Media Coverage of March for Dignity

The march for dignity has been covered in Indymedia, Socialist Worker, Morning Star and the Bristol Post. Let us know if you have seen coverage elsewhere.

Bristol asylum seeker Esam takes the message to immigration minister Mark Harper on Sunday Politics West - BBC1 West today at 11:15am

Esam marching with many others for Dignity not Destitution in June.

I went with Dr Naomi Millner, chair of Bristol Hospitality Network to BBC Bristol to meet the immigration minister Mark Harper for the TV programme Sunday Politics West. (Watch here)

I told him that I am not an illegal person, I am a human being like you. I am an asylum seeker, my life is at risk, that is why I am here.

I hope he understood that I claimed asylum for my safety. I know my story is true, but his system didn't believe me and it has made me destitute. I can’t return to my country because it is too risky for me.

I asked him if he can imagine having £5 a day for food and everything, as this is the support he gives asylum seekers and I don’t even get that at the moment. I am lucky that I have friends helping me. Others are not so lucky, they are living outside or in bus shelters.

While me and Naomi didn't get a long time to speak, I hope we passed the message about asylum seekers being destitute and living a suffering life to Mark Harper and people like him. I hope he understands that asylum seekers are seeking a safe place in UK. Please watch the BBC programme on Sunday and tell your friends and leave your comments here.

You can watch the show at 11:15am on BBC One in the West only or watch online afterwards here. http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b019cfjw

Excited to start our first shared day of action!

Asylum Seekers Sleep Out to Dream of Ending Forced Destitution

Press Release

Asylum Seekers Sleep Out to Dream of Ending Forced Destitution

On Monday 14^th January 40 destitute asylum seekers from the group Dignity for Asylum Seekers will sleep within a 'Chain of Destitution' on College Green to publically condemn the governments policy of forced destitution [1] and to encourage Bristol Council to do the same.

Esam Amin, a refused Kurdish asylum seeker from Iraq and volunteer chef at Bristol Refugee Rights Welcome Centre said “My asylum application has been refused wrongly because the Home Office chooses not to believe me. They asked for more evidence and my mum put herself in danger getting this and they still refuse me and then leave me destitute”.

Destitute asylum seekers and supporters [2] will set up tents within a giant chain to highlight how asylum seekers who have had their asylum applications wrongfully refused [3] are made destitute by unjust laws. 

 

Patrick from East Africa and volunteer at St Nicholas Church said “We are young. We are here. We have many skills. We want to contribute to this society, pay taxes and help to generate money for the economy. Refused asylum seekers are not allowed to work but nor do we receive any government support. These unjust laws leave us with no shelter or food. It is inhumane and degrading. We are made to feel inferior and have lost our confidence. The government needs to change this policy. We need to be treated as humans. We want dignity”

The group will stay on College Green until 2pm on Tuesday 15^th January, facing sub-zero temperatures. They will then go in to the City Hall to encourage councillors to agree to publically deplore this government policy, join the Still Human Still Here campaign and encourage Bristol MP's to organise a debate in the House of Parliament.

“The government has rejected my case and they try to reject me from society. This situation brings up mental problems and I forget my background due to the hard pressure I am under. Its a kind of amnesia. I feel I am not able to connect with people and I have lots of thoughts in my mind of doing harm to myself. But I also dream of asylum seekers getting basic human rights.” said Manesh, a refused asylum seeker from Iran and a regular writer on the Asylum Seekers in Bristol blog.

The group will be there from 7.30pm on Monday until 2pm on Tuesday. They will take the tents down at 1pm and at 2pm walk within the Chains in to the Council House. 

Claire Hall from Bristol said “My friends and I are going to support this sleep out. It is going to be a long cold night but this is nothing compared to what destitute asylum seekers experience. We want be part of this amazing movement of people who are doing something positive to bring an end to forced destitution.” 

[1] See report by Refugee Action for more information about the forced destitution on Asylum Seekers: http://www.refugee-action.org.uk/campaigns/destitution/NewDestitutionReport.aspx

[2] This event is supported by Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers, Bristol Hospitality Network and Bristol Refugee Rights.

[3] People are refused for many reasons; lack of English and stress when interviewed on arrival in UK; not understanding the legal process; cuts to legal aid make it difficult to get a solicitor;  standards of evidence required by Home Office which are near impossible to reach; a culture of wilfully disbelieving people.

Press release - eight detentions is eight too many

Today, 35 people gathered outside Trinity Police Station to protest against the detention of 8 people by United Kingdom Border Agency. They held a banner saying “Eight Detentions is Eight Too Many” and passing cards beeped their horns in support.

One asylum seeker from Buruni was detained at 11am by officers carrying guns and was visibly shaking and terrified during the forced detention. She is currently being held despite her having an active legal case which means she is not able to be deported.

