-----Original Message-----
From: John O [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 6:21 AM
To: Recipient List Suppressed
Subject: Open letter in Defence of Asylum Seekers
From: John O [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, May 30, 2001 6:21 AM
To: Recipient List Suppressed
Subject: Open letter in Defence of Asylum Seekers
National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC)
110 Hamstead Road
Birmingham B20 2QS
Phone: 0121-554-6947 Fax: 0870-055-4570
E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
110 Hamstead Road
Birmingham B20 2QS
Phone: 0121-554-6947 Fax: 0870-055-4570
E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Web site: http://www.ncadc.org.uk/
Open letter in Defence of Asylum Seekers
Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers
The Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers is publishing the attached open letter in the Guardian on Tuesday 5 June.
The latest signatories are Roger Bolton, general secretary of BECTU,along with the BECTU executive, Mick Rix, general secretary of ASLEF, along with the ASLEF executive, and the executive of the FBU.
If your organisation, yourself or you know of anyone who would want to sign, they have until Sunday evening to get their name to CDAS; although funds permitting, we do aim to publish the letter elsewhere.
We still, however, need to raise around £3,000 to pay for the Guardian
publication.if you would like to make a donation, make cheques payable to 'The
Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers' and return to Committee to Defend
Asylum Seekers
BCM Box 4289
London WC1X 3XX.
The next meeting of the CDAS is Monday 4 June, 6.30 at Camden Town
Hall,
Judd Street (opp St Pancras Station).
Judd Street (opp St Pancras Station).
Many thanks
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Open letter to be published in the Guardian:
We the undersigned are appalled that politicians are
encouraging racism and vicious racist attacks. Scotland Yard noted a 300%
increase in racist attacks following William Hague's notorious Britain as a
"foreign land" speech.
The leader of the far-right British National Party, Nick Griffin, has announced his intention to stand in Oldham, with the aim of inflaming racist tension. He says that scapegoating "legitimises the idea that we cannot afford to have asylum seekers here in the first place".
Britain a vibrant multiracial country which has benefited greatly from immigrants' contribution. Meanwhile, the right to work has been denied to refugees under New Labour. Some 1,500 asylum seekers are detained in prisons and holding centres. The home secretary boasts of his intention to deport 30,000 asylum applicants this year.
The voucher system has stigmatised those fleeing persecution and oppression, while the dispersal programme has created isolation and alienation for asylum seekers.
The leader of the far-right British National Party, Nick Griffin, has announced his intention to stand in Oldham, with the aim of inflaming racist tension. He says that scapegoating "legitimises the idea that we cannot afford to have asylum seekers here in the first place".
Britain a vibrant multiracial country which has benefited greatly from immigrants' contribution. Meanwhile, the right to work has been denied to refugees under New Labour. Some 1,500 asylum seekers are detained in prisons and holding centres. The home secretary boasts of his intention to deport 30,000 asylum applicants this year.
The voucher system has stigmatised those fleeing persecution and oppression, while the dispersal programme has created isolation and alienation for asylum seekers.
We object to New Labour's draconian racist policies on
asylum seekers and believe that Jack Straw's policies are directly fuelling
racism. Instead of scrapping the voucher system, the dispersal programme and
detention centres, Jack Straw wants to abolish the 1951 Geneva Convention. He
claims it is outdated, at a time when the United Nations estimates that 37
million people are presently refugees across the world, only 0.5% of them in
Britain.
* We demand:
* Abolition of the voucher
system
* An end to dispersal and detention
* The retention of the 1951 Geneva Convention
* Full economic and social rights for asylum seekers
* An end to dispersal and detention
* The retention of the 1951 Geneva Convention
* Full economic and social rights for asylum seekers
* An end to inflammatory speeches by politicians of
all parties.
Signatures: Bruce Kent; John Edmonds, General Secretary GMB; Mark Serwotka, General Secretary elect PCS; Mark Seddon, editor of Tribune; Doreen Lawrence; Suresh Grover; Jonathan Steel, Guardian columnist; Vivek Chaudhary, Guardian columnist; Paul Foot, Guardian columnist; Simon Hatterstone, Guardian journalist; Liz Davies, former Labour NEC member; Miles Barton, NUJ Northern Region Organiser; Jeremy Dear, NUJ National Organiser; Dave Toomer, former President NUJ; Mark Steel, writer and comedian; Mark Thomas, broadcaster and comedian; Jeremy Hardy; columinist and comedian Louise Christian, civil rights lawyer; Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of Muslim Parliament; S Maharasingam, Tamil Action Committee; Nirmal Fernando, CURL; CARF; Mary Arnold, Brent Labour Party Councillor; Mary Cribben, Brent Labour Party Councillor; Dan Judelson, Sec Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Elcina Jeffers, Co-Chair Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Stephane Goldstien, Co-Chair Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Bill Hamilton, TGWU member Ford Dagenham & SA candidate; L Waker, East London CWU political officer (personal capacity); Tony Openshaw, North West Organiser for the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation campaigns; Stephanie Harrison, lawyer; Gareth Peirce, lawyer; Julie Holden, lawyer; Linda Moulsdale, Assistant Branch Sec Manchester Metropolitