West Country Migration Newswire Archive

GAGGED! #13 Autumn 2006 - South Wales Anarchist Newsletter • Against Power & Profit • Anti-Copyright
it's alot prettier on .pdf - theres pics too Read more >>

DALE FARM: RALLY
and STREET PARTY


So many people have contributed
to the success of the Save Dale Farm
Campaign, we'd like to thank you
by inviting you all to our Street Party.

 http://antisystemic.org/ustiben Read more >>

 http://uo.dczn.net
 http://PAKI.TV Read more | 1 comment >>

GAGGED! #12 May 2006
Anarchist Newsletter of South-East Wales • Against Power & Profit • Anti-Copyright
Download the pdf it's alot prettier! Read more >>

A solidarity demonstration took place in Queen St, the main shopping street in Cardiff, on Thursday in support of the people on hunger strike in Colnbrook and Haslar Immigration Removal Centres.

About 30 people and a banner gathered to hand out flyers and talk to people about the situation of the hunger strikers and immigration detention and borders in general. Read more | 1 addition >>

Officials in the Zimbabwe government have publicly said Britain is training spies, mercenaries and agents to destabilise the country and is sending them into Zimbabwe under the guise of returning failed asylum seekers.

On arrival the deportees are invariably met by Mugabe’s secret police, detained, tortured and interrogated. Some of the deportees have not been heard of since. Their families, both in Zimbabwe and in Britain, report that the last they heard of them was that they had been picked up by the secret police.
Read more >>

The Home Office have now ratcheted up the ante by re-introducing slavery through the form of 'voluntary service for people who have failed the Asylum System and needing subsistence and accommodation' with the assistance of the National YMCA Organisation.

Liverpool YMCA is going to be the first voluntary sector agency to collude with the Home Office in the immigration slavery scheme introduced by section 10 of the 2004 legislation.

While Liverpool is parading on its City Of Culture, 2008 Status (more like Culture of Capital, Here & Now), it would be worthwhile stating historical fact - Liverpool was home to the Slave Trade - and now in 2005, Liverpool could and may well become home to the New City Of Slavery.

The YMCA and the Home Office have called for a 'Closed Door' Meeting to be held at Liverpool City Councils Millenium House on Tuesday 24 May 2005 from 12:40 - 14:40hrs.

The aim of this meeting from what I can gather, is to 'embrace community dialogue' - through restricting the meeting to just a few (highly-paid & self-anointed) NGOs (whose own sources of revenue are probably paid for by the Home Office...)

The question is, can real community dialogue be achieved like this?

The meeting was posted on the SmartGroups Liverpool asylum seeker and refugee support group:

 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/viewdiscussion.cfm?gid=1256290&messageid=2609

----Section 4 Support - 'Voluntary Service'

>> There is a consultation meeting with the YMCA and
>> the Home Office about this on 24th May - 12.40 - 2.40
>> at Millenium House in Liverpool.

As you can see this is the only outside knowledge of this meeting.

I contacted the Liverpool YMCA today which people believe to be the site of the Pilot Scheme, and the Office Administrator has denied any knowledge of the meeting, but said that, "if it's not Liverpool then it might be Chester which will do it."

If the meeting is being held within Council premises, can Trade Unionists based within Millenium House please make and take action with regards to this?

UNISON, and other Unions the call-out for you is here.

Individuals with a conscience, please make your views heard on this subject.

The following links are related to this meeting:

YMCA slave labour scheme

Section 4 Support - 'Voluntary Service'

There is a consultation meeting with the YMCA and the Home Office
about this on 24th May - 12.40 - 2.40 at Millenium House in Liverpool.

 http://www.smartgroups.com/message/readmessage.cfm?gid=1256290&messageid=2602

IND has announced that YMCA England will be running a pilot exercise for Section 10 of the Asylum & Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc) Act in Liverpool.

Word document:

 http://www.asylumpolicy.info/mayiapnews.doc

YMCA England Statement following meeting with Church Action on Poverty, Boaz Trust and Churches Commission on Racial Justice

Word document:

 http://www.asylumpolicy.info/ymcastatement.doc

It is important that no-one allows this 'Pilot' to get off the ground.

While the YMCA may or could agree to the scheme, it can only be made unworkable if YMCA Staff take a stand on this issue - strike action, refuse on moral grounds, refuse on Health & Safety issues (will the refugees be given proper H&S training?)

Or perhaps I could 'release' the person out, if I saw a refugee doing what I called anything like 'labour'?

Or maybe, the homeless people within the YMCAs will start "getting refugees to do their 'dirty-work'", or cause deep divisions within already dis-enfranchised communities?

If this doesn't happen here, it could happen near YOU.

Maybe meet up at The Egg, Tuesday 24/05, 11:30am?

Anyone into it?

Banners, drums, trumpets, anything to make a party & noise.

Can the 'Outside Media' meaning The Echo/BBC do something on it? Read more | 2 comments >>

Just wanted to make a last post before settling down to a 'joyful Xmas' (?!) Read more | 2 comments >>

State Sanctioned Child Abuse
Continues Throughout Christmas

More torrid tales of Immigration abuses
Read more | 5 comments >>

Local MP’s, church leaders and education officials yesterday pleaded with the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, the Minister for Children, Margaret Hodge & the Minister for Immigration, Des Browne, to intervene in the case of an 8 year old child and his mother who had been aggressively and illegally removed from their home in Bristol and were being held at a secure facility outside Gatwick airport, facing deportation to Colombia. Read more >>

A demonstration is planned for Saturday the 27th of November to call for the closure of Campsfield House in Oxfordshire, one of the centres where refugees are imprisoned while their claims are being read. It commiserates 11 years of the centre's existence and pledges contnued support for the people held inside. Read more | 1 comment >>