A new paper circulating in London, The New Londoners, produced by refugees and asylum seekers, provides a strong, alternative voice for these marginalised and often vilified communities. The tabloid-size 24-page newspaper, produced by the Refugee Media Action Group at the Migrants Resource Centre for Refugee Week, is slickly produced with quality pictures and interesting articles
Theme: Health
The Blair legacy
As Blair leaves office, he leaves a country more divided – by race, class and status – than he found it. As Tony Blair finally relinquishes power, much has been and will be written about the legacy of his ten years. In the fields of immigration and asylum, as in other fields, his reign presents
‘The Accused’
A powerful and intelligent theatrical experience about migrants and asylum seekers is previewed. Last week, I saw a very inspiring work in progress at the studio space of the Birmingham Rep by Patrice Naimbana, a Sierra Leonean performer/writer/director. The Accused was about migrants/asylum seekers coming to Britain. Alongside the experiences of those coming here, it
Manchester Castaways campaign
The Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers (MCDAS) and Women Asylum Seekers Together (WAST) have launched the Manchester Castaways campaign, calling for a new family amnesty for asylum seekers. The Castaways campaign believes that it is unacceptable that children from asylum-seeking families do not have the same protection of the right to be safe as
The ‘war on terror’: Libya and the UK
A recent legal judgment over deporting Libyans calls into question the protection afforded by Memoranda of Understanding (MOU). On 27 April 2007, the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) gave its judgment on the appeals of two Libyan men facing deportation to Libya on the grounds that they are a risk to the national security of
Court of Appeal rules against Home Office ‘sham’ marriage rules
The Court of Appeal has ruled against the Home Secretary by upholding the right of non-European nationals, who are in genuine relationships, to marry in the UK irrespective of their immigration status. Under rules introduced in 2005, non-European nationals with limited leave to remain had to show they had a fiancé visa, or Home Office
More on the Hodge affair
One aspect of the Hodge affair which has not received attention is the fact that Margaret’s husband, Henry, is involved in immigration decision making. Industry minister Margaret Hodge’s proposal for a return to housing policies privileging ‘indigenous’ communities over immigrants has attracted much comment. It has been pointed out, not least by her own constituents
The Oxford Companion to Black British History
This new book aims to provide schoolchildren and the public with a handy reference guide to Black British history. Black British history is a much-overlooked subject, not least in schools, where even the government’s own survey of the national curriculum noted that ‘little attention is given to the black and multi-ethnic aspects of British history’.
NUT charter promotes achievement of Black boys
In April the National Union of Teachers (NUT) took the opportunity of their annual conference in Harrogate to launch Born to be Great, a Charter on Promoting the Achievement of Black Caribbean Boys. On the basis of the NUT’s belief in the fundamental right of all groups in society to the public provision of quality
Former jurors welcome SIAC decision
Earlier this week when the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) ruled that Algerian, Moulod Sihali, was not a threat to national security and that he faced the possibility of torture if he was returned to Algeria, jurors from his former trial were amongst those celebrating. Moulod Sihali had been acquitted of charges in the ‘ricin