Northern March Against Immigration Prisons!20th June 2009 Assemble 11am at Centre for Life, Newcastle (Next to Central Station)
Immigration is no crime - End Detention! June 15th to 21st marks National Refugee week which celebrates the contribution of refugees to the UK . In the midst of these celebrations Tyneside Community Action for Refugees has called a Northern March Against Detention centres to highlight the grim reality that many refugees and other migrants have faced in Britain ’s Immigration Prisons. The March will take place on Saturday 20th of June, meeting at 11am at the Centre for Life and marching to Monument for a Speak Out Against Racism. This will be an open mic with street theatre focusing on immigration detention. Volunteer Stewards needed We need volunteer stewards to contact TCAR asap. Stewards stand on the edge of the march and look after everyone on the march so that no one is left alone. No previous experience is necessary. Please message us on Facebook or by email and leave your phone number. Supporting the march As you know, TCAR is run by volunteers and many of us are denied the right to work so money is scarce. TCAR urgently needs donations to contribute towards the costs of publicity, including phone calls, posters and leaflets, towards the PA system and for travel expenses of members when attending organising meetings or doing publicity. We can give you bank details to make a one off donation, or even better a standing order form to make regular donations. TCAR has 2 bank signatories and a treasurer who keeps detailed accounts. For more information about how you can help us raise much needed funds, please contact our treasurer, John at the TCAR email (tynesidecarn@yahoo.co.uk). Background At present there are a total of 3,105 bed spaces, in Immigration Removal Centres (IRCs) and Short Term Holding Facilities. And the Labour Government plans to build more detention centres to bring the capacity to 4,405 bed spaces! The first major project; Brook House Removal Centre was opened in West Sussex on the 18th March 2009. Brook House, near Gatwick airport, is the largest facility of its kind in the UK , and will house up to 426 people. As if this wasn’t enough; on the 3rd of April 2009 the Government approved plans to build Bullingdon Detention Centre near Bicester. This is set to be the largest of its kind in Europe and will hold 800 asylum seekers. There are eleven Immigration Removal Centres in the UK . Eight are run by private companies contracted to the UK Border Agency (UKBA), while three centres are run by HM Prison Service. Every year around 2,000 children in the UK are locked up in immigration detention. While the Government pays £130 per day per child and over £3300 per week for a family of 4; These private companies such as GEO Group, Serco, Group 4 Securicor, Kaylx and Global Solutions; are making a profit from this enforced detention. The Human cost is untold! Incidences of self-harm in immgration detention centres rose 73% in 2008 with 109 cases of serious self-harm incidents in the first 6 months alone. Dr Cornelius Katona, of the asylum charity Medical Justice, said: "There is an enormous body of evidence that says detaining asylum-seekers is bad for their mental health. These are people who are very vulnerable." Dr Katona estimates that at least half of the UK 's detainees suffer from mental illness. The effects on children can be more serious and long-lasting; Quotes: Annie Richard’s a TCAR activist argues “Detention based on Nationality is racist. The British Labour Government and Companies such as Barclays, De Beers and Oryx make huge profits from gold and coltan mined from countries like the Democratic Republic of Congo where millions are caught up in a civil war. Yet when refugees come from the Congo they are detained and deported with little regard to their human rights. They Government wants to continue profiting from these war-ravaged countries but doesn’t want to support the victims of those wars” Bella Amandela from TCAR points out “As Refugee week illustrates, migrants can contribute a lot to British Society. Although asylum seekers don’t have the right to work-many volunteer in community groups, hospitals, schools and universities. Refugees who have immigration status and migrant workers do conribute to the economy, bringing a whole range of skills and talents. Detention centres and the New Asylum Model cast a shadow over the achievements and contributions of refugees and the whole system needs to be scrapped!” |
