UK Indymedia

"Dignity Not Detention" March on Lindholme

25-10-2007 23:19

The "Dignity Not Detention" 3 day march on Lindholme started on Friday 26th October with a demonstration outside the Home Office in Sheffield, and a march, via the Town Hall [photos] to Ellesmere Green, Burngreave [photos]. They stayed the night in Rotherham and spent Saturday marching to Doncaster. On Sunday 28th the march arrived at Lindholme where about 70 people demonstrated solidarity with detainees and called for the centre to be shut down.

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The Gatwick No Border Camp

17-09-2007 19:20

2007 is witnessing a resurgence of No Border Camps around the world as three Camps have been announced. The first one took place in Ukraine in mid August [Pics] and another one is announced at the US/Mexico border for November. But close to home, this week the UK sees the first No Border camp near Gatwick airport. Despite weeks of constant harassment of local farmers by the police, the Camp got under way as planned with several hundred people attending workshops and discussions, and taking part in actions and demonstrations throughout the week.

The No Border Camp sought "to try and stop the building of the new detention centre, and to gather ideas for how to build up the fight against the system of migration controls". The Camp progaramme consisted of four days of workshops, protests and discussions. Various actions were announced for the week, including a Transnational Demonstration on Saturday 22nd from Crawley to the site of Brook House attended by around 500 people. Brook House is planned to be Britain's largest detention centre for migrant people, and it is being build next door to Tinsley House. Another solidarity march took place in Newcastle. There were several actions also happening during the camp on Thursday and Friday. These included the occupation of Virgin Atlantic tour operator offices and a blockade outside Group 4 near Crawley, a welcoming event in Crawley as well as demonstrations outside Lunar and Electric houses reporting centres in Croydon.

Reports
Saturday 22nd: Timeline of Events | Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Pics: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Video | Press Releases: 1 | 2
Friday 21st: Timeline of Events | Reports: 1 | 2 | Pics 1 | 2 | Video | Press Releases: 1 | 2 | 3
Thursday 20th: Reports: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pics | Video
Wednesday 19th:: report | report and pics | pics

For more information see the Camp's website and IMC-UK Topic Page

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Temporary Victory for DR Congo Refugees

26-08-2007 15:19

A High Court judge has ordered the halt of all deportations to the Democratic Republic of Congo pending a 'country guidance' hearing for the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in September. The news was a reason for much rejoicing among DRC communities across the country, both inside and outside detention. Campaigners said the Home Office has, once again, missed a chance to get rid of as many Congolese asylum seekers as possible before the guidance appeal is determined in their favour. However, sources said the Home Office are still going ahead with the charter flight, filling it with DRC nationals who have not claimed asylum.

A number of Congolese detainees had received 'removal directions' for the 30th August. Last February, 21 children and 17 adults were forcibly deported to DR Congo on a charter flight operated by XL.

Eight coordinated demos, called by Congolese communities and the Congo Support Project, took place on 28 August in Birmingham, Cardiff, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Middlesborough, Newcastle and Nottingham. Meanwhile, charter airline XL has threatened the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC) with legal action after the latter published a message saying XL might be operating the 30th August deportation flight.

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Save Pegah Emambakhsh from British Prison and Iranian Lashes

24-08-2007 13:17

An international campaign to prevent the UK government deporting Pegah Emambakhsh to Iran, where she fears persecution, for being a lesbian, has so far succeeded in getting her deportation delayed.

Pegah sought asylum in the UK in 2005, her claim failed despite appeals, and she was arrested in Sheffield on Monday 13th August and is being detained in Yarlswood detention centre.

Her case has been taken up by the Iranian Queer Organization, who have said: "If she is going to be returned to Iran, there is much of possibility that she, due to her sexual orientation and her past life in Iran, will be sentenced to death, or, in a most optimistic view, be prosecuted and tortured in some of the ways that are all common among Iran's religious officials when having made the decision to chastise the so called 'corrupted' citizens.".

The global anti-deportation campaign, which has included approaches to the British ambassador in Rome and the Deputy Consul General in San Francisco has resulted in her case getting coverage in the local media, the Iranian media and the gay press [ 1 | 2 ] around the world. However there has been no coverage of her case in the mainstream media in the UK but it has made the TV news been in and la Repubblica in Italy.

Pegah now has excellent legal representation and support from Outrage!. Suggestions of ways to protest against her deportation include contacting the Home Office and signing a petition.

