Question Time at

City Academy

Should thousands of asylum seeker children be held in UK Detention Centres awaiting deportation?

Discuss with MPs, councillors and young people.

Tuesday 2nd December 2008
10.30am - 12 noon or 6pm - 8pm

Organised by the students - several of whom have experience of detention

All welcomed

There will be no meting of BDASC on 2nd December because we will all be at the Qustion Time at City Academy.

Tuesday 6th January 2009

7.30pm - 9pm

our next regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Stop Locking up our children
BDASC One day conference

Saturday 12th July

9.30-2.30pm

Held us to build a campaign to stop over 2000 children being held in detention; their plight has been highlighted by the Chief Inspector of Prisons and the Children's Commission for England. Testimonials discussions and workshops.

Lunch provided

Easton Community Centre
Kilburn Street
BS5 6AW

Tuesday 4th August 7.30pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Tuesday 1st July 7.30pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

5th March

The Still Human Still Here coalition

are campaigning against enforced destitution of refused asylum seekers, have secured a meeting with the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, on March 5th. Our delegation will be led by Archbishop John Sentamu.

Please write to (or even better meet with) your MP prior to this meeting! The more MPs who report their constituents' concerns to the Home Secretary, and ask how they should respond, the more likely she will be to take our representations seriously.

Please email or write as soon as you can. This is because the MP is likely (if they do not already agree with us) to send you a standard response simply quoting their party line. Writing now will give you time to write a
further letter, pointing out why their party line is not a solution to the problem!

If your MP is already supportive: carry on using them! Thank them for their sense and humanity, and ask them what they can do / are doing to raise awareness
within their party.

For more information on the campaign, sample letters, ideas on what to include & how to argue your points, go to either

stillhuman.org.uk or refugee-action.org.uk

You can also email your MP via our online form - go to
refugee-action.org.uk/campaigns/destitution.

Tuesday 4th March 7.30pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Tuesday 5th February 7.30pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Tuesday 3rd July 7pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Sunday 24 June

Manchester demonstration

Troops out of Iraq

Gordon Brown's coronation as Tony Blair's successor will take place at a special Labour leadership conference in Manchester on Sunday 24 June.
Stop the War is organising a demonstration calling for a change of policy, not just a change of leader.

Coaches to Manchester from Bristol Anchor Rd (outside @Bristol) at 8.00am Tickets (£14 waged / £7 unwaged) Available from: Booty, 82 Colston St, Bristol BS1 5BB; Circle Books, 65 North St, Bristol, BS3 1ES; La Ruca, 89 Gloucester Rd, Bristol, BS7 8AS.
OR email your name, address and phone number to bristolstopwar@hotmail.com

Wednesday 27th June 2007

People on the Move - Taunton

Migrant workers, refugees, asylum seekers - terms like these can be stigmatising and lead to confusion and sometimes conflict. Members of these groups often find themselves explouted. This conference will examine how migration affects the South West and how churches in the region might respond. Spekers will include: John Price, Regional Project Manager for Asylum Seekers from the SW Regional Assembly and Nigel Costley, Regional Secretary at the SW TUC.

For more information please see the People on the Move flyer or contact Vena Prater on 0117 9557430.

KEEP ESOL FREE

National UCU - ESOL Conference - London, 29th June (10am - 3.45pm)

ESOL Lobby of Downing Street London

29th June 4pm - 5.45pm

"The time has come for the Government to take breath... A million adults have been lost to learning in just two years. How many more have we got to lose before the government wakes up?" The Director of National Institute of Adult & Continuing Education

For more information www.ucu.org.uk

ESOL Conference
Queens Hotel, City Square, Leeds LS1 1PL

http://www.niace.org.uk/Conferences/ESOL-QT.htm

15th - 24th June

National Refugee Week

For details of arts, cultural and educational events in Bristol visit

www.bristolrefugeeweek.co.uk

Tuesday 6th March 7pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Lobby of Parliament to save ESOL

BDASC are supporting the campaign to stop the sweeping cuts in English Language Rights (see campaign news).

Contact the campaign for transport details.

Stop the Deportations to Iraq

Meet outside Council House 5-6pm

Troops out of Somalia

Demonstration Friday 12th Janauary 7pm

Stapleton Road

Fighting Trades Union Conference with Tony Benn

Council House 7.30pm

No Trident
Troops out of Iraq Demo

Assemble 12 noon London. Rally Trafalgar Square

Saturday 17th February

TUC Congress House, London

Speakers include: Ken Livingstone, Billy Hayes, Keith Sonnet, Paul Mackney, Dr Mohammed, Abdul Bari, Glyn Ford MEP, Gemma Tumelty, Edie Friedman.

Tuesday 6th February 7pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

BDASC Film and Food Night
Wednesday 31st January 2007 - Postponed until end of February

Tuesday 9th January 7pm - 9pm

our regular meeting - all welcome.

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road).

Tuesday 5th December

our regular planning meeting

7pm - 9pm

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road). All welcome.

Public Meeting against the Deportation of Jamaican Families:

Monday 27th Nov, 7pm

Malcolm X Centre, Ashley Road

Called by Bristol NUT , Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign, Inner Roots and JA Families against Deportations.

Speakers include Dwayne Brooks(friend of Stephen Lawrence) & a showing of his film "Steve and me"

Thursday 9th November, 5.45pm -7.00pm

at Circomedia, Portland Square, St Pauls, Bristol.

Entry is FREE.

Asylum Monologues is an account of the UK's asylum system, told first
hand by the people who have experienced it.

"Could hardly be more topical or more powerful." The Times

Trades Union Public Meeting: Public Services Not Private Profit

Called by Bristol NUT, GMB and RMT

Sat Nov 4th 9.45am to 1pm at The Council House

Please note we will be petitioning here and not in Broadmead as we previously advertised

Imprisoned for refusing to voluntary repatriation

Support demonstration outside Horfield Prison

Wednesday 8th November 2006 5.30pm

STOP THE DEPORTATION OF
IRAQI ASYLUM SEEKERS

7000 Iraqi asylum seekers face the terrifying prospect of being forcibly returned to the bloodshed and violence of Iraq.
Scores of people have been rounded up and held in detention centres awaiting deportation after a government decision that Iraq is now a "safe country". Legal challenges have delayed the process temporarily.
Please raise your voice against this gross injustice. You can download the petition from our website or contact us to send you a copy.
Armin Mhadi (pictured here), chair of the Kurdish Community Group in Bristol, has been leading the campaign. Two months ago he shared a platform with Tony Benn at a Bristol Stop The War public meeting. Over 300 people heard Armin speak about the issue.

No Place for a Child -

Stop Detaining Children Now!

More than 2000 children a year are locked up by the UK Government for immigration purposes. Five years ago it was rare for families with children to be detained. One 7 year old boy recounted his experience of detention: " Detention is like a cage, and I felt like a small bird in it. I wanted to fly"
These children can be held for an unlimited time- Save the Children documented some children spending between 7-268 days behind barbed wire and locked doors. This impacts on their mental and physical health and educational development. Yet neither they, nor their parents, have committed a crime. These children are the only children in the UK who are being detained without judicial oversight.
Please join the No Place for a Child Coalition (Save the Children, Refugee Council, Bail for Immigration Detainees, Scottish Refugee Council and Welsh Refugee Council) in calling on the Home Secretary to end detention for these children and find better alternatives to detention.

Go to www.noplaceforachild.org.uk to send your message to the Home Secretary and your local MP.

Refugee Week, June 17th - 24th 2006

There are a number of events being organised in Bristol. For further information contact Refugee Action 0117 9415960

www.refugee-action.org.uk, http://bristolrefugeeweek.co.uk

Here are some of the events.

" Big Fun Day, Sun 18th Jun, Queen Square, 12 - 7.30pm. FREE EVENT. Live dance, music, poetry; food stalls; singing and dancing workshops; bouncy castle etc. A family fun day out.

" Young Bristol's Activity Centre on the docks: come and try free kayaking, Canadian paddling & mountain biking. Mon 19th Jun 10am - 12 and 1 - 3pm. For further information contact Paulette on 0117 9558199

" Practical Support & Campaigning for Asylum Seekers, by Holding Refugees In Mind, Living Ghosts & BDASC. Tues 20th Jun 5.30 - 7.30 and Fri 23rd Jun 12 - 2pm. At The Unitarian Church (corner of Brunswick Square)

" Immigration & Citizenship, talk Wed 21st June by Minoo Jalali, experienced lawyer. For details contact Kate Deeble 3532048

" Dance Party, Fri 23rd June, 7.30pm at Kuumba Centre, St Pauls. Evening of music, dance and poetry from around the world. Cost £5

" Refugee Awareness Project information stall at Central Library, College Green. All week.

" Exhibition of art by refugee artists at The Pierian Centre, 27 Portland Square. All week.

Bristol Refugee Week - Wesite

For listings of events for the week, adding any more you know
about or are organising. It also has emailable versions of the flyers
that you can send to people.

http://bristolrefugeeweek.co.uk

Tuesday 6th December

our regular planning meeting

7pm - 9pm

Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road). All welcome.

and

Tuesday 9th January our regular planning meeting 7pm - 9pm Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road). All welcome.