“Home Office policy is that no one should be detained unless they are going to be deported, yet today they have detained at least two people with no legal reason. This mass detention creates fear among asylum seekers that they also could be put in a detention centre and deported at any moment. This is a form of psychological torture, this is wrong and should not happen.” said Claire Hall from Bristol Anti-deportation Network.

 
Another asylum seeker from Afghanistan was detained at 11am and was later released after it became clear that there was no legal ground for his detention.

“I really feeling sad when I heard what happened. Bristol is a City of Sanctuary but it is not safe for asylum seekers. We are feeling unsafe, nervous and stressed when we go to sign at the police station. And if they scrap human rights for asylum seekers today, tomorrow they will do for another kind of person living in Bristol.”said Esam Amin

People sang “We who believe in Freedom can not rest” and chanted “Stop Stop Deportations, Our Detention and Destitution”and passerbyers stopped to read messages, to ask questions and make donations towards legal costs for those detained. Letters of support and food were also passed to those detained.

“I am here to support these people in detention. People are living here a long time and it is very unfair for them to be deported. Everyone has serious reason to come here, they are not tourists. Home Office must give asylum seekers leave to remain. If they don't, they destroy lives of many people” said Nassour Hussain, a refugee from Sudan.

This protest builds on the success of the Dignity for Asylum Seekers demonstration in June which saw 250 people march for an end to destitution, detention and deportation and on protests in College Green in support of Ibrahim who has been sleeping there for over three weeks in protest of the forced destitution of asylum seekers.

Solidarity

"I came here today to show solidarity with people in the aslyum system. I think we need to highlight how sudden (quick) detention can happen. It is important to say that no one should be illegal. Money and goods can flow freely around the world but for some reason humans can't.

The asylum system adds to a racist society because it creates a divide between people from different places. And lots of migration is caused by British foreign policy.

I think it is important to destroy the isolation and for people who are in there to know they are not alone. We need to shown community and break down barriers. That is why I am here, as someone from Bristol."

by Dennis

Eight detentions is eight too many

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Today I was in the police station to sign for UKBA as I do every week. I left the police station and returned to the drop-in centre for asylum seekers to do my duty as a chef. Later one of my friend told me that eight people been detained and she said that two of them are asylum seekers but has no details about the others.

I really feeling sad. Because still Bristol is City of Sanctuary but is not safe for the asylum seeker. We are feeling unsafe, nervous and stressed when we go to sign at police station. In my opinion, UKBA does not listen to us and so we need to work hard for human rights of asylum seeker, we need asylum seekers to get organised, we need existing organisations to support us and we need everyone to learn more about asylum seekers, ask me questions.

We want to have our dignity back, which UKBA and Home Office want to scrap. They don't want to listen. They want to carry on with the process of detaining asylum seekers.

This is the beginning of a path towards a dictatorial government, because if they scrap human rights for asylum seekers today, tomorrow they will do for another kind of person living in Bristol.

We have a lot of experience of this issue in our countries, how they changed to become dictatorships.

I hope not happen in this country because society is beautiful together and united.

by Esam Amin

"I'll sew up my eyes and mouth": Ibrahim in Bristol Post

Recent coverage about the petition and Ibrahim's situation in the Bristol Post. We are presenting the petition statement to the council at 5:30pm today, please come to college green and join us. (More info)

"I'll sew up my eyes and mouth": asylum seeker | This is Bristol: 


A FAILED asylum seeker has spent the past three weeks sleeping rough on College Green in protest – and threatened to sew his eyes and mouth shut to get his point across.


Ibrahim Moulkaf, 43, had to flee Algeria in 2009 after writing a book criticising the government and violent behaviour of Islamic fundamentalists and promoting peace.


The publication of Democracy in the Arab and Islamic World in France led to hard line Islamic militants starting a hate campaign against him.


They preached in Mosques about him, he received death threats, beatings in the street and his home was raided. He fled to England and applied for asylum but has continually been denied residence preventing him from gaining access to work, education or benefits.


He says he decided to apply to voluntarily return to Algeria, despite the risks, but permission was refused because a travel document could not be obtained for him.

Mr Moulkaf said he had now decided to voluntarily sleep rough on College Green to protest at his position.


"I sleep on the grass unless it is raining and then I shelter either under the council building or in a shop entrance," Mr Moulkaf told the Post.


"I had been staying in a house but I have come out here in protest because my appeals for asylum have been continually denied. It is hard and I am very tired.

"It is important because this is not just about me it is about the many other, more than 100 asylum seekers, sleeping on the streets in Bristol."

Paulette North, of the Respect Party, has started a petition and is submitting a motion at Bristol City Council's cabinet meeting tomorrow entitled: "We urge Bristol City Council to follow the example of Glasgow City Council."..... Read rest of the article