Articles: Urgent help needed to save the life of Pegah Emambakhsh | Appeal for the life of Pegah Emambakhsh | Pegah Emambakhsh Must Stay | British Ambassador promises: "We will not deport Pegah Emambakhsh" | Who wants Pegah’s Blood? | Urgent! - Save Pegah From Death. Don't Alow That Pegah Goes Up On The Airplane | Lesbian facing Deportation to Iran needs your Support | URGENT: Don't Deport Pegah Emambakhsh

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26 escape from Campsfield

11-08-2007 19:44

Around 10:30pm on Saturday, August 4th, a riot broke out in Campsfield House, Oxfordshire, leading to 26 migrants escaping the immigration prison. 15 have since been recaptured, while the rest are still on the run. It followed a yard protest on Tuesday night against the appalling conditions inside the detention centre, which is run by American company GEO, and the discriminatory decisions of Newport immigration court, which is used for bail hearings and appeals involving Campsfield detainees. A hunger strike was started on Wednesday but was put on hold pending a meeting with Home Office representatives on Friday. A further yard protest on Friday night was held as the meeting failed to meet the prisoners' demands. Three solidarity demos were held on Tuesday midday at Campsfield House, Lindholme (Doncaster) and the Communication House (London) [reports: 1 | 2 | 3 ].

Last week, a revolt in a detention centre in Bari, Italy, led to at least 35 migrants escaping. Three weeks ago, 69 Tamil detainees in 5 detention centres, including Campsfield, went on hunger strike against a Home Office decision to deport them back to Sri Lanka [appeal]. Many are still on hunger strike while two Sri Lankan detainees in Harmondswoth, near Heathrow, have been on hunger strike for almost a month (see also Immigration detention: Unworkable).

Links: Campaign to Close Campsfield | No Borders UK

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26 migrants escape immigration prison in Oxford

06-08-2007 11:36

Around 10:30pm on Saturday, August 4th, a riot broke out in Campsfield House, Oxfordshire, leading to 26 migrants escaping the immigration prison. 15 have since been recaptured, while the rest are still on the run. It followed a yard protest on Tuesday night against the appalling conditions inside the detention centre, which is run by American company GEO, and the discriminatory decisions of Newport immigration court, which is used for bail hearings and appeals involving Campsfield detainees. A hunger strike was started on Wednesday but was put on hold pending a meeting with Home Office representatives on Friday. A further yard protest on Friday night was held as the meeting failed to meet the prisoners' demands. Three solidarity demos were held on Tuesday midday at Campsfield House, Lindholme (Doncaster) and the Communication House (London) [reports: 1 | 2 | 3 ].

Last week, a revolt in a detention centre in Bari, Italy, led to at least 35 migrants escaping. Three weeks ago, 69 Tamil detainees in 5 detention centres, including Campsfield, went on hunger strike against a Home Office decision to deport them back to Sri Lanka [appeal]. Many are still on hunger strike while two Sri Lankan detainees in Harmondswoth, near Heathrow, have been on hunger strike for almost a month (see also Immigration detention: Unworkable).

Links: Campaign to Close Campsfield | No Borders UK

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Birmingham's 2007 Refugee Week(end)

26-06-2007 23:37

Besides the annual high-profile Celebrating Sanctuary 'festival', this year's Refugee Week in Birmingham saw a candlelit vigil, organised by the Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC), in the grounds of St. Philip's Cathedral on Friday, 22 June, to remember asylum seekers who took their own lives and to protest against the government's racist policies [call]. This was followed by African, Kurdish and Iranian live music, then the annual Refugee Sleep-out to highlight the problem of destitution that many asylum seekers suffer from. The following day, the end of Refugee Week, saw a rally in Victoria Square, organised by ARC as well, to highlight the bitter realities suffered by refugees and asylum seekers in Britain and to protest against the Home Office's war on them [call].

Meanwhile, Birmingham NoBorders issued a statement on the much-talked-about asylum amnesty, pointing out that, even when not based on racist criteria, it is not a long-term solution and often causes great suffering for those who do not 'fit in' and leads to stricter immigration controls.

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Camp with No Borders

22-06-2007 23:21

2007 is witnessing a resurgence of No Border Camps, which were instrumental to the No Border movement from the late 1990's onwards. Three No Border camps for 2007 have recently been announced. The first will be in the Ukraine at the intersection of five countries and at the border of Fortress Europe. In September, it is the turn of our very own Gatwick airport, where the government is planning to build yet another prison for migrants. Finally, in November, there will be another No Border camp at the Mexico/US border, where every year hundreds of migrants die trying to cross the desert or at the hands of the vigilante 'border police', the Minutemen.

Links: No Borders UK | No Borders London | Global No Border | map of European migrant camps

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Refugees In Need Of Community Protection?

31-05-2007 09:44

No Borders Nottingham held up its end of a National Day of Action for Refugees with a stall in the Market Square accompanied by the No Borders banner, today sharing the Square with the Farmers’ Market and a City Council awareness day for Fostering of children. For No Borders, it was a good opportunity to have conversations with passersby about the dire situation facing asylum seekers living in Nottingham and Notts, many who have been made destitute because of Home Office decisions to withdraw housing and money for food, or that their countries are safe to return to in spite of their experiences of torture and severe repression, or other fears of returning such as deaths of members of their family and friends.

Leaflets were handed out answering questions people might have about asylum seekrs, and showing what groups like No Borders, Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum (including Campaign and Food groups), Refugee Action and others are doing to improve this situation in spite of the difficulties. However, in what is no doubt becoming a tiresome story for some on Notts Indymedia, little more than 10 minutes after setting up stall we were approached to ‘move on’ by Community Protection Officers (numbered NW9963 and NW9944).

Upcoming: Nottingham Refugee Week 2007 - 16th–24th June

Links: No Borders Nottingham

Photo report: Nottingham demo against deportations to Congo |No Borders Nottingham 'National Day of Action on Asylum Rights'

On the newswire: Nottingham Refugee Week 2007 - 16th–24th June | National Weekend of Action For Refugees / 11 events - 19th May 2007 | Situation in the Congo is worsening as deportations continue | Demonstration against Congo deportations 12.04.07 | Our Square Isn't it? | Reclaim the Square! - Summer picnic

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Save ESOL: Speak out because I can't

23-04-2007 18:57

On 21st April 2007, protestors marched through the city centre to oppose the Government proposals to cut the provisions of free ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes.

At the moment, some ESOL classes are free to those on benefits, and can be accessed by asylum seekers and newly arrived refugees and others, such as migrant workers, who have an immediate need to begin learning English in order to manage their daily life-not to mention dealing with the bureaucracy of the Home Office, JobCentre, and other organisations.

Food Not Bombs had a stall in Bakers Pool and fed many of the protestors.

Photos | Report

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Gatwick Protest: No More Immigration Prisons

21-04-2007 10:54

Over 100 people held a lively protest in Crawley, West Sussex, on 21 April, 2007, against a new planned detention centre nearby. The protest, called by the No Borders network in the UK, aimed to show opposition to the new purpose-built Immigration Removal Centre (as it's called by the government) which is being built at Gatwick Airport. The new prison for asylum seekers will have a capacity of 420 places for male and female detainees and is another step in the Labour government's efforts to meets its target of 4,000 places in detention centres throughout the country.

The demonstration, which was mainly made of two large groups from Brighton and London, marched through Crawley town centre in the high of Saturday's shopping spree. Many leaflets were given out, informing locals about the reasons for the demonstration, whilst pointing out the fact that a new concentration camp for innocent people is about to be built on their doorsteps. Policing was relatively low but the level of surveillance and 'information gathering' was incredibly high and intimidating.

Report and pics | Pics in IMC-Barcelona | Video

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UK-wide Day of Action Against Deportations to DR Congo

18-04-2007 11:49

Thursday, 12th April, saw a national day of action to protest against deportations to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Nine coordinated protests took place in Birmingham [video], Cardiff, Glasgow, Leeds, Leicester, London [audio|video], Manchester, Newcastle and Nottingham. The protests, called by the Congo Support Project and supported by many other groups, including NCADC and No Borders, were to mark a Directions Hearing for the Country Guidance Tribunal regarding DRC asylum seekers facing mass deportation.

Earlier this year, in a Home Office operation named Castor, 38 DR Congolese nationals, including 21 children, were forcibly removed on a charter flight, operated by XL Airways, from Stanstead airport near London. There are signs that another 'operation' is already being planned.