A broad and representative conference for peace campaigners, trade unionists, the congregation of all faiths, non-governmental organisations, progressive campaigns, community organisations and political parties. Delegates will meet together face to face, to renew our bonds of solidarity and to express our joint opposition to the war.
Signatories include Tony Benn, Cindy Sheehan, Jeremy Corbyn MP, John Pilger, Caroline Lucas MEP, George Galloway MP, Kate Hudson CND, Tariq Ali, Sami Ramadani,and Sabah Jawad, Iraqi Democrats Against the Occupation. To book a place and for more details contact Stop the War Coalition 020 7278 6694 / 27 Britannia Street London WC1 9JP / office@stopwar.org.uk
or go to www.stopwar.org.uk

GIVE OUR WORLD A FUTURE DON'T LET BUSH BLOCK ACTION ON CLIMATE

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 19TH

2-3pm

BDASC street meeting

outside

TESCO METRO BROADMEAD.

All welcome

Asylum Seekers are Welcome Here

A drama performed by our campaign at the following venues:

Tuesday 21st June 7.30pm - 8.30pm at the Malcolm X Centre Ashley Road, St. Pauls

Sunday 26th June 2pm - 3pm at Bristol City Museum (top of Park Street)

Also as part of Refugee week:
Bristol's Silent Refugees Giving Voice to the Zimbabwean Community
Wednesday 22nd June 12 noon until midnight 27, Portland Square, St. Pauls, BS2

Saturday 16th. and Sunday 17th. July

Ashton Court Festival
Volunteers required to help with our campaign stall ( which might mean free entry) contact us through Greenleaf bookshop

7th July- 11th July

" Make Capitalism History"

ideas to change the world. 5 days of debate, music and film at marxism 2005, central London.
Phone 020 7538 2707 or go to www.marxism2005.net

Refugee Week from 20th June 2005.

Our campaign's contribution will be a drama which will be performed in several venues across Bristol.

PLEASE HELP SUPPORT ROBINAH

Tuesday 7th June 7pm

BDASC meeting at Malcolm X Centre, St Paul's to discuss Robinah's campaign

HELP SUPPORT ROBINAH

The next BDAS (Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers) meeting on
Tuesday 1st March 7pm at the Malcom X centre in St Pauls

Please try and come to the meeting as a few days ago we heard that Robinah has been refused the right to appeal on the refusal to give her asylum. We now only have a few weeks to campaign to stop her being sent back to Uganda where she knows no-one and faces very grim prospects.

At the next BDAS meeting we need as much support as possible. The plan is to try and gather enough people and resources to get up to London and picket downing street with her many petitions.

4pm Saturday 29th January

against the 28 asylum seekers arrested and held (18 at Trinity road and 10 at Southmead). They are not criminals.

Robinah Tamalie Senoga is a 19-year-old asylum seeker from Uganda this is her story.

My dad was a solider and died when I was about a year old. Me, and my mum lived in barracks, as it was the only place we could get shelter and food. We suffered a lot of injustices, harassments and sexual abuse by the Ugandan soldiers and there was nowhere to report these incidents at all. My mum was forced to go to Rwanda where she was arrested by the Rwandese government accusing her of being a collaborator in the killing of the Tutsi during the 1994 civil war. After my mum's arrest, I returned to the same barracks as it was the only place I could get free food.

In the barracks we faced serious problems of child abuse as we were forced to sleepwith the top officials at night. We became concubines of the senior soldiers and we had no-where to go apart from being forced to join the army. This is only a brief piece of my history and some of the other girls who are still in Uganda.

The home office doesn't believe me and I don't know how to convince them. But it's the truth!!!!!!!! If you believe me, please help me and sign below to support my appeal to stay here, where I have made friends, forgotten the past and am currently attending City of Bristol College where I am doing an Access to Nursing Course.

Please print and sign the petition here

Join the International Demo organised by the Forum Sunday 17th October Stop the War Coalition

www.fse-esf.org

Please support Wali and Azim Ansari's application to remain in the U.K. Sign the petition attached.

Wali and Azim are Afghans and members of the Ismaili Shia group. They suffered persecution, arrest and torture in Afghanistan because of their ethnicity and religion. The Taliban massacred tens of thousands of their ethnicity and there was a decree that to kill them was just. The brothers feared for their lives and fled from home their home and country leaving their family. They have not heard from their family since they left.

In 2001 they arrived in the UK and claimed asylum. The brothers quickly adapted to life here and went to college to improve their English. Azim excelled in his studies. He recently passed 3 A-levels securing him a place at Oxford University to read Engineering this October. Wali has worked since he entered the UK and has supported them both throughout their stay here. The brothers have made a life for themselves and have many friends. They have made every effort to belong and to become useful members of the community.
They want to stay here, to work and build a secure life for themselves. They fear further persecution in Afghanistan and since the disappearance of their family they have nobody and nothing to go back to.

Please sign petition To print petition

BDASC Meeting

Tuesay 2nd November 7.30pm and first Tuesday of every month

Malcolm X Centre 141 City Road St.Pauls Bristol .

This is a follow on from last week's meeting attended by over 40 people

Many Iraqi people have approached the BDASC to tell us of their problems.We are calling this special meeting to invite all Iraqi members and their supporters to discuss:

• Solicitors' views that decisions are made on numbers not peoples' needs.

• How NASS support is withdrawn from young Iraqi men and women and yet no deportation orders are served, thus effectively leaving them destitute on our streets.

We have heard that there ae 400-500 Iraquis in Bristol. We demand these people are not left destitute.

Our organisation in putting together a protest for Anna Latchman has been successful. The school girl threatened with deportation in the middle of her doing her exams was allowed out the police station late last night. The Evening Post and HTV covered the story. Thanks to all the supporters who turned up at short notice

School girl Anna Latcham picked up for deportation

Please come to Trinity Road Police Station at 4.30pm to protest against her deportation. For further information ring Paulette 07866 876277

Tuesday 3rd August our regular planning meeting 7.30pm Malcolm X Centre

141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2 (Ashley Road). All welcome

How did they vote?

At our monthly meeting we agreed to find out how Bristol MPs voted on the 3rd reading of the asylum bill (1st March) and encourage people to write to them. This is how it went:

For the Bill:

Bristol North West Dr Doug Naysmith (Lab/Co-op)

Bristol South Rt Hon Dawn Primarolo (Lab)

Bristol West Valerie Davey (Lab)

Berry, Mr Roger (Lab) Kingswood

all voted with the government for the Bill

Absent:

Bristol East Rt Hon Jean Corston (Lab)

wasn't there/didn't vote

Lobby and petition MPs and councillors against the new asylum law and the continued use of section 55. If you want to write letters to MPs and the press but lack confidence then email us and join our letter writing group.

To write to your MP at the House of Commons: Bristol East Jean Corston (Labour); Bristol North West Doug Naysmith (Lab/Co-op); Bristol South Dawn Primarolo (Lab); Bristol West Valerie Davey (Lab) House of Commons, Westminster, London W1A 0AA.

MPs names and email can be found using the house of commons locator From here you can also visit their web site and find out the local address to write to or you can ring the House of Commons: 020 7219 3000 and ask for your MP's office.

Gertrude Bogohi Must Stay

This young woman has gone through hell and is now going through hell in Yarl's Wood. She is to be deported on the 17th February. Please bombard Blunkett with faxes and letters on her behalf. Gertrude Bogohi came to the UK from the Ivory Coast on 18th January 1999. She is 28 years old. Gertrude lived with her parents in Abidjan, the Ivory Coast. She was brought up as a traditional Muslim but changed her faith to Christianity.

Gertrude's troubles began in 1998 when her family decided she should marry a wealthy Muslim man as his fourth wife. The condition for the marriage was that she had to undergo female genital mutilation which is illegal in Ivory Coast. Gertrude did not want to have this procedure nor did she want to be married to this man. She had already lost a sister who died due to bleeding during the procedure. Despite her objections, her father insisted that she have the procedure. He locked her in a room in the house to prevent her from fleeing. One of her brothers helped her to escape.

Gertrude went to the police for protection but they returned her to her family saying that this was a family matter. She says of this: "I felt betrayed and let down by the system...I knew my life was in danger and there was no one to protect me from my parents and from the wealthy Muslim man who had strong connections throughout the country particularly within the Muslim community. I was aware that (he) could bribe even high-ranking officials in the country to achieve his goals. Not mentioning my parents who were adamant to make me pay for my rebellious attitude, which they claimed brought shame and disgrace onto the family."

Gertrude fled the country. She left Ivory Coast with help from a friend who had a French passport and the Ivorian League of Human Rights, who payed for her ticket. She arrived in the UK in January 1999 and claimed asylum.Since she has been here Gertrude has become an important member of the Eden Church. Her friends there think of her as family and praise her for her kindness and willingness to offer support to other members. She organises activities for the youth of the church as well as services for weddings and funerals. Her absence has greatly affected the community many of whom have written to the home office. Gertrude has a fiance from Ivory Coast and has Indefinite Leave to Remain.

Female genital mutilation is practiced in many African countries. In Gertrude's case it would have meant the complete removal of the clitoris. Not only is this inhumane and a physical violation it is potentially life threatening as it is carried out in non-sterile conditions. There is a high risk of death through loss
of blood and infection. She is suffering from health problems and depression. A consultant psychiatrist who examined herconcluded that returning her to the Ivory Coast could only cause a deterioration in her mental state.

Two previous attempts to remove Gertrude have failed. On both occasions Gertrude alleges she was assaulted by the escorts. On the second occasion the pilot of the plane seeing the distressed state that Gertrude was in, ordered her to be taken off the plane, she was returned to Yarl's Wood.

