Sleepouts across Britain, to highlight destitution of people refused aylum

Church Action on Poverty | 13.06.2007 10:08 | Birmingham

As part of the Still Human Still Here campaign to change the Government policy of making people refused asylum destitute, 17 events have been organised across Britain. Centred on Friday 22 June, but vary from 16 June to 6 July.

The events are coordinated by Church Action on Poverty, Amnesty International UK and the Refugee Council nationally and many local organisations. They highlight the plight of thousands of people refused asylum who are being deliberately made destitute by government policy.

The Sleepouts are an easy and effective way to raise awareness in local areas that this immoral and ineffective government policy is not working, and it carries a devastating human cost. The events are targeting the media and politicians locally.

So far the still growing list of events includes:

Birmingham, Friday 22 June

Cardiff, Friday 6 July

Edinburgh, Friday 22 June

Glasgow, Thursday 21 June

Halifax, Monday 25 June

Hexham, Friday 29 June

Iona, Friday 21 June

Leeds, Saturday 16 June

London - North East, Friday 22 June

London - North West (Golders Green), Saturday 23 June

London - South (Brixton), Friday 22 June

Malvern, Friday 22 June

Manchester, Friday 22 June

Newcastle, Thursday 21 June.

Shrewsbury, Friday 22 June

Swansea, Friday 6 July

Warrington, Saturday 23 June

We are also working with people in Brighton, Bristol, East London, Maidenhead, Merseyside.

Please see www.church-poverty.org.uk/sleepout for much more information.

Church Action on Poverty
Homepage: http://www.church-poverty.org.uk/sleepout

Additions

Details of Birmingham event

13.06.2007 16:03

Please join us
SLEEP OUT IN SOLIDARITY WITH DESTITUTE REFUGEES AND ASYLUM-SEEKERS

Friday 22 June 2007 starting at 5.00pm until 9.00am Saturday 23 June,
St Philip's Cathedral Churchyard, Colmore Row, Birmingham
Remember the Dead - Justice for the Living

On Friday 22nd June, at the end of Refugee Week, people from many different communities will be coming together to protest against British government treatment of asylum seekers and remembering those who have died while seeking asylum here. The protest has been organised by the Birmingham Anti Racist Campaign (ARC) and sponsored by Celebrating Sanctuary, the organisers of Refugee Week.

Remember the Dead - Candlelight Vigil for 40 Asylum Suicides
The first part of the protest will be a candlelight vigil in the grounds of the cathedral to remember those victims of British immigration policy who took their own lives and to pledge our determination to stop future abuses. Canon Bob Wilkes, the Dean of the cathedral, will preside over the ceremony.

Refused asylum-seekers have their accommodation and meagre benefits taken away, often finding themselves homeless and destitute. Many suffer grave social and health problems and some wrestle with thoughts of suicide. These pressures have driven at least 40 asylum seekers to kill themselves since 2000.

We will be holding the vigil to commemorate their lives, and to pledge our determination to campaign for justice for the living. The ceremony will take place at 6.30pm in the cathedral grounds. Please come early for the press call at 5pm if you can.

Justice for the Living - Sleep out in solidarity with destitute asylum seekers
This protest against Home Office attacks on asylum seekers will include music, speeches and food and will start once the vigil has ended. Part of a countrywide action called for this weekend, the Birmingham protest includes supporters of the Still Human Still Here campaign including Church Action On Poverty, the Refugee Council and Amnesty International UK.

A growing number of asylum-seekers are being refused the right to stay in the UK, because of media witch-hunts and knee-jerk Home Office responses.
Refused asylum-seekers have their accommodation and benefits - which are already below the poverty-line - taken away, and are left homeless and destitute.

We will join with members of the city's many refugee communities in an act of solidarity with those for whom sleeping rough is a daily reality. All asylum-seekers, and all those who deplore their treatment by this government, are welcome. During the evening we will be collecting money for the Asylum-Seekers' Destitution Fund administered by B-MAG, an anti-poverty agency, which provides valuable support to vulnerable people.

Food not Bombs will be providing food and drink. This year we will be using cardboard boxes as well as tents for shelter. We will be making shelters during the evening so please try and bring some boxes with you. It's OK to collapse them. Don't forget sleeping bags and warm clothing! Even if you cannot stay for the sleep out, please make this a fantastic turnout by joining us for the earlier part of the evening.

