A protest calling for an end to the continuing policy of deportations to Iraq was held outside the Home Office on 11 September 2008. Organised by the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees and the Coalition to Stop Deportations to Iraq, it not only called for an end to the policy of deportations to Iraq, but
Theme: Education
Man dies following raid by police and immigration
An investigation is underway as to how a man died following a raid by police and immigration officers at his home in Woodford Green, Essex. 36-year-old Frank Odame was found with head injuries below a block of flats after ‘police officers and UK immigration officials attended a residential address in Lambourne Court, Woodford Green’. A
Pressure to deport foreign national prisoners
As the drive to deport foreign criminals goes on, Frances Webber, a leading human rights lawyer, reports on new legislation affecting foreign national prisoners and their families. The automatic deportation provisions of the 2007 UK Borders Act came into force on 1 August 2008. From that date it became possible for the UK Borders Agency
Two asylum seekers take their own lives
In August, two asylum seekers apparently took their own lives: one was found hanged in a Manchester park and another shot himself two days after being deported to Kurdistan. According to Indymedia, on 5 August, an Iranian asylum seeker, Nadir Zarabee, was found hanged in a park in Longsight, Manchester after being asked to leave
Appeal for funds to send Iraqi man home
The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR) is appealing for funds to send the body of Mohammad Hussain home to Iraq to be buried after he died from cancer on 3 August 2008. According to the IFIR, for the eight years Mohammad was in the UK he was a constant and fierce defender of refugee
Pupils speak in support of Kamal Begi
Students at an east London school are hoping against hope that their campaign will stop the deportation of their Afghani classmate, Kamal Begi. Kamal Begi, a Brampton Manor student, and his uncle have lost all their appeals for asylum and are under threat of deportation, despite having lived in the UK for over six years.
A timely new educational resource
Anyone who wants to know why attitudes towards refugee children are changing should consult Shared Futures. ‘Shared Futures’ is a new DVD and education resource pack developed by the charity Salusbury WORLD (funded by Comic Relief). It is aimed at all practitioners working to support the integration of young refugees and asylum seekers, whether teachers,
Hunger strike – ’till death or deportation’
The organisation Cageprisoners is calling for urgent action for a stateless Palestinian refugee, Mahmoud Abu Rideh, who is in a critical condition in a London hospital after being on hunger strike for over thirty days. Mahmoud, one of the fifteen or so terror suspects in the UK, subjected to virtual house arrest under a control
Action on the EU Return Directive
Asylum campaigners are urging action as the European Parliament prepares to vote, on 18 June 2008, on the ‘Return Directive’. The ‘Return Directive’, if passed, will allow EU member states to: Detain non-EU migrants for up to 18 months; Detain and deport migrants including vulnerable people, unaccompanied minors (under 18 years of age) and pregnant
Chinese Whispers: a call to arms
This book based on undercover journalist Hsiao-Hung Pai’s experiences among Chinese illegal labourers in this country is vital reading for all who campaign about workers’ rights, racial and sexual exploitation, globalisation, trafficking and forced migration. The tale (or tail, in this case) begins in globalisation and the massive impact of opening China to market capitalism