What you can do to help
1) Gertrude would appreciate phone calls of Solidarity/Support.
You can contact her at Yarl's Wood Removal Centre on 01234 821000.
Ask for room 114.

2) Fax/write URGENTLY to the Home Secretary David Blunkett, using
the model letter 'Attached', which you can copy/amend/write your own.Fax no: 020 7273 3965 from outside the UK + 44 20 7273 3965

Or write to: David Blunkett
Home Secretary
Home Office
50 Queen Anne's Gate
London SW1H 9AT

Please take time to send a copy of anything sent to:
Gertrude Bogohi Must Stay Campaign
c/o NCADC
Cambridge House
131 Camberwell Road
London SE5 0HF

Enquiries/further information: ncadc-london@ncadc.org.uk

Letter

BDASC Tuesday 6th April

Our Campaign Monthly Meeting

7.30pm - 9.15pm

at Malcolm X Centre, 141, City Road, St. Pauls, BS2

All welcome. Please come and discuss your ideas.

Yarl's wood campaigners still need money to house and feed
the defendants:

Cheques should be sent to:
S.A.D.Y.,
PO BOX 304,
BEDFORD
MK42 9WX
Made payable to
"STOP ARBITRARY DETENTIONS AT YARL'S WOOD"
marked "TRIAL FUND" on the back.

Letter writing group ring Caroline 973 7523

Stop the War: Bristol Peace Vigils

Bristol Peace Vigil: Mon-Fri 5.30-6.30 & Sat 3.00-4.00 (Bristol City Centre, St. Augustines Parade, opposite The Hippodrome Map ). www.stopwar.org.uk

Horfield Vigil: Every Friday. 2:00pm-3:00pm Horfield Meeting House. 300 Gloucester Rd

Montpelier Vigil : Every Friday. 5:00pm - 6:00pm
Junction of Ashley Rd/Stokes Croft.

Totterdown Vigil: : Every Friday. 5:00pm - 6:00pm. Wells Road. (By the junction of St.John's Lane).

http://www.stopwar.org.uk

To download our latest newsletter click April-May newsletter.

Read our report for the AGM.

Join our email list: To be on our email list and receive campaign news and details of forthcoming events or if you have events, photos or stories please send them to web@asylumbristol.org.uk for posting on the site.

Take members of the government to the International Criminal Court for War Crimes.

CND, Greenpeace, the Green Party, and others are distributing or selling ribbons to raise money for the legal fund to take members of the government to the International Criminal Court for War Crimes. Contact CND if you are interested in distributing ribbons for this campaign.

www.cnduk.org/pages/campaign/ribbons.htm

Second European Social Forum St. Denis, Paris, 12th-16th November, 2003

It was the Florence ESF that mobilised for the world wide demonstrations agains the war in Iraq on the 15th February this year. An event not to miss. See links page.

Support Gloucestershire Weapons Inspectors

USAF Fairford (in Gloucestershire) can now house the U.S B2 Stealth bombers. In tests the B2 has released B61 & B83 mini-nuclear weapons. The B61 is for use against deeply buried targets (like Iraqi bunkers). The B83 is a strategic free-fall nuclear bomb. These are the first of a new generation of `more usable' nuclear bombs. Mass protests stopped the B52s being based in Spain.

European MA in Migration, Mental Health and Social Care

Study in London with workshops in Sweden, Portugal and Canterbury. This part-time course has a focus on multi-ethnic populations and refugee communities. It is open to applicants with a first degree or relevant professional training and experience. Tel 01227 827875 or 01227 827373 or visit the website: www.ukc.ac.uk/tizard

Alex Rotas, a lecturer in visual culture at UWE is carrying out research on refugee and asylum seeker visual artists. She has set up a website to help connect artists to each other and to publish details of initiatives and events. The web is a safe way of achieving visitibiity whilst being as specific or as anonymous as you wish. The web site is at www.alexrotas.org.uk

Peace Vigil: Mon-Fri 5.30-6.30 & Sat 3.00-4.00 (Bristol City Centre, St. Augustines Parade, opposite The Hippodrome Map ). Stop the City: At 5.30pm on the day that Iraq is attacked meet at the peace vigil - times will be open-ended. More information www.stopwar.org.uk

Watch out for the bogus organisation Migration Watch .... the toast of the right wing press - it is constantly quoted by the Times, Sun and Daily Mail. Claiming to be independent they produce bogus facts. The founders both worked for the Tory government.

Lie 1: Refugees are flooding into Britain - the numbers actually fell last year.

Lie 2: Britain is a magnet for asylum seekers - they live on £37.77 a week (70% of income support).

Lie 3: Most refugees are bogus - most refugees come from Iraq (the government presented the human rights abuses in Iraq as justification for war!), Zimbabwe, Somalia, Afganistan.

Lie 4: Immigrants take up jobs - there is a shortage of workers in the country at the moment and immigrants often end up in the poorest work others wouldn't do.

See www.observer.co.uk/asylum

Home Office Report 'Understanding the Decision Making of Asylum Seekers' Trashes Lies about refugees: it provides a response to the widely reported right wing MigrationWatch scare mongering. The report investigates why asylum seekers end up in Britain and dispels arguments that refugees flock to Britain because it is a soft touch. It is available from the homeoffice

ESOL in Bristol 2008

Classes in English for Speakers of Other Languages

To find out more about the classes

Voucher Campaign

GIVE DIGNITY TO REFUGEES

SHOP WITH GIFT CARDS!

3 out of 4 people who seek safety in UK are not granted it. Many refused refugees do not return to their countries of origin, for reasons which the government accepts e.g. there is a war and no rule of law! They can stay here, sometimes for many years, but are not allowed to work.

Instead of receiving money they get supermarket gift vouchers worth £35. So they must live entirely from TESCO or ASDA or SAINSBURY. They can't use the cards to buy halal food, for transport (to solicitor or doctor), or to top up mobile phones.

You can help by exchanging gift cards for cash, and using the cards yourself to shop. This will give cash to people who seek refuge here, and a little more dignity.

Please swap cash for cards!

If you can do this on a regular basis please contact Bristol Refugee Rights

dropin@hotmail.co.uk

Thank you

International Tracing and Messaging Service

Would you like to send a message to a family member but have no way of communicating?

Have you lost contact with your family and don't know where they are?

Then get in touch with the Red Cross - they may be able to help you.

www.redcross.org.uk

Tel: 020 7877 7000

Email: itms@redcross.org.uk

Stop the destitution of Iraqi asylum seekers

Stop the deportations to Iraq

More than 1,400 Iraqis whose claims for asylum have been rejected are being told that they must sign up for a voluntary return programme to Iraq, as the government now considers Iraq a safe place. If they do not comply they will lose their emergency accommodation and voucher provision. With no right to work and no access to basic services, they face certain destitution and the threat of forced removal.

Our government's policy of enforcing return to Iraq goes against the advice of the UN and the European parliament. The Refugee Council has said "Iraq is still patently unsafe and people from there are terrified of going back. Removing support in such cases only results in one thing: more hungry and homeless people living in constant fear."

We urge the government to stop this coercive and brutal programme and instead offer these people the chance to live decently and with dignity in the UK.

Please sign the attached petition: Iraqi asylum seekers

Press releases: 27th March and 28th March

See article below

More than 1,400 Iraqis whose claims for asylum have been rejected are being told that they must sign up for a voluntary return programme to Iraq within three weeks, as the government now considers Iraq a safe place. If they do not comply they will lose their Section 4 support (i.e. emergency accommodation and voucher provision) and join the other 28,000 people across the UK who have been left destitute with no right to work and no access to basic services.

The letter from the Borders and Immigration Agency (BIA), dated 6th March says the Iraqis involved (those who came before 2005) will be required to 'demonstrate that they are taking all reasonable steps to leave the United Kingdom or that they are placing themselves in a position in which they are able to do so'. It says the most obvious way to do that is to make an application to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). The IOM is described as an 'independent non-governmental organisation', but the IOM is not independent, it is an intergovernmental organisation made up solely of member states.

It asks all those returning 'voluntarily' to Iraq under its schemes to sign a waiver reading: 'I acknowledge that the IOM has no responsibility for me and my dependents once I return to Iraqi territory and I hereby release IOM from any liability in this respect.' The BIA letter, signed by Claire Bennett states 'We consider that voluntary returns are by far the more dignified way of making a return, but if individuals fail to leave, their removal may be enforced'. A Home Office spokesperson made the following statement: 'We prefer people to leave voluntarily but if necessary we will enforce their return.'

After five years of occupation, Iraq is ranked as one of the most violent and dangerous places in the world by an Economist Intelligence Unit index, with some estimates of a million-plus civilian deaths.
Iraqis have experienced the physical and social destruction of their country, mass killings, daily violence, pauperisation and the complete breakdown of basic services and supplies.

Almost 5 million Iraqis have been displaced by violence since 2003. Up to 1.5 million are living in Syria and a further 1 million have been taken into other neighbouring states. The number of Iraqis applying for asylum in the EU almost doubled last year, rising to 38,286, reflecting the growing chaos in the country. More than 40% of those went to Sweden. Greece, Germany and Turkey were ranked second, third and fourth in the UN's table of those receiving Iraqi asylum seekers. Britain was fifth with 2,075 claiming asylum here in 2007.