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Police mar peaceful anti-deportation protest in Solihull

14-04-2007 20:29

Over 200 people protested on Thursday, 12 April, at the immigration reporting centre in Solihull, near Birmingham, against deportations to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The protest was part of a UK-wide coordinated day of action to mark a Directions Hearing for the Country Guidance Tribunal regarding DRC asylum seekers.

The peaceful protest was marred by a large police presence and was penned, twice, into Sandford House's car park. Protesters, however, broke off after a while and blockaded the road for about 2 hours. Two people were arrested, one also assaulted by an aggressive cop. They were released later on but only because their fellow protesters, in an empowering show of solidarity, refused to leave the site before they were released.

Report | Photo report | Report & photos | Video

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Situation in the Congo is worsening as deportations continue

30-03-2007 11:09

On Wednesday March 28th, people gathered on the Market Square to protest continued deportations to the Democratic Republic of Congo. After a while the protesters walked across town to Bridewell Police Station (next to the Magistrates Court) and made their feeling know about government policies. The Home Office plans to deport more Congolese people from the UK in spite of evidence that it is not only still unsafe for them to return but that the situation is worsening. In Leicester over 60 turned out in a demonstration. Other cities where protests happened simultaneously were London, Glasgow, Newcastle and Manchester.

In March a United Nations report described the situation there as ‘deteriorating’. The Bishop of Winchester objected recently in the Lords to government claims that the country was now safe, noting that every independent organisation with first-hand experience finds ministerial assurances of safety “simply incredible”. He said that the Country Guidance Case on March 28th, at which the situation could be re-evaluated by the government, “will hear fresh evidence of ill-treatment, torture and rape of returned refugees, both at the airport and at associated holding centres”. Asylum seekers in Nottingham need your help in putting pressure on the government to admit that its deportation policy is wrong.

Update: A second demonstration was held on Thursday 12th April. Read announcement and see report with photos.

From the newswire: Nottingham demo against deportations to Congo (photos) | Nottingham (and Leicester) demos against deportations to Congo (photos) | Stop Deportation to the Congo

UK Indymedia: Dozens Deported to DR Congo (feature article) | Migration topic page

Links: No Borders Nottingham | Notts Refugee Forum | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns

Previous articles: Anti-Deportation Protest at Nottingham Magistrates Court | Nottingham Police Station :: Forced Deportations Continue | Occupation at Labour Party Offices for East Midlands

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Protest at Kidnap Centre

17-03-2007 20:41

The Congo Support Network held a demonstration on 13 March 2007 at Dallas Court Reporting Centre, Salford Quays, in opposition to the recent and continuing deportations of Congolese asylum seekers to war-torn DRCongo. It was attended by over 100 Congolese and Libyan refugees and supporters. To begin with everyone assembled in the road opposite the main entrance to Dallas Court before marching round to the back, where kidnapped asylum seekers are snuck out in blue vans to detention centres. Soon after, the crowd assembled at the entrance and the demonstartors held a banner completely across the doors.

The entrance to Dallas Court was then blockaded by the brave protesters, before being forced back by the police. The refugees chanted: 'SHUT DOWN DALLAS COURT!' and 'NO DEPORTATIONS!' throughout, along with many chants and songs in French. At around 1:30pm news emerged that Rosetta, a female Congolese asylum seeker who had had to 'report', had been kidnapped at Dallas Court while the protest was happening! In solidarity, the protesters announced that they would extend their protest and stay until Rosetta was released. They chanted for the next 2 hours and the atmosphere was electric. At one point the police attempted to arrest a Congolese man. As he was dragged off towards the police van the crowd swarmed around and dragged him from their grasp.

Full report | Close Down Dallas Court

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Resistance and Riot in Campsfield

17-03-2007 15:09

Early in the morning of 14 March, an Algerian detainee held in Campsfield immigration prison in Oxfordshire forcefully resisted an attempted 'removal' by the immigration authorities. Fellow detainees then tried to intervene in solidarity and a riot soon spread in the detention centre, with facilities smashed and set on fire. 2 detainees and 7 staff were taken into hospital, all suffering smoke inhalation [see reports and updates]. In addition to emergency services, Tornado units (riot squads) from the Prison Service were deployed to deal with the 'disturbances'. According to a written ministerial statement by Immigration minister Liam Byrne, 60 of the detainees at Campsfield House have been transferred to other parts of the Home Office detention estate, but other detainees have remained at the centre, which holds up to 200 detainees and was operating at near full capacity at the time of the riot.

Links: Campaign to Close Campsfield | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns | UK NoBorders groups

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Nottingham and Slavery - A Hidden History

16-03-2007 18:48

As Britain continues the 2007 celebration of 'Abolition 200', the legal end of Britain's official involvement in trans-Atlantic slave trading, and with most eyes on the main slave trade ports like Bristol and Liverpool, our local councils seem quite unconcerned about direct or indirect involvement with the profits of slavery in Notts and East Midlands, and seem happy just to leave local churches to do the soul searching. Let's ask some questions...

An easy example of Notts involvement in slavery is the well-known Mellish family, whose name is probably best associated in local minds with a Nottingham school. The family is known to have had involvement with ownership and official dealings with plantation estates in the West Indies in the 18th century. Even a cursory look at the Mellish family online archive record reveals inheritance of slave plantation estate property from the governor of the Bahamas (John Tinker), and we can read about William Mellish's official dealings with plantation monies in Jamaica as Receiver General for the Customs & Excise (he was also MP for Retford).

Photos: George Africanus: Re-dedication of former slave's grave

Links: The Mellish and Buchanan Families of Blyth and Hodsock - A Brief History | The Nottingham Sparrow, Nottingham AF | 'Slavery - the Hidden History', Bristol Radical History Group | Anti-slavery march demands reparations for slave trade

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Dozens Deported to DR Congo

25-02-2007 13:38

Over 40 DR Congolese nationals, including 19 children, were forcibly 'removed' on Monday, 26 February, 2007. The charter flight, operated by XL Airways, left Stanstead Airport at 9.39pm. The rejected asylum seekers had been snatched and detained by the immigration authorities over the last few days, despite various NGO's, including the UN 'peacekeeping mission', reporting that, once again, the human rights situation in DR Congo is deteriorating.

Protesters tried to stop the 'removals' by locking themselves to the gates of Tinsley House detention centre, Crawley, where the deportees had been incarcerated. Some 60 people also gathered at the Home Office in London, in a protest called by the Congo Support Project and supported by Fight Racism, Fight Imperialism!, LSE FRFI society, NCADC, Unity Centre Glasgow, Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees and London NoBorders.

On Wednesday, 21 February, over a hundred asylum seekers and supporters, mostly of African origin, held a lively protest outside the Home Office Reporting Centre in Glasgow. On Friday, No Borders Brighton protested and did a banner-drop at the main office of XL in Crawley, West Sussex, to highlight their involvement and making profits from deportations. In Leeds, over 70 members of the DR Congolese community, including groups from Huddersfiled and Kirklees, gathered at the Home Office reporting centre on Kirkstall Road to call for a stop to the planned removals. A solidarity march, organised by the African Community Association in the North East (ACANE), took place in Middlesbrough on Sunday, 25th February.

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Dozens of Iraqi Kurds deported.. again

12-02-2007 17:30

For the third time in less than two years, a 'charter flight' left the RAF Brize Norton military base in Oxfordshire today, carrying a number of Iraqi Kurds to Erbil, Kurdistan (Northern Iraq). The 38 'failed asylum seekers' had been arrested and detained from across the UK.

Some 60 protesters gathered at the gates of Brize Norton this morning, in a protest called by the Campaign to Close Campsfield. It followed other protests over the weekend in London, Leicester and Manchester [reports from Harmondsworth demo 1 | 2 | pics 1 | 2 | 3 | video]. But neither these protests nor the repeated warnings from national and international human rights organisations [UNHCR | Amnesty] managed to convince the Home Office of halting forced removals to unsafe Iraq.

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No Deportations to Unsafe Iraq

24-01-2007 07:03

A number of Iraqi-Kurdish asylum seekers have been detained across the UK this month as the Home Office is planning to deport more 'failed' asylum seekers to unsafe Iraqi Kurdistan. The move follows two previous deportations in September 2006 and November 2005, which sparked a lot of anger and protest [1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6].

The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees and the Coalition to Stop Deportation to Iraq have called for a demonstration on January 24th in front of the Home Office in Westminster, London, to "put pressure on policy makers to stop their plans". There will also be another demo, called by the Campaign to Close Campsfield at the RAF Brize Norton military base in Oxfordshire, from where the 'charter flight' is supposed to leave (date not fixed yet).