JOIN US! Together we can make a difference.
For further information please contact Bob on 0772 268 5130 or Dave on
0121 772 6700 or

birminghamantiracistcampaign@yahoo.co.uk

No One is Illegal

Comments

Hide the following 8 comments

Sleep overs

13.06.2007 11:43

Sleeping out in summer in the UK is fun and life-affirming, especially if you have friends around you to help protect you. Being homeless in the sun is healthier than staying in a house. I have the greatest respect for your cause, but should't you consider getting your one-night volunteers to sleep outside in winter ? It isn't the same thing. Homeless people don't get to choose when they sleep out after all. So no, I won't join your summer day-trips, but if you organise the same thing in six months then I'll be there.

Danny

A hierarchy of oppression?

13.06.2007 15:01

Why is Amnesty involved in an issue about refusing benefits to illegal asylum seekers? not getting benefits if you are not a EU citizen is not a breach of human rights. I am not sure where i stand on such issues, but i do know that these liberal NGO's such as Church Action On Poverty seem to operate a hierarchy of oppression. They have shown no interest what so ever in the millions of disabled people who will under the Welfare Reform Act lose a massive amount of their benefits, be forced, yes forced, into unsuitable work, even work deleterious to thier health and even face unwarranted medical scandals. Aren't these attacks a breach of human rights as well,

disability matters..

Divide & rule bullshit

13.06.2007 16:00

Disability Matters: why not organise yourself rather than carp about the efforts other people are making?

As for your jibe about "illegal" asylum seekers, there's no such thing. Sort yourself out.

No One is Illegal

to 'disability matters'

13.06.2007 17:08

You are absolutely right. Disability does matter and the Welfare Reform Act is a serious attack on people with disabilities. But when you say not getting benefits if you are not an EU citizen is not a breach of human rights I think this is confused. Are human rights restricted to what a state or a group of states decide? There is a clear moral issue in the way in which asylum seekers are treated as there is in the way that people with disabilities are treated. It would be good if you encouraged people to join in this fight and met other people who would assist you in fighting against the Welfare Reform Act too. The more, the merrier. If you really want to know why Amnesty is involved in particular, it would be a good idea to ask them. Finally, there are asylum seekers with disabilities too, many with disabilities caused by torture. Don't they need every ounce of support they can get? Good luck with any campaign you are doing about the Welfare Reform Act. If you have any information please email me and I will do my best to be involved. We should be working together collectively against injustice not arguing about what constitutes human rights.

heather
mail e-mail: simple_things@riseup.net

it's an awareness symbolic day not a hardship competition

14.06.2007 12:55

about the first comment...

yes, sleep overs for a night or two in the summer are nothing compared with the reality of being homeless or in need of asylum! noone is trying to say that. it is just an awareness raising event that hopefully will attract some attention to these issues. Would you be saying that we should stop any anti-war protests/awareness days/blockades because it is not even near the experience of being shot at?

In short, an awareness event is to raise issues and not to pretend that people are experienceing the same hardship.

Good luck to all with the event

Timing???

18.06.2007 14:59

Was Glastonbury weekend really the best time to do this? Its obvioulsy linked to Refugee Week, but i think a lot of people who would have been interested, like myself, are unable to go because i'm off to the festival.

Tim J

tim j..

22.06.2007 22:20

oh yeah, Tim J the world should stop cos you chose to go to an over-rated, totally commercial pile of shit (glastonbury) .

tom j

My apologies...

29.06.2007 08:50

Yes, i'm sorry. You're completely right Tom J.

My message did indeed imply that the world should stop revolving simply because i'm going to a music festival...

Take it you couldnt get a ticket then.

Personally, any occasion that let me see and hear Tony Benn, Mark Thomas, Carlos Lazarro and Billy Bragg amongst others in the Leftfield area, share the summer solstice in a sacred space, speak to travellers and go for 5 days without seeing a car, copy of the Daily Mail, American beer or supermarket is to me a cause celebre and not an over commercialised pile of whatever you referred to it as.

My point was, that on a very small unscientific scale, i, and at least 4 of the people i was at Glastonbury with, would have attended the sleepout, and i'm pretty sure we weren't alone.

Now stop being bitter...its simply not attractive!