Our government's policy of enforcing return to Iraq goes against the views and advice of the UN and the European parliament. The Refugee Council has said 'Iraq is still patently unsafe and people from there are terrified of going back. Removing support in such cases only results in one thing: more hungry and homeless people living in constant fear.'

BDASC AGM: Tuesday 2nd April 7pm - 9pm

Please consider standing for a role on our committee. All posts are open for re-election including Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, Newsletter Editor, Web Site editor.

Our Secretary, who has been a fantastic organiser of the campaign is standing down, and we need a replacement for this role. This role is vital to our functioning. Please consider standing. Thank you.

English Language Rights Campaign

BDASC are supporting the campaign to stop the sweeping cuts in English Language Rights. Unions and refugee agencies are campaigning against the proposed changes which removes entitlement to free ESOL training. As Roger Kline, of the University and Colllege Union points out,

'These changes fly in the face of the government's stated concern for integration and social cohesion and will make life even more difficult for thousands of vulnerable people.'

The government thinks employers and migrant worker agencies should pay but there is no mechanism for doing this. To register as a supporter of the campaign contact srussel@ucu.org.uk ; if you know of people affected send your stories to tphillips@ucu.org.uk

Write to your MP either congratulating them for signing Early Day Motion 383 or get your MP to ask a question in parliament. If your MP has not signed lobby them to sign. To find out how to get in touch with your MP www.theyworkforyou.com

Destitution Campaign

Hi everyone We hope you all enjoyed the holiday - thanks for supporting the collections at Tesco Eastgate on the Saturday and the following Tuesday before Xmas. We handed out 600 of the leaflets "Asylum Seekers in Limbo" to the shoppers explaining to them how government policies make asylum seekers destitute and there must have been 6 or 7 trolleys heaped with goods for asylum seekers.

We will be campaigning with Refuge Action and Amnesty International against the appalling policy of the government which forces refused asylum seekers into destitution. The government denies asylum seekers food and shelter so that they will go home voluntarily but it is having the opposite effect. Research shows that they are being forced on to the streets, contact with them is lost and the prospect of return goes down. Many of these people are from countries torn apart by conflict and human rights abuses are widespread. Now we are excluding them here from the most basic rights to protection. In Australia a project which works with asylum seekers to help them come to terms with their failed claim there has been an 84% success rate. We call on the home secretary to provide financial support for refused asylum seekers or allow them to work until their case is resolved, to allow asylum seekers who have been here a number of years to stay and to use a positive case worker approach that encourages voluntary return. Please write to your MP opposing the destitution policy.

Campaign against ESOL withdrawal

The government is denying ALL asylum seekers the right to English Language tuition. This makes asylum seekers reliant on expensive one to one translation services, makes children who pick up English language at school responsible for helping their parents and isolates asylum seekers risking mental health problems. The government claims that this is not a necessary service to asylum seekers and they can learn once they have given leave to remain. This could be several years.

Over 60 MPs have signed an early day motion opposing this. Write to your MP encouraging them to support Early Day Motion 383.

In addition, with the withdrawal in funding jobs could be lost. The National Union of Teachers and the University and College Union are campaigning to get this decision reversed and we will be launching a local campaign in Bristol.

Iraqi asylum seeker wins indefinite leave to remain

Iraqi asylum seeker has won indefinite leave to remain. The judge described Iraq as 'unsafe' and said that the government there is not suitable to run the country and protect its citizens. This may set a legal precedent.

Harmondsworth Closure

"the riot" at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre on Wednesday has closed down Harmondsworth with people dispersed to prisons and centres around the country. Ironically the disturbances were sparked by a custody officer turning off the TV as an item about the damning enquiry was about to come on. See below.

Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre - 'Not fit for Purpose'

HM Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) latest report on Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, managed by private company Kalyx, states that it is not performing satisfactorily against ANY of the Inspectorate's tests of a healthy custodial environment and that poor relationships between custody officers and detainees were "worse than had been seen at any other detention centre".

HMIP said: "This is undoubtedly the poorest report we have issued on an IRC" and that Harmondsworth "had been allowed to slip into a culture and approach which was wholly at odds with its stated purpose" further "It is essentially a problem of management, and it is of some concern that this had not been fully identified and resolved earlier by the contractor and the Immigration and Nationality Directorate."

Liam Byrne the Minister for immigration has not cringed. His official statement on the report makes no reference to the inhumanity and indignity that has been the lot of the detainees.

HMIP findings include:

* Over 60 per cent of detainees said they had felt unsafe

* Bullying: 44 per cent of detainees said they had been victimised by staff

* Detainees described some officers as 'aggressive', 'intimidating' and 'unhelpful'

* Over-emphasis on physical security and control

* Use of force was high, as was the use of temporary confinement in segregated conditions

* The incentive scheme operated as a punishment system

* Complaints system was distrusted and ineffective

* Insufficient nursing and mental health support.

For more information: Harmondsworth-2006

Bristol University's Student Action for Refugees (STAR) have been campaigning in many parts of Bristol to raise awareness of the problems facing unaccompanied minors coming into the country.

Using sixty pairs of shoes arranged in various locations, from the university to Broadmead, the campaign highlights the plight of child asylum seekers. Each shoe represents the number of unaccompanied minors who may be held in detention during any given week. The problem stems from the increasing tendency of the government to 'dispute' the age of a child asylum seeker arriving here. It is difficult to get accurate statistics of the number of unaccompanied children in detention in the UK, but a recent study at a detention centre in Oakington revealed that 48% of asylum seekers detained during 'age dispute' cases turned out to be under eighteen.

The shoes were a successful, eye-catching and moving display that attracted the attention of passers-by. STAR distributed information about the variety of issues facing unaccompanied minors. They also collected over two-hundred signatures which will be sent to the government, in the hope that it will bring to their attention the true figures of asylum-seeking children coming into the country on their own, who need priority care. STAR plan to continue the campaign during Refugee Week, so look out for the display and support the campaign!

Meetings are seeing more and more individual people who are destitute having received a negative decision on their asylum claim. I could go on about the government's part in this but will not. I have been involved in supporting three individuals in this situation. Support is needed to befriend and support some very vulnerable and isolated people as well as campaign on their behalf.

We have developed a circle of support around people, with named people in named roles. Some support people are active in the campaign and some come from different places for different reasons. The roles are

" Campaign link
" Publicity Link
" Pastoral care (for want of a better word)
" Link with Faith groups
" Accommodation link
" Legal Role/link
" Interpreting support
" Social/fun role
" Education Link
" Work Link
" Counselling link
" Health Link

The group communicates through regular meetings and/or GroupWise email.
The purpose is to share the roles, not leave the person isolated, support each other (none of us our experts) and to try and avoid duplicating action which can harm the person at the centre and damage their case.

Not all situations need all these roles and the wider refugee community plays a large part in supporting people from their community locally. This however does not work where the particular group the individual comes from does not have a large number of people locally or other members from their country of origin. Sue

Please let us know if you would like to be involved .

Fast-track process for late asylum applications (Guardian November 4th 2005)
Home Office ministers are pushing ahead with "tough new means" to crack down on people making "late and opportunistic asylum claims" . Case will be decided within 2 weeks instead of 2 months. The move follows a scathing law lords judgement the day before which ruled the government's hardline policy of denying food and shelter to those who failed to lodge their claim for asylum within 3 days of arriving in Britain violated human rights law. The law lords said leaving them hungry and sleeping in the streets amounted to inhumane treatment.

The Home Office plans to forcibly return thousands of people to the bloodshed and violence of Iraq have been successfully delayed by legal challenges and protests. Since August scores of Iraqi asylum seekers have been taken and held in detention centres for deportation. An estimated 7,000 others face the same fate. People are very scared of being sent back. Many have been here for several years, some since 1997, and still have no leave to remain.

Home Office officials dismiss opposition from the Refugee Council and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees who warn that "No part of Iraq can be considered safe…The UK government should review its low recognition rate of Iraqi asylum seekers"

Just watch the news to see just how dangerous Iraq is at the moment. It is devastated by conflict and insurgency. Most of the Iraqi and Kurdish leaders have their families living in Europe and the Foreign Office advises British citizens against travelling to Iraq. So why claim it safe for the thousands of desperate people who left and lost their homes, families and land and fled for their lives to find a safe place here?

It is nothing more than a cynical attempt by the government to maintain their widely discredited claim that the war on Iraq has brought peace and democracy to that devastated country. This gross injustice on Iraqis seeking refuge in this country is also meted out to thousands of other vulnerable asylum seekers who are forced to suffer humiliation, destitution, detention and deportation.

On October 14th immigration judges delivered a scathing verdict on the decision of the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke to resume the deportation of "failed" asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, saying those sent back were handed straight over to security police. The ruling will force the government to revise its decision taken in July to resume forced returns to Zimbabwe on the basis that it is a safe country. That decision triggered hunger strikes among the 140 Zimbabweans who had been detained pending their deportation, and protests by their supporters. The programme of forcible returns to Iraq should be met with a similar outcry and protests. Jo

That's why our campaign is asking all our supporters to bring your friends, family, work mates, campaign and trade union banners to add your voice to our protest to
Stop the Deportation of Iraqi Asylum Seekers
on Saturday 19th November 2pm to 3pm
outside Tesco Metro in Broadmead.

