intervention stayed the removal
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/newszine89/JaneMary.html
Felicia Sakwe Fourth removal Attempt stayed
Last minute legal intervention stayed the removal
http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/Newszine86/Felicia.htm
ncadc/ repost
Homepage:
http://www.ncadc.org
SUPPORT THE HARMONDSWORTH 4!
20.12.2007 11:05
9am onwards
at Southwark Crown Court
1 English Grounds
(off Battlebridge Lane)
Southwark
London SE1 2HU
(nearest tube London Bridge)
The trial of four men who were in Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre the time of the protest there on 28 November 2006 will open on 7 January 2008 and a demonstration will take place at Southwark Crown Court.
The Support the Harmondsworth 4 campaign is supported by London No Borders, Barbed-Wire Britain, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism, Crossroads Women’s Centre and the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns.
Harmondsworth is run by private company Kalyx, a subsidiary of Sodexho. The protest came the day after the publication of a damning inspection report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers into conditions and treatment of detainees at Harmondsworth, and was directly triggered by the attempts of members of staff to prevent a group of detainees from watching a news broadcast about the report. Prison riot squads) were drafted in to batter the protesters into submission. About 50 detainees were left in a courtyard all night and others were locked in their rooms even though parts of the detention centre were on fire.
N
e-mail:
harmondsworth4@riseup.net
The fate of those who have been returned...
20.12.2007 17:23
A woman who sought asylum in the UK but was refused, is currently being detained and is at risk of torture following her deportation to Eritrea -
http://www.amnesty.ie/amnesty/live/irish/action/article.asp?id=14864&page=12433
Great actions - would be good to have more days like these.
-
Ethnical purges in France
22.12.2007 18:03
There they do even expel adopted childeren.
Have a look at http://friendsofleo.blogspot.com and sign the petition.
Luc
Homepage:
http://friendsofleo.blogspot.com
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