'We
want to contribute' - End Destitution of Asylum Seekers
In
June 2012, 250 asylum seekers and supporters marched through Bristol
to tell people our problems and to demand Dignity For Asylum
Seekers. This gave us more
confidence to speak out. This year we are going to march again
and we are asking other cities to join us and protest on the same
day.
We,
asylum seekers were forced to run from our countries. Our lives were
at risk. We left our homes and families. We came here to find a place
for peace and safety. But for many of us, our cases
were disbelieved and our appeals for safety rejected by the Home
Office.
We
have been kicked out of our accommodation and our food vouchers are
stopped. We are not allowed to work, we can't access education, or
most health services and we can not receive benefits. We struggle to
have families. We can not go home. We are stuck here like this for
years.
All
this makes us feel alone, depressed, isolated from society and there
are even some people who have taken their own lives because of this
situation..
We
want to contribute, to
be part of society and to pay taxes. We are teachers, electricians,
artists, business men, doctors, farmers, students, parents, and
friends. We are human. How can a human survive like this? We should
not be scapegoated.
After
last years' march we campaigned
to get Bristol City Council to say the government’s policy on
forced destitution is wrong. We are pleased to say that in January
they voted overwhelmingly to
support us, and condemn this policy.
Now,
we want to build a strong national campaign. We want to make links
with asylum seekers and supporters in other cities, to raise
awareness and to join together to say that these unjust and inhumane
laws are wrong.
We
want to build this, it might not make our own lives better but it
will help those in the future who come seeking safety.
Please
join us by taking action on the same day in your town or city to make
this a national day of asylum seekers taking action.
Supported
by Bristol Refugee Rights, Bristol Hospitality Network,