The hunger strike at Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre has reached a fifth week. Solidarity demonstrations have taken place, outside the IRC itself, at Holloway Prison and around the country, now a legal challenge is being mounted. The hunger strike tactic has also spread to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.
There will be a protest in support of the hunger strikers this Saturday 13th March in Castle Square in Swansea City Centre from 12noon until 5pm. As well as higlighting the stuggle of the women in Yarl’s Wood they will generally be raising awareness about asylum and immigration issues, particularly the detention of children and families and the racist culture of the UKBA. Some people will be fasting for the day in solidarity but that’s strictly voluntary, look out for the drummers and breakdancers.
Also on Saturday there will be a solidarity demonstration outside Harmondsworth IRC, from noon until 1.30pm. There is also a march in Glagow in memory of the Serykh family who fell to their deaths from their flat in Red Road.
The next day there will be a noise demo on Mothering Sunday, 14th March, from 12pm to 2pm at Yarl’s Wood IRC itself in solidarity with the women on hunger strike inside.
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March 11, 2010 at 5:09 pm
Rasta
Thanks for listing that! Solidarity foriva… “We are confident in the victory of good over evil”.
March 12, 2010 at 8:44 pm
Rasta
The so called “welsh defence league” idiots have apparently been to the facebook event for this rally threatening to show up. I wonder, do these dribbling pseudo-fascist alcoholics think that women and children locked up in detention centres are trying to force “sharia law” on them to separate them from their Carlsberg Special Brew?
March 13, 2010 at 12:44 am
Rasta
Apparently the South Wales Evening Post has carried an article implying that this rally is organised by No Borders South Wales (I haven’t read the article, I was just informed of this, so apologies if I am not accurate). Just to be clear THIS RALLY IS NOT ORGANISED BY NO BORDERS SOUTH WALES; THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT FOR PEOPLE TO AGREE WITH THE IDEA OF “NO BORDERS” IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE RALLY; this rally has not been “hijacked” by No Borders South Wales, who simply agreed to publicise it when I requested them to, so let’s immediately and completely squash all divisive rumours, OK.
This rally couldn’t care less whether you are black, brown, white, muslim, christian, atheist, jewish, hindu, sikh, druid, anarchist, socialist workers party, workers socialist party, Bloc Party, straight, gay, gypsy, or whatever you be: this rally is for people who agree that IT IS WRONG TO INCARCERATE CHILDREN, MUMS AND DADS AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL WHO HAVE COMMITTED NO CRIME AT ALL AND HAVEN’T EVEN BEEN ACCUSED OF ONE.
It is also in memory of the family who jumped to their deaths from those glasgow flats, condemned in 1980
… and for many other memories….
Welsh Defence League, if y’all actually do plan to show up, why not cancel your plans and just stay home and have a few brews and watch the game. We are not here to impose some “sharia law” on you for (clears throat) sake. If you have any decency at all somewhere deep down in your special-brew-addled hearts, just stay home.
March 13, 2010 at 5:07 pm
Rasta
Turnout wasn’t great, but being that this was organised by a handful of folks and all of us work, etc. and it only had a week’s notice, it wasn’t too bad. 15-20 of us at peak, more if you count people who drifted in and out, got a fairly good response from the public and let at least a few people know about this who didn’t before. So, not great, but better than nothing. No WDL showed up. We had anarchists, socialist party, socialist workers party, green party, non-aligned folks and some asylum seekers and refugees with no ideological warfare between the different factions
Helps that it’s a small town and we all know one another so even when the debates get heated there is a mutual respect there still. The b-boys and b-girls couldn’t make it but we did have a couple of drummers.
Undercurrents (film making collective) did a little filming, not sure when that will be edited; and I was told that the South Wales Evening Post will carry something about it (I had to go half way through as I was working).
It’s a start!
No Borders folks, thanks a lot for your support in publicising it and lets stay in touch. Maybe we can get a contingent down for the next UKBA demo in Cardiff. Bless Up and Nuff Respect.
March 18, 2010 at 11:30 am
Rasta
Just heard that the hunger strike will be temporarily suspended as of tomorrow, and will resume in April if the women’s demands are not met:
http://womensgrid.freecharity.org.uk/?p=4744
March 18, 2010 at 11:36 am
Rasta
And also:
Ms. T, a rape survivor from Nigeria and one of the hunger strikers, was “fast tracked” back to Nigeria last Thursday in a flight full of terrified handcuffed women (including pregnant women). Stay tuned to the womensgrid website for updates:
http://womensgrid.freecharity.org.uk/?p=4746
May 1, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Rasta
A brief video of the Swansea rally has been uploaded to youtube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vkYvPsZOIGO
… not a lot of people I know (there were more at one point, honest! The African crew had been and gone by the time the filming commenced) but the best we could do at short notice. At least we let a few people know about this who didn’t before.
Our amorphous and nameless group of various individuals will do more tabling and rallies at some point and there’s some benefit gigs in the pipeline… had a succesful comedy night benefit for Asylum Justice and we’ll be doing some music gigs at some point to benefit the asylum seekers’ hardship fund.
There will also be an event in Swansea towards the end of June trying to promote Swansea as a “city of sanctuary”… will post details when I get them.
By the way… does anyone reading happen to know how to get ahold of Benjamin Zephaniah the poet? We’d like to try to get him to perform at the June event if possible but I haven’t been able to find any contact details for him so far.
Happy International Workers’ Day and let’s all us workers rally together against the bosses regardless of our immigration status and never let the bastards divide us!
Thanks again to No Borders South Wales for the publicity.
JAH guide.
May 1, 2010 at 5:20 pm
Rasta
Sorry, posted the link wrong: here’s the correct link: