It is scary seeing them.

D's experience

I am a mother of four children and I have been signing for one year 

and a half. It often takes me two hours to get to Patchway with the 

bus. I am always worried when I go to signing. I have been detained twice before. I always think about the people at the desk, what are they going to say, what are they going to ask, what are they going to do. It is scary seeing them.

Cells at Patchway Police Station where people seeking safety in UK are detained

Join us on Thursday 27th November 6.30pm - 9pm at Kebele, 14 Robertson Road, Easton for the launch of our campaign to end signing at Patchway and reduce the frequency that people have to sign.

Long Walk To Patchway..Long Walk to Freedom

Dear friends,

We invite you to our Campaign Launch Night:

'The Long Walk to Patchway, The Long Walk to Freedom'

27th November, 6.30pm – 9.pm

Speakers      Short films     Food       Drumming      Dancing

Asylum seekers and other migrants are required to regularly report to the UK Border Agency.

Every time someone turns up to sign, there is a chance they will be detained with no warning, transported to a detention centre and deported to a country they had to flee from. For many, reporting to the UKBA is a terrifying and stressful experience.

In October, the signing location was moved from the centre to Patchway. A 14 mile round trip. Some people are having to walk as dont have the money for the bus, some have to take their children out of nursery to attend, others are missing college. Some have to make the journey every week.

UKBA have said they will review the decision at the end of December.

We are organising a month of action in December. 

UKBA must end reporting at Patchway. They must reduce signing frequency.

Come to the launch night to meet people and find out more. All proceeds from food go towards our detention legal fund.

6.30pm, 27th November

Kebele Social Centre, 14 Robertson Road, Easton

asylumisnotacrime@mail.com

building our movement to end detention

An update on Kabran's case and another funding appeal

Kabran was taken to Heathrow on 30th July, but at the eleventh hour his deportation to the Ivory Coast was prevented by the intervention of his solicitor and a judge. After this he was taken to detention in Colnbrook, near Heathrow, and then in Haslar near Portsmouth. He is now (as of three weeks ago) back in Bristol and enjoying being free. Many thanks to everyone who took action on his behalf, whether by signing the petition, lobbying the MP or contacting the airline. This is solidarity in action.



Kabran is still in danger of deportation if his fresh claim for asylum is rejected. We are still trying to raise further funds for legal fees for his case. This may involve a rehearing of Kabran's asylum claim, or a judicial review into the Home Office's handling of the case. The legal fee for the judicial review is £1000. We still need about £850 of this. Kabran has a good case, but we need to ask for your help again. If enough people who read this give £1, £2 or whatever they can afford to our legal fund we can cover this cost. Our legal fund bank details are:
Sort Code  07 00 30
Account No. 6224 2667



We have more plans for the Autumn including some training with Right to Remain to make our campaigning more effective, and more fundraising activities for our campaigns (maybe involving some outdoor music events), so watch this space. If you are interested in taking part in the training, or getting involved in any of our activities, email us on asylumisnotacrime [at] mail [dot] com.

For an end to detention centres

Movement for Justice have been organising monthly demonstrations at Harmonsworth Detention Centre, strongly giving the message that Detention must End.

Dignity for Asylum Seekers will join this protest on September 13th.  

The End of Detention Centres

We are going to the protest because we need the government to hear about the problem of asylum seekers and refugees. They must listen to us and solve the problem of our asylum applications taking a very long time and then often being wrongly refused. The Home Office must make fair decision on our cases. Our lives are stopped when they make wrong decisions – they cut our air, we can't breathe.

We come from different countries and we face hardship, fighting, war. In many cases the British Government has been involved and has some responsibility for the people whose lives have been uprooted. We come here but our problems continue.

They detain us. Detention is like a jail, they put the persons in the jail yet they aren't guilty. They haven't done anything. They have not committed a crime. So why they stay inside a detention centre? We need our freedom back. If we make more protest we can help more people get out, and come together and spread the news and tell the Home Office to close all these detention centres.

The solution is to close all these detention centres, and instead look at our cases fairly and give people the right to remain.

We need all the MP's to understand this. They can't forget us. We will keep knocking at their doors. They must listen to the people and stand with us. They must write to the Home Office to support us.

We go there because we are inspired by Movement for Justice. We feel part of a European movement of people fighting for the rights of all migrants. We spread the word and the news of the campaign to end detention to other people and inivte everyone to join together, from other cities. We must spread the news on the internet, and on tv and in newspapers that are not against us.

Detention is no good for us. You detain a person and you take away their freedom of movement. It is not fair to take this away. This unjustice does not solve their problem, it makes the pressure on our lives bigger.

We hope we close all detention centres. They shouldn't deport people. Where do we go? Its not safe. If we go back maybe they kill us. Anything could happen to our safety. We need a safe place and live in Dignity.

If you would like to come with us, please email asylumisnotacrime@mail.com