Report of
Communications House Picket
10 April 2006
In support of USA Day of Action for Immigration Rights
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On a cold Monday afternoon on 10
April, about 80 women
and men demonstrated
outside Communications House in central London, protesting against
detention and for immigration and asylum rights. Communications House
is one of many anonymous government offices around the country where
women and men asylum seekers
are forced to sign
on with the authorities and often whisked into detention to be deported.
The
protest was called by the All African Women’s Group (AAWG), Women of
Colour (Global Women’s Strike), Wake up Congo, African Liberation
Support Campaign Network (ALISC), SOS Immigration, and Payday men’s
network. It supported
the
first “Global
Days of Action Against Immigration Detention, |
Determined to be as
visible and audible as possible,
picketers
successfully persuaded the police to allow them to protest right outside
Communications House and soon warmed up with singing and chanting: “We all
have the right to be here, the world is our home”. A huge banner read “Asylum
Seekers – Paying the Price for Blair’s wars” and many placards
prepared by AAWG members in French, Luganda and English protested against
the government’s inhumanity. The atmosphere at Old Street was sparkling with
energy; chants of “Capital travels freely, why not people?” and “No
deportation – we need protection!” rang out over the City district. Thanks
to a Public Address system, office workers passing by in their lunch break
and other local people were shocked to learn what was happening so close to
home, as a fantastic street Speak-Out highlighted many immigrants
experiences.
Members of the AAWG described the terrible deprivation women and children suffer in “prison” in the UK, having fled rape and other torture, driving some to try to take their own lives. Many in the group are destitute as their asylum claims have been closed and organisations funded to help asylum seekers, like the Refugee Council, had turned women away. But by working together members had found lawyers and other practical resources.
Peter Gichura, a wheelchair user and disability activist from Kenya spoke about his recent high profile campaign with Payday which had stopped his deportation and secured his release, highlighting the horrendous conditions he and other people with disabilities face in detention. A woman wheelchair user added that as well as having to sign on every month with no money for fares, she has vouchers valid only in a supermarket several bus rides away and has to struggle to get home with her shopping.
Payday, a network of men working with the Global Women’s Strike, highlighted the growing movement of soldiers refusing illegal and immoral wars and occupations which murder and displace millions around the world. In many cases, these refuseniks were themselves forced to seek asylum from the persecution of their warmongering governments. Payday also spoke about the actions of Sans-Papiers – immigrants without papers – in France who have occupied buildings in their hundreds together with students demanding papers for all, and spearheading the movement there.
Speakers denounced the rampant sexism and hostility rape survivors claiming asylum face and demanded that no matter where a woman is raped or where she is from, all victims must taken seriously and get the protection they are entitled. A recent news report showed that the number of rapists only given a caution has doubled over the last ten years, more evidence of how rape is dismissed and downgraded. A woman who fled domestic violence in India traveled from Kent with supporters and described taking a group of supporters and local media when she signed on as protection against being snatched away.
Wages Due Lesbians highlighted the particular injustice lesbian women face in seeking asylum against homophobia and are supporting one lesbian woman who has been held in detention for over a year. Queers Without Borders reported on a successful demonstration of over 250 people outside Harmondsworth Removal Centre the previous Saturday and another at Dungavel detention centre in Scotland.
A member of the campaign to stop the deportation of Tham Sarki was delighted to join the unexpected demonstration in his lunch hour.
Wake Up Congo reported that Congolese people, inspired by the struggle of Zimbabwean hunger strikers in detention, had just begun a hunger strike in Harmondsworth. Many had been held for over 6 months and pressure from the community, including submissions to the government about the continuing genocide in Congo, had forced immigration officials to meet with them for the first time. But officials had offered release on condition they accepted electronically tagging! The men had refused and the hunger strike continues.
News from the massive and ongoing demonstrations in the US were relayed by a young man from San Francisco, himself an immigrant:
one million in LA; 20,000 in San Francisco and tens of thousand around the country. Students were leading the way with walkouts and other protests, independent of parties, unions, NGOs or left groups. Many young people immigrant people live in fear because any brush with the law could mean losing their green card. A 14-year old student organizer had tragically committed suicide after the school threatened to punish him, including by fining his mother. His mother, Mrs Corales has called on parents to stop schools targeting students. A petition and other support for the family is being organized. 10 April marked another in a series of mass actions, and calls for a general walkout by immigrant workers and their supporters on 1 May.
As Women of Colour in the Global Women’s Strike pointed out, we would not be here if it wasn’t for the western governments led by Bush and Blair waging war all over the world, looting our every resource and devastating our lands. The crowd cheered in agreement.
Resources: “For Asylum Seekers and their Supporters: A Self-Help Guide against detention & deportation” by Legal Action for Women, buy online http://www.allwomencount.net/Publications/pamphlets.htm, free to Asylum Seekers