Parents currently being detained in Yarl’s Wood removal centre have begun a hunger strike in a desperate bid to draw attention to the sufferings of their children. The alarming action, which started at breakfast time this morning, is regarded by the parents as being a drastic, but necessary stage in their campaign to give their
Protest against clampdown on working asylum seekers
Around 150 demonstrators marched through Hull this week to protest against Home Office pressure on local factories to sack Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers. Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers have been living in Hull since the beginning of the decade and, although most have had their asylum applications refused, many have built new lives for themselves in
28-day detention comes into force
From this week, anyone arrested under anti-terrorist legislation can be detained for up to 28 days before any charges are brought. Under the Terrorism Act 2006, which was passed in March, police powers of detention have been extended to allow for up to 28 days before a charge is brought. The earlier Terrorism Act 2000
Meeting the needs of refugee children
A new book explores the diverse situations of refugee and asylum-seeking children in the UK – and the hostile reception that very often creates barriers to their educational success. Mahmut is a 12-year-old Kurdish boy. He leads a complicated life. Since arriving in London four years ago, he has lived in five different houses and
Seeds of discontent
One year after the 7/7 terrorist attacks, Tahir Abbas looks at how the marginalisation of Muslims continues to contribute to their radicalisation. One year has now passed since the tragic events of 7 July 2005 in London. For the first time in European history, ‘home-grown’ suicide bombers were implicated in a number of terrorist attacks
‘Defending the defenceless’: churches working on asylum issues
Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) has produced a document entitled Asylum Principles: a Statement for Churches Working on Asylum Issues. The group recognises the duty of churches to help those facing social alienation and hardship. Asylum seekers are seen by CTBI as occupying an especially weakened position, as they are being targeted and
Help return Abiy to Ethiopia for a dignified burial
On 5 July 2006, Abiy Fessfha Abebe, an Ethiopian asylum seeker, was found hanged in Liverpool following news that his claim for asylum in this country had been refused. UPDATE 1 AUGUST 2006: ABIY’S BURIAL HAS NOW TAKEN PLACE. Abiy was in the UK for less than three weeks before his sad death and lived
First death under new community fast-track system
Last Wednesday, on 5 July 2006, a 35-year-old Ethiopian asylum seeker, Abiy Fessfha Abebe, was found hanged in accommodation in Liverpool, after recently being told his asylum claim had been refused. His death is the 25th such death of an asylum seeker in the last five years. Other asylum seekers who were housed at the
Racism and Islamophobia in France: the far Right and the grassroots
In debates surrounding the complex social, political and economic situation that France is facing, the far Right has continued to exercise its political voice. Yet young people from the banlieues (suburbs), many of whom are affected by racism and discrimination as part of their everyday lives, suffer from a dearth of political representation and are
The ‘Mediterranean Solution’: rescinding the rights of boat people
In May, a ‘ghost ship’ with eleven petrified corpses washed up in Barbados. The Africans onboard the sea-battered yacht had set sail four months previously from the Cape Verde islands – and had been heading for Europe. As the EU draws on Australia’s ‘Pacific Solution’ to further militarise its sea borders, and enters into new