Gay Human Rights campaigner and OutRage! activist Peter Tatchell was arrested this afternoon at Westminster Hall, Palace of Westminster, after the Holocaust Memorial commemoration for pleading with attendees as they filed out of the hall not to let the Holocaust happen again.
He spoke out against the UK's asylum system which often sees those seeking asylum from genocide and persecution turned away. He named-and-shamed Tory leader Michael Howard who was in attendance for his party's election commitment to institute a quota system for the acceptance of those seeking asylum.
"'Never Again', today means not closing our doors to refugees fleeing persecution. Don't let Michael Howard dishonour the victims of the Holocaust with his quotas for asylum seekers. 'Never Again' means never again!" said Mr Tatchell
Mr Tatchell was arrested under the Contempt of Parliament Act which allows the police to detain him indefinitely - though it is expected that he will be released this evening.
The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC2 tonight at 7pm. The programme features horrific images of Nazi concentration camps and moving testimony from survivors, many of whom started a new life in the UK. However, as we remember those who died at the hands of the Nazis, today many asylum seekers await deportation back to the countries they have fled.
ENDS
He spoke out against the UK's asylum system which often sees those seeking asylum from genocide and persecution turned away. He named-and-shamed Tory leader Michael Howard who was in attendance for his party's election commitment to institute a quota system for the acceptance of those seeking asylum.
"'Never Again', today means not closing our doors to refugees fleeing persecution. Don't let Michael Howard dishonour the victims of the Holocaust with his quotas for asylum seekers. 'Never Again' means never again!" said Mr Tatchell
Mr Tatchell was arrested under the Contempt of Parliament Act which allows the police to detain him indefinitely - though it is expected that he will be released this evening.
The ceremony will be broadcast on BBC2 tonight at 7pm. The programme features horrific images of Nazi concentration camps and moving testimony from survivors, many of whom started a new life in the UK. However, as we remember those who died at the hands of the Nazis, today many asylum seekers await deportation back to the countries they have fled.
ENDS
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a true representative of human rights
27.01.2005 21:03
during the above event
Stephen Fry made the absolutely brilliant comment
after describing what 6 million as a number would mean
"6 city of Birmingham's
a line of people reaching to Moscow and back again
then he went on to say that this way of understanding lead us into the same trap
that we assign numbers to dehumanize the real situation
as the nazis did
they gave everyone a number
[via their Hollerith tabulating machine]
and it is now we must become aware of the dangers this UK, and other governments
pose in their quest against a terror that they do not have to disclose any details about because of national security...
indefinate detentions without evidence
or house arrest
or ID cards that make us entitled to be free!!!
Peter Tatchell
i salute you
you have always represented HUMANITY
i can only hope he won't be given the TREATMENT
I will watch and observe as ever...
capt wardrobe