Please support Sabrina Esuka

Radio and TV Journalist faces deportation to Congo where she was jailed for reporting military atrocities

Sabrina arrived in UK in June 2004 to claim asylum. She used to broadcast on a local news programme called 'Congo Folk'. Sabrina escaped from the Congo, with the help of a friend, after being jailed for reporting military atrocities against civilians and information about the then President.

While in prison for 10 days she was subject to extreme abuse. She is still in very bad health as a result of the continuing after-effects of her ordeal, and finds it very difficult to move around, sit or walk. Sabrina's appeal for asylum was refused earlier this year, despite her copious evidence and many other well-documented cases of similar abuse against other Congolese journalists. Sabrina is currently trying to have her case re-opened.

BDASC are trying to offer Sabrina personal support in the meantime, in order that she feels less isolated. Sabrina needs to travel around Bristol to see health professionals and to attend English classes at college, and due to her very poor physical health it is constantly painful for her to go even a short distance.

We are using some campaign funds to get her a monthly student bus pass and Sabrina also needs money to go to London to see a solicitor in the near future.

If you would like to help out with this very practical assistance, please send a donation to our campaign, with a note saying what the donation is specifically for. Send to:
PO BOX 2540, BS6 9AX

News and thanks for support from Robinah's campaign

With the help of my support group, I spoke to my lawyer. She gave me three or four options but advised me to appeal for discretional leave since most people who apply for judicial review are refused. The lawyer said that at least in applying for discretional leave, I would be able to stay for two or three years and that would give me a breathing space. Then my support group and I would have to reassess the situation. So I applied for discretional leave to remain in July. It can take up to 6 months to know if discretional leave is granted. Until then I do not know where I stand.

My solicitor had to withdraw due to lack of finance. I currently have no one to represent me but I have contacted the law centre and handed the Home Office files and papers over to them. I am waiting to hear whether they will take my case but I feel - after our discussion - that they probably will.

I still cannot get any income support or housing benefit and I really appreciate the financial donations from the BDASC and the generous hospitality given me by the community of Quakers. I feel college is good and I receive a lot of support from students and teachers which is positive. Thank you so much all those who have supported and protected me so far. Robinah

Conate Douglas gets permission to stay in the UK.

This decision by the Home Office follows a campaign highlighting the position of a lot of people with Jamaican families. Many of these people are young and have 'overstayed' their UK visa. Yet they usually have most of their family living here legally and for many years. We were pleased to be involved in a support group and campaign to "Stop the Racist deportation of Jamaicans". This group has held two successful public meetings over the summer and picketed the Labour MP for Bristol East, Kerry McCarthy at her surgery.

This success for Conate is great but still leaves hundreds and maybe thousands in the position of being deported at a moments notice. Chantel Cushnie is a 15-year-old girl who is in imminent danger of removal. There are many others who will need our continued support to get the law changed and give an amnesty to those who have 'overstayed'. The Jamaican community has willingly helped the UK by working in the Health Service, transport, engineering and service industries. They are part of UK society and should not be picked off to be sent to a country, which often has nothing for them.

"Reggae Revolution" Benefit night for BDASC at Cafe Unlimited raises £257

Cafe Unlimited, on Gloucester Road, kindly put on a night of funky music to which all profits and more went to BDASC. The DJs played Reggae to a fun, lively crowd who danced and drank and enjoyed themselves. We had a stall there with leaflets about the lies that are being spread about asylum seekers by the main media culprits - The Mail, The Express, The Sun etc and some facts and figures about Immigration. Most were very supportive and sympathetic to our cause and message. The bar staff worked for free and the atmosphere was of solidarity. The Senegalese drummer didn't make it due to transport problems, but from the dancing smiles on people's faces, it didn't dampen the evening. So a big thank you to Cafe Unlimited for a brilliant night that raised £257l. Joe

BDASC Drama
'Asylum Seekers Are Welcome Here'

During Refugee Week we put on a drama "Asylum Seekers Are Welcome Here" to audiences at the Malcolm X Centre, St Pauls, and at Bristol City Museum. The drama was highly successful in humanising the plight of asylum seekers and encouraging people to be informed about BDASC and join us.
In the play a BDASC meeting was enacted on one side of the stage giving the play its structure. During the meeting situations and characters "came to life" on the other side of the stage: an adjudicator gave decisions at appeals whilst comments from Amnesty International reports highlighted their inconsistencies, lack of real knowledge and distortions of truth. Asylum seekers told their stories from before they left their countries of origin to what had happened since arriving in the UK giving a human face to issues of dispersal, dire hardship and threatened deportations. We also included our Jamaicans in danger of deportation and showed how unfair, arbitrary and essentially racist the immigration systems remain. It also included a dramatisation of the fearful signing on procedure and a BDASC street protest which wove through the audience with banners and megaphone. Jackie.

The Home Office plans to forcibly return thousands of people to the bloodshed and violence of Iraq have been successfully delayed by legal challenges and protests. Since August scores of Iraqi asylum seekers have been taken and held in detention centres for deportation. An estimated 7,000 others face the same fate. People are very scared of being sent back. Many have been here for several years, some since 1997, and still have no leave to remain.

Home Office officials dismiss opposition from the Refugee Council and the United Nations Commissioner for Refugees who warn that "No part of Iraq can be considered safe…The UK government should review its low recognition rate of Iraqi asylum seekers"

Just watch the news to see just how dangerous Iraq is at the moment. It is devastated by conflict and insurgency. Most of the Iraqi and Kurdish leaders have their families living in Europe and the Foreign Office advises British citizens against travelling to Iraq. So why claim it safe for the thousands of desperate people who left and lost their homes, families and land and fled for their lives to find a safe place here?

It is nothing more than a cynical attempt by the government to maintain their widely discredited claim that the war on Iraq has brought peace and democracy to that devastated country. This gross injustice on Iraqis seeking refuge in this country is also meted out to thousands of other vulnerable asylum seekers who are forced to suffer humiliation, destitution, detention and deportation.

On October 14th immigration judges delivered a scathing verdict on the decision of the Home Secretary, Charles Clarke to resume the deportation of "failed" asylum seekers to Zimbabwe, saying those sent back were handed straight over to security police. The ruling will force the government to revise its decision taken in July to resume forced returns to Zimbabwe on the basis that it is a safe country. That decision triggered hunger strikes among the 140 Zimbabweans who had been detained pending their deportation, and protests by their supporters. The programme of forcible returns to Iraq should be met with a similar outcry and protests. Jo

That's why our campaign is asking all our supporters to bring your friends, family, work mates, campaign and trade union banners to add your voice to our protest to
Stop the Deportation of Iraqi Asylum Seekers
on Saturday 19th November 2pm to 3pm
outside Tesco Metro in Broadmead.

Please support Sabrina Esuka

Radio and TV Journalist faces deportation to Congo where she was jailed for reporting military atrocities

Sabrina arrived in UK in June 2004 to claim asylum. She used to broadcast on a local news programme called 'Congo Folk'. Sabrina escaped from the Congo, with the help of a friend, after being jailed for reporting military atrocities against civilians and information about the then President.

While in prison for 10 days she was subject to extreme abuse. She is still in very bad health as a result of the continuing after-effects of her ordeal, and finds it very difficult to move around, sit or walk. Sabrina's appeal for asylum was refused earlier this year, despite her copious evidence and many other well-documented cases of similar abuse against other Congolese journalists. Sabrina is currently trying to have her case re-opened.

BDASC are trying to offer Sabrina personal support in the meantime, in order that she feels less isolated. Sabrina needs to travel around Bristol to see health professionals and to attend English classes at college, and due to her very poor physical health it is constantly painful for her to go even a short distance.

We are using some campaign funds to get her a monthly student bus pass and Sabrina also needs money to go to London to see a solicitor in the near future.

If you would like to help out with this very practical assistance, please send a donation to our campaign, with a note saying what the donation is specifically for. Send to:
PO BOX 2540, BS6 9AX

A new refugee awareness project has been set up by Refugee Action. The aim is to provide awareness-raising sessions to local business and community groups to counter the media presentation of refugees. The sessions will delivered by trained volunteers.

Robinah is still in the UK and waiting for a response to our petition. We desperately want to keep her in the country she is a fantastic and tireless ambassador for our campaign. Supporting fellow refugees, travelling up and down the country to speak at meetings. She has been to Manchester to the National Campaign meeting and will be going to Edinburgh. This is despite her uncertain future and feeling down at times.

If you know any 'celebrities', famous people, influential people who would support her campaign so that we can put a letter in the national press please contact them and ask for their support.

All forms of support have now been cut off and she is destitute. Please pledge to support Robinah by £5 a week or £5 a month - whatever you can afford.

These are the Charles Clarkes 5 year plan for changes in asylum law as posted by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate and announced on 7th February this year. Grim reading:

On asylum
" Granting refugees temporary leave rather than permanent status while the Government reviews whether the situation in their country has improved. If it has not improved after five years, they would be granted them permanent status, otherwise they would be expected them to return.

" Expansion of the detention estate with 300 new places by 2007. Over time, as asylum intake falls and removals increase, as the UK negotiates even more effective return agreements, we will move towards the point where it becomes the norm that those who fail can be detained.

" Fast tracking and closer management of asylum claims. The very significant fall in the number of asylum applications means the Government can expand fast-tracking for most new applications, and will expand the number of those detained under fast-track (including new female fast-track at Yarl's Wood) from May. The Government will introduce tighter controls throughout the process, including using technology such as tagging and voice recognition, to assist removal.

" Strengthening the UK's borders through the rollout of 'e-borders' - where travellers will be electronically checked before they reach the UK, as they enter and as they leave. Ten high risk routes covering six million people will have the new technology from as early as April this year. Immigration controls will continue to be extended beyond the UK's borders, with immigration officers clearing migrants for entry in their own country. The introduction of biometric identity cards will support this work. The Government will expand the successful airline liaison officer network in high risk countries, working with airlines to stop illegal entrants setting off for the UK.

" Further action on removals. There has been steady progress on removing failed asylum seekers but there is still more to do. More failed asylum seekers will be removed than there are unsuccessful applicants by the end of 2005. The Government will work with source countries to secure more returns by placing immigration at the heart of our relationship, supporting them in their efforts but making clear that failure to co-operate will have repercussions - including access to some migration schemes such as the working holiday makers scheme.

The Government will have more control over applicants throughout the expanded fast track process through detention and tagging, leading to more removals.

On Monday, 21st March , 15 of Robinah's supporters from BDASC and STAR(Student Action for Refugees ) travelled up in the minibus to London to present her petition with 6,000 signatures to Tony Blair. We arrived at Downing Street to be welcomed by 10 more supporters from Bristol . With our banners and placards we made a colourful and lively protest, handing out leaflets, collecting more signatures and talking to passers by.

By appointment, six people went through the gates to formally present the petition and a letter to the Prime Minister, handing them to security guards. We then marched to the Home Office and handed in copies of the petition and a letter to Des Browne, the Minister for Immigration.

We had been very heartened the week before by the number of letters that had been sent to Des Browne asking him exercise his compassion and allow Robinah to remain in the UK, from all the major trade unions, from the Bristol City Council, from the principal of the City of Bristol College and from church organisations and religious groups and from many concerned individuals. We were hoping that some thing positive might result from all this support and representation.

However we have been extremely disappointed by the response which has consisted of two pre-prepared standard letters from staff in correspondence teams at Downing Street and the Home Office simply noting the receipt of the letters and petition and informing us that they will be attached to Robinah's case file. We can't let it rest there. Robinah faces imminent detention and deportation. Since mid-March she has received no payments for subsistence and rent.

We are so grateful to the Quakers in Redland who collected £157, to the Bristol NUT for their donation of £200 and the UNISON branch at the BRI for £50.

We are asking people and organisations to put their names to an Open Letter to be published in the Evening Post and sent to the Prime Minister.

If you wish to support the letter printed below please us know by email, phone or letter to Greenleaf.

The hall at the Malcolm X was packed with over 50 people for our campaigns pre -election meeting on April 5th , including campaigners from the Bristol Day Centres.

All parties had been invited to attend the Hustings and although there had been contact with the Conservatives they failed to provide a speaker or candidate. Valerie Davey gave notice that she would be late due to a prior engagement. Stephen Williams believed that she was actually canvassing, which he said he and the other candidates could have chosen to do but had instead prioritised the BDSA meeting to listen and respond to all the questions and concerns of those present.

The following candidates were all allowed 6 minutes each to address the meeting on his/her party's policies and record on asylum and outline what they intended do or change if they were elected on May 5th..
Charlie Bolton (Green Party candidate for Bristol South), Stephen Williams (Liberal Democrat candidate for Bristol West), Paulette North ( RESPECT candidate for Bristol East) and Valerie Davey ( MP and Labour candidate for Bristol West)

Robinah and Caroline went to Filton High School on 14th April to meet 50 General Studies Year 12 students. The response was fantastic.

We asked them each to think of 2 or 3 people special to them, and write their names on small 'leaves'. These were collected and laid on a cloth at the front. They then had one minute to think - imagining their lives were in imminent danger and they had to flee their home - what 5 things they would pack in a small bag. After a minute (amazingly in silence!) the leaves were scattered, and they were told they were now on their own in the world, with only their clothes and whatever was in their bag. What did that feel like?

Robinah then spoke of her life and experience in Uganda, simply, straightforwardly and incredibly powerfully, to a completely attentive group. Many were moved to tears, and were really shocked to hear that she has been refused asylum in UK.

There was little discussion in the large group, but we knew it had made an impact because they crowded forward afterwards to sign Robinah's petition and to ask her more questions. They said they had never heard the truth about asylum until this day. They understood something of the reality behind the rhetoric and numbers game for the first time. They asked which political party had reasonable asylum policies. Several wanted to know how they could help and asked to be on the mailing list for BDASC. Welcome Filton High School!

The power of one person being prepared to go on standing up and speaking about her experience in this way is incalculable. Thank you Robinah.

Mother and 8 year old son 'removed' under cover of darkness

Local MP's, church leaders and education officials yesterday pleaded with the Home Secretary, David Blunkett, the Minister for Children, Margaret Hodge & the Minister for Immigration, Des Browne, to intervene in the case of an 8 year old child and his mother who had been aggressively and illegally removed from their home in Bristol and were being held at a secure facility outside Gatwick airport, facing imminent deportation to Colombia.

Above: Front cover of Evening Post

Miguel, 8 years old, is a much loved member of the St Nicholas of Tolentine RC primary school. His first action after detention was to write a letter apologising for his absence (see attached), still looking forward to and practising for his tap dance routine at the school's Christmas show on 13th December.

In a move that can only deepen the trauma felt by a family escaping paramilitary threats and murder in South America, Virgelina (Lina) Castano and her 8 year old son, Miguel, were seized in a pre dawn raid by a large group of police officers and officials of the Home Office Immigration Service in Bristol, on 25th November.

The mother, a devout catholic, was strip searched and left in her bra and knickers under the full gaze of male police officers. They were told to pack one small bag as they were going to be transported to a detention centre at Gatwick airport and would be deported back to Colombia on Sunday morning.

Miguel's father, who was luckily not at home at the time, is now in hiding and wishes to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals against his family in Colombia.

Lina Castano and Miguel are victims of the Immigration Service's preoccupation with arresting 'soft targets' as highlighted in the Guardian on 14th August 2004. They are much loved and respected within Bristol and have behaved throughout the asylum process with total candour, always acting in strict accordance with the law.

At no stage prior to the raid were the family informed of the raid. In fact, when they went to the police station to sign on the day before, both the family and their solicitor received assurances from Home Office official, Helen Procter, that there was no intention to deport them. At 6 am the following morning, Helen Procter, accompanied by seven police officers raided their house with a warrant that was dated 18th November, one week earlier.

The family sought asylum on arrival 3 ½ years ago having fled paramilitary intimidation that had already cost the lives of several close family members.

Human Rights Watch have repeatedly reported on government inaction and links to the paramilitary FARC. The UNHCR describes Colombia as one of its most serious concerns in terms of refugee creation. Medecins San Frontiers report that the family's home town Cali is "more violent than Iraq", with only 3 in 10 men making it to the age of 30 and 1.225 assassinations recorded in the first 6 months of this year (with seven wounded for every one homicide)

For further info please contact:

Paul Fordham
0117 902 5054
0773 426 2797
paul@cactusjazz.freeserve.co.uk

To send a letter click here

From BRISTOL EVENING POST:

There are hundreds of people in Bristol who are denied the simple right to a job and earn enough to get by - because they are asylum seekers. With concerns about the ever-growing skills shortage in the nation's workforce, campaigners are saying it is time to let them work. SIMON PEEVERS speaks to some of the people who make up a pool of talent in the city that is going to waste.

IF you are an asylum seeker living in Bristol - or anywhere in the country - not only may you have fled a war zone, possibly seen your family killed and all your possessions destroyed, but you are also denied the right to work.

Instead, you are entitled only to a fraction of the benefits British citizens get - and you can expect to live like that for three or even four years.

But many asylum seekers are well-qualified, including among their number doctors, nurses, accountants, lawyers, professors, engineers and builders.

They are people who want to work and give something back to the society in which they find themselves. But under Government rules brought into force in 2002, asylum seekers who are waiting for applications to be processed are not allowed to work.

Campaigners are now calling on the Government to change the rules because they say asylum seekers could fill nation's growing skills gap.

A shortage of health and education professionals could be made up by asylum seekers who are waiting up to four years for their applications to be dealt with, according to Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers.

And Roswyn Hakesley-Brown, the former head of the Royal College of Nursing, said there was a 'hidden army' of skilled refugees and asylum seekers which should not be ignored.

In a speech delivered in London to a conference on employing overseas nurses, she said: "The UK should not be poaching healthcare professionals from countries that really need them, such as South Africa or spending vast sums on overseas recruitment.

"Asylum seekers and refugees have had to migrate because of persecution or conflict in their home countries.
"Many doctors and nurses form part of this group."
Miriam, is 51, and is currently living in Redland, having fled Zimbabwe where her home was burned to the ground and her husband was murdered for opposing President Robert Mugabe.

She was so traumatised by what happened that even thousands of miles away from the brutality in her home country, she still fears Mugabe and his power and will not be identified.

Miriam is a State Enrolled Nurse and maternity nurse, and had worked in a clinic with one other nurse in rural Zimbabwe looking after thousands of people for 15 years

She said she would rather have the chance to work, knowing one day she may be sent back to Zimbabwe, than to live on the few pounds that is available in state benefits.

She said: "The training we had is the same as the training in British hospitals, so I am aware of how people work here. I started working as a nurse in 1980 and I had a life helping people who came to the hospital. "Then I moved out into the country and I had my own clinic, where it was just me and another nurse looking after 250,000 people."

"If you are a nurse in Zimbabwe you are respected. I was proud of the work I did. We had no doctors working with us. The nearest place where we could get medical supplies was 370 kilometres away."

Miriam said that asylum seekers were in danger of being forced into crime to get enough money to live if they were not given the chance to work. She said: "I want to be able to work here. It is very important for me. "The problem is that people who are not working have no way to support themselves and the benefits they get are very small".

"That has led them into illegal activity. Young woman are becoming prostitutes and the men are turning to drug-dealing and other crimes. If they had a chance to work, they would not have to turn to such desperate measures."
Campaigners fear that more and more asylum seekers will be forced underground and into the criminal world because they have so little to live on.

The current rate of support for single people is £30.84, which comes from the National Asylum Support Service. In addition, the service covers rent, council tax and utility bills.

In reality, there are asylum seekers who work illegally for small wages, such as the cockle pickers in Lincolnshire who were drowned when they were caught out by the tide earlier this year.

Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers say that is an indication of the desperate situation many asylum seekers find themselves in.

Robinah Tamalie Senoga, 19, is a student who left Uganda because of the civil war and is appealing to be allowed to stay here. She is studying at the City of Bristol College to become a nurse and says she finds it hard to live on her weekly hand-out.

She said: "It is very difficult to live on £30 a week, because you have to pay for travel to get to college, and buy equipment for college, and food as well.

"You cannot do anything else, even go for a coffee or lunch with a friend.
That is why I really want to be able to finish my study and work as a nurse here.
Even if I know I may have to be sent back to Uganda, it is better for me to work and live like a normal person."

Nina Franklyn, of the National Union of Teachers in Bristol, said there were a lot of opportunities for asylum seekers to work in education in the city. She said: "We would totally support the idea that asylum seekers should be able to contribute the same as everybody else.

"My experience of the asylum seekers I have met in schools in Bristol is that they have suffered terrible experiences in their own country. I think it would help them as people, whatever happens in the future, to be able to work and be treated as members of society".

"I don't think we should continue to treat them in this way. There would be lots of opportunities for asylum seekers to work in Bristol schools as support assistants. They could support the children of asylum seekers, which would help them learn because it would create a more comfortable atmosphere.

"There are a lot of asylum seekers who have high levels of training and are well educated. It is such a waste to not allow them to use their skills."
Nigel Costley, the south west regional secretary of the Trades Union Congress, said that industry could also benefit from the skills and abilities of asylum seekers.

He said: "They should be able to work and to contribute. There is a dilemma in that the Government does not want asylum seekers who may be rejected to be able to work and put down roots. But asylum seekers are desperate to contribute and want nothing more than to work. They don't want to be a burden on the system, despite the pitiful amount of money they have to live on, which is nothing like normal benefits. The idea that they are a drain on society is just ridiculous, but people are not aware of that".

"There is this idea that the country is being deluged by asylum seekers, when the reality is that most people in our region would probably never meet one. If they did, they would probably open their hearts to them once they heard the terrible stories these people bring with them. The majority of asylum seekers are people who have fallen foul of the regime in their own countries and tend to be highly skilled and intelligent. They have a lot to offer in terms of experience and skills. It is crazy that we force them to make do with what little benefits they have".

"I do not think that asylum seekers could be used as a way to fill the skills gap, because that is a different issue. But I do think they should be allowed to make a contribution."

As part of its campaign to lobby for a change of the rules, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers (BDAS) sent letters to Bristol's Labour MPs on behalf of asylum seekers, asking for their help and demanding the right to work.

Miriam, Robinah, and three Iraqi men - Hasar, Masoad Kosrat and Armin Mardi - signed the letter. Bristol South MP Dawn Primarolo referred the letter to Home Office minister Des Browne. Mr Browne said: "We have made it clear that asylum seekers cannot work while their claims are considered and it would be wholly inappropriate to allow unsuccessful asylum seekers to do so."

Jean Corston, MP for Bristol East, referred her letter to Home Secretary David Blunkett for a direct answer. He wrote back in a letter that was worded in exactly the same way as his colleague Mr Browne, and gave, of course, the same answer.

Bristol North West MP Dr Doug Naysmith said he would write to Mr Blunkett about the issue. Roger Berry, MP for Kingswood, also said he would be happy to make representations on behalf of the asylum seekers. Valerie Davey, MP for Bristol West, said that if the asylum seekers in question were her constituents she would take up their cases.

Paulette North, from BDAS, said: "The Home Office has not even looked at the issue, they have just sent out a letter which was obviously pre-written and dashed off with a different name on the top.

"We believe there is a great pool of talent and skills being ignored by government, that can not only help to fill the skills gap here but even help deal with the growing pensions crisis.

"Research out only last week suggests that up to 10 million immigrants might be needed in Britain by 2025 to ensure pensioners can continue to receive £80 a week.

"The immigration workers are the ones who will be able to pay enough tax to keep the system afloat. It is people like Robinah and Miriam who can bring these skills and fill these jobs.

"At the moment, people waiting for their applications to be processed have nothing to do and virtually no money to live on.

"One of the complaints you hear from people is that asylum seekers hang around in groups all day. If they had jobs, they wouldn't be doing that.

"And having a job also contributes to a better standard of living and sense of self worth.
"Living hand-to-mouth creates so many other problems for society. We say change the rules and let them work."

Bristol Old Vic: 58

58 is a play showing at the Old Vic depicting the lives and deaths of the Chinese immigrants who died in the back of a lorry trying to reach the UK.

Iraq Kurds living in Bristol have launched a campaign to highlight the plight of asylum seekers in Britain because they are denied access to benefits and to the right to work. We are backing their campaign and ask you to send the attached letter to your MP. Letter to MP. . The campaign has written to all Bristol MPs and received replies from Joan Corston, Roger Berry, Valerie Davey.

Good news - Court Case win on requirement to sign up for 'voluntary' return is unreasonable. If you know of any single Iraqi Kurds who have been refused asylum, exhausted appeal rights, will not sign up to 'voluntary' return and have no other means of support please contact Refugee Action for advice in obtaining Section 4.

Our Saturday Street Protest in Broadmead on September 25th September was a great success. There were over 15 people there and our message 'Refugees Are Not To Blame' was well-received. We distributed over 400 leaflets.

Legal update After the High Court ruled in favour of three destitute asylum seekers who had been refused permission to apply for support under Section 55 the Home Office appealed and the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court ruling. The Court of Appeal said that Home Secretary David Blunkett was "within his rights" to deny assistance to the asylum seeker (known as "T") because although "T" was sleeping rough, he still had access to food and shelter (he had been 'living' in Heathrow airport).

Since the September hearing, 18 judges who deal with asylum cases made a statement to express their concern about a backlog of some 800 cases relating to section 55 refusals.

Administrative update When someone receives a negative decision on their right to NASS support under Section 55, Refugee agencies can either ask for a reconsideration of the decision from NASS or legally challenge the decision by judicial review through a solicitor. There is no appeal system for Section 55. Refugee Action are not permitted to accommodate people in NASS accommodation while this is happening. It is in these situations that Refugee Action needs support from the community.

Situation for asylum seekers in Bristol
There are about 50 people in Bristol who have 'holding letters' but may be refused permission to apply for support by NASS and it is expected that about 45 people will be left without support under Section 55 in Bristol within the next few months.

What can we do?
Refugee Action are challenging as many of the cases rejected under Section 55 as possible and have also been successful with a few reconsiderations. However, the reality is that many asylum seekers will become homeless. Most shelters for the homeless can only be used for people with housing benefit and Refugee Action accommodation is government-funded and cannot be used for people turned down under Section 55. We have had a handful of cases in Bristol so far, and individuals have kindly offered accommodation for a night or two while we challenge NASS refusals. BDASC have also donated money to pay for asylum seekers' travel to Croydon to make sure that they claim asylum as soon as possible.

If you think that you can offer accommodation for a night or two, or if you can donate money for travel to Croydon, please contact Ngoni Pawadyira (Refugee Action Deputy Manager) on 0117 989 2113, ngonip@refugee-action.org.uk

Please note that the provision of short-term shelter to prevent an asylum seeker refused access to support from sleeping rough will not be considered by NASS or the courts as a long-term solution to destitution, and so should not impact negatively on someone's request for a reconsideration under human rights legislation.

Other actions you could take:

" Write to your MP and organise a petition.
" Donate warm clothing (particularly coats, men's trousers, jumpers, jackets and socks), sleeping bags and men and women's toiletry packs to Community Links (122, Grosvenor Road, St Pauls, Bristol; tel: 0117 941 1661) who are kindly storing such items for destitute asylum seekers.

Our European Elections Hustings was a great success -

Show your support for asylum seekers by voting for parties that defend their rights and keep out the BNP on June 10th

All the political parties standing in the European elections on June 10th were invited to send a representative to present their party's policies on asylum and respond to our concerns at our BDASC hustings. As on previous occasions the hustings meeting was informative, interesting and enjoyable - and well attended. We would urge all those who can spare the time to come along.

Carol Kambites (pictured above) the Green Party candidate, expressed a personal view that the world has free movement of trade and money so why not of people. She thought the 'Poor little Britain' siege mentality of New Labour ignored the fact that most asylum seekers go to countries poorer than the UK and those that come here enrich our society.

Paulette North spoke for the new unity coalition Respect. She highlighted the significance of Le Pen of the extreme-right in France coming to Britain. She warned that his purpose is to build a racist block in Europe and build a fortress Europe mentality. She said people are unhappy about their schools and hospitals, and asylum seekers are the scapegoats. New Labour is forcing asylum seekers into destitution because they think there are votes to be won. She wants Labour to realise that the votes of the millions who oppose the Iraq war and oppose racism also matter.

The Liberal Democrat speaker was unable to attend for urgent family reasons and the Labour Party could not find a speaker. The Conservatives did not reply. Voting in the European elections is by proportional representation which gives a chance for new voices to be heard. We urge all people to get out and vote.

NATFHE International Solidarity Day of Action

We were invited to the International Solidarity Day of Action organised by the NATFHE at the University of the West of England. Mario Novelli spoke for the Colombia Solidarity Campaign and effectively presented why all trade unionists and educationalists should support the campaign. He advised how important international support was to this campaign. NATFHE determined to take forward a proposal to twin with a Columbian University. Jafar from Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign, spoke in the debate and described his persecution in Iran, his escape to the UK and his difficulty claiming asylum. Film: 'A Job to Win' shows the struggle for jobs by Arab workers in Israel.

Sunday 18th January

Young asylum seeker addresses packed Unity Coalition meeting- to launch electoral coalition
BDASC supported the event

At our January campaign meeting we agreed to give a special thank you for all the donations and standing orders that we receive. We would like to mention in particular the Bath Unitarian Church, Redland Quaker meeting, the NUT South Gloucestershire, Clifton and Hotwells Labour Party for their generosity. We have also had two successful fundraising events and with the money we are hoping to put on a big event in May.

DESPERATELY SEEKING
Film-maker Lizzie White's documentary looking at what its like to seek asylum in Britain today through the eyes of refugees and asylum seekers has won an award. Produced by HTV it is available as a video.

Our street meeting in Easton on 6th December and in Bristol's Broadmead Shopping Centre on Saturday November 8th were a great success. The whole time we were there people were coming up to us, talking about the situation facing asylum seekers, volunteering to sign our petition and contributing money. Never has it been a better time to raise the issue and many saw the link between the abuse of human rights of asylum seekers and a policy that can find money tocreate conflict and war but can't find money to fund our public services.

We also attended an uplifting meeting held by Star at Bristol University.

This year is already getting very busy. We plan to address the NATHFE UWE branch and the FBU. We will have a stall at the Unity Coalition meeting.

We agreed to support the Earthquake in Iran appeal. You can contribute by sending money direct to the Red Cross or ringing 0117 301 2600. Na

Our October Campaign Meeting had an excellent turn out and we welcomed asylum seekers from Somalia and Zimbabwe. The mood amongst asylum seekers reflected the damage being done by the government's extreme policies towards asylum seekers. The lack of papers and the lack of money is causing distress and anger at how we claim to be an open, democratic country but we are represssive.

Bob Hughes started the meeting off with a strong argument for an end to all immigration controls followed by a brief but enlightening account of the history of Somlia. He spoke of how the French, British and Italians each grabbed their bit of land and then cultivated tribablism. He described how Somalia got independence in 1960 but wars and famine followed. This lead the Americans to invade with disastrous consequences. Since 1995 there has been choas. It is not a safe place for anyone to return to.

Maria Ikow, spoke through an interpreter of her experience. 'We come together because of a problem I have been having. I have been here 2 years. I have had no help with money. No help with documents. Can you help? I want to see my baby who is in Kenya now. I miss the baby. I sold my home to pay the travel expenses to get here. I don't have permission to be here'.

Paulette North explained that Maria was failed for 'non-compliance'. She hed not attended an interview because she was ill. This is very common now. 57% of asylum seekers are now failed for non-compliance which means their case never gets heard because of a technical irregularity. Her solicitor has asked for compassion because she can't be sent back but she has no money. Paulette warned that this government's policy is making people destitute.

A discussion followed. Others asylum speakers said how they use tribalism to divide them, allowing some to stay and not others.. The government should just accept that all Somalians are asylum seekers. We heard also how Hodan a young unaccompanied asylum seeker has bravely faced solicitors, courts and MPs in order to win the right to stay.

A Zimbabwean refugee shared her story saying how they had killed her husband and harrassed her. She had left Zimbabwe for Mozambique but was harrassed there. She campaigned as a nurse and joined a pressure group. She became an enemy and fled her. When her brother came to join the family here he was jailed and they were frightened if he returned to Zimbabwe he would be killed. The stress is damaging their health. They have no documents and no identity: 'In a country where I thought I would get freedom of speech it is dreadful'.

Maria's story is not just her story it is the story of all asylum seekers. We need to unite to fight and say that asylum seekers are welcome here.

Yarl's Wood defendants fund guilty but was it a fair trial? Two detainees allegedly involved in rioting on the night of the fire at Yarl's Wood detention centre in Bedfordshire have been found guilty of violent disorder. Two other men received shorter sentences and three were cleared but face deportation.

Judge Sanders banned reporting towards the end of the case concealing that the lawyers for the defence were arguing that their clients could not receive a fair trial. The defence criticised the police for failing to take witness statements and the Home Office for deporting detainees who might be possible witnesses. Defence barristers also attacked the prison security service Group 4 for coaching witnesses and organising group counselling sessions, which risked contaminating evidence. In a final blow to the chances of a fair trial, a juror complained that two of the jurors were openly hostile to asylum seekers but the judge rejected the complaint.

And Yarl's Wood has reopened 18 months after it was closed due to the major fire. The Campaign to Stop Arbitrary Detentions at Yarl's Wood, condemned the decision to detain asylum seekers there before the inquiry into the cause of the fire was completed. To support the campaign send a cheque to "Stop Arbitrary Detention At Yarl's Wood" 22 Chaucer Road, Bedford, MK40 2AJ .

Yarl's wood Campaign News

No One Is Illegal

The 'No One is Illegal' Campaign is starting a national debate about the whole idea of immigration controls. To read more about the campaign

Our monthly August campaign meeting discussed the recent succesful events that we have been involved in including our Film Show of Desparately Seeking at the Cube, the Kick Out The SATs football match, the launch of Maria Ikow's campaign, the Stop the War Coalition conference and Yarls Wood.

Good news: it can be worth making a fuss! A member of Bristol Stop the War coalition noticed Waterstones were stocking the book 'Overcrowded Britain - Our Immigration Crisis Exposed'. He wrote to Waterstones pointing out how irresponsible it was for them to sell this book. He pointed out the risk that selling it legitimises the persecution of vulnerable minorities. the book has been withdrawn from sale. Congratulations Paul!

At our September meeting we plan to discuss how to move the campaign for Maria Ikow forward and to link this campaign with Section 55. We agreed the next newsletter will go out in mid-September so please send any news items to us by then. We hope to see you at the September meeting. All welcome

BDASC launch new campaign

Defend Maria Ikow

Refugee

So I have a new name, refugee.
Strange that a name should take away from me
My past, my personality and hope.
Strange refuge this.
So many seem to share this name, refugee,
Yet we share so many differences.

I find no comfort in my new name.
I long to share my past, restore my pride,
To show I too, in time, will offer more
Than I have borrowed.
For now the comfort that I seek
Resides in the old yet new name
I would choose.
Friend.

Poem by Ruvimbo Bungwe (14 years old)

From The Teacher September/October 2002

The NUT has campaigned for the rights of asylum seekers and now are fighting their own campaign against SATS.

Authors against the SATS has been sponsored by Herfordshire NUT

The Other Side of Truth by Beverley Naidoo one of the authors agains the SATS tells the story of two children who become refugees. .

The authors and illustrators are concened about the growing domination of the school curriculum by SAT tests and fear that preparation for SATS create an atmosphere of anxiety around the reading of literature.

News in Brief

Elvis Leka we still have not heard from Elvis who was deported to Kosovo. We are very concerned not to have heard because he promised to keep in touch.

The Seshi family have lost their appeal against deportation to Kosova but they may be allowed to stay under the amnesty.

Alma Sheshi (aged 12) has settled at St. George Community College and two of her three younger sisters at Bannerman Road School. They face deportation back to Kosovo after their claim for asylum was turned down. They fear being killed in a revenge attack if they go back. Their school friends have written to Tony Blair pleading with him not to send them home. One of the letters said: 'Alma is our friend and we want you to hear our cries not to send her back because we would be so upset

Blairite think-tank says refugees are 'escaping persecution not poverty'

Most asylum-seekers arriving in Britain are fleeing nations gripped by civil war, persecution of minorities and brutal dictatorships, according to a report to be published next month.

The Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), a Blairite think-tank contradicts arguments made by ministers that most refugees are driven by economic factors, rather than the need to escape persecution at home.

The IPPR also accuses European governments, including Tony Blair's administration, of failing to tackle the root causes of mass migration, preferring to concentrate on measures to deter would-be asylum seekers.

Shades of Conflict: Causes and patterns of forced migration to the EU and policy responses is published by the IPPR on May 13th Full story in Independent 25th April

Long after the war is over cluster bombs and depleted uranium shells being used by the armies invading Iraq will devestate the lives of civilians. Voices in the Wilderness ask you to write to Geoff Hoon, Ministry of Defence, Old War Office Building, Whitehall, London SW1 2HB. Demand the immediate ban on cluster bombs and depleted uranium weapons.

Members of campaign supported the Party 4 Peace today in Bristol City Centre