At a recent meeting held at the House of Lords on ‘The nightmare of control orders’, lawyers, family members and supporters spoke about the psychological and emotional damage the orders were inducing. The meeting was organised by the Campaign Against Criminalising Communities and hosted by Lord Rea. Although the meeting was on the issue of
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Free healthcare clinics for vulnerable groups in London
A free, confidential drop-in health clinic aimed at vulnerable migrants, women and homeless people has opened in London. Project:London consists of two weekly clinics in east London where patients do not need to bring any proof of identity or status to receive treatment. Each clinic is staffed by a doctor and nurse who can provide
Challenging detention of children
As campaigners across the world prepare for the first ever coordinated international day of action against immigration detention on 8 April, Liz Fekete charts the growing resistance to the detention of asylum-seeking children in Europe. Over the years, European governments have been locking up more and more asylum- seeking children and, in this way, rendering
Crime: driving while Black
A Black man is to sue Dorset police for an alleged racial attack after being sprayed in the face at close range with CS gas in his car – and he has the video footage to prove it. Femi Ijebuode, whose ordeal at the hands of Bournemouth police was shown on Channel 4 News on
Award for ‘Asylum Undercover’
On Wednesday 22 February 2006, the Royal Television Society gave the BBC an award for the best current affairs programme for its brilliant documentary on the detention and deportation of asylum seekers, ‘Asylum Undercover’. ‘Asylum Undercover’ was shown on TV in March 2005 and exposed the abuse, physical and emotional, meted out to asylum seekers
Fighting for the rights of Iranian asylum seekers
Two new events have been organised as part of a campaign to defend Iranian asylum seekers in the UK and prevent their deportation to a country they deem unsafe. As part of the ‘Life Without Fear’ campaign launched in January, the UK branch of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees (IFIR) is organising a public
Protest against deportation ‘to torture’
On Friday 10 March 2006, a small group of campaigners gathered outside the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) in London to mark the start of hearings to decide whether men can be deported to Algeria. The government has been trying to obtain a ‘Memorandum of Understanding’ (MOU), with countries like Algeria and Tunisia, that will
What future for unaccompanied children?
The government is considering returning unaccompanied children, whose asylum claims have failed, to Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo. But what can be learnt from existing initiatives in countries such as the Netherlands and Spain? It could be that the UK government is seeking to emulate the lead set by other European governments which
‘The Fleeing Garden’: new anthology published
The organisation Exiled Writers Ink has published a collection of poems and stories by Kurdish writers living in England. The anthology, entitled The Fleeing Garden: Kurdish Exiled Voices brings together writers from a variety of Kurdish backgrounds, and platforms the work of both established and aspiring poets. The variety of subjects explored in the anthology,
Racial violence round-up
We record below incidents of racial violence and harassment that have taken place in the first few months of 2006 and note the results of court proceedings against perpetrators of attacks that took place after 7 July 2005. 3 March 2006: BBC News reports that Greg Louden, a Scottish police officer, appears in a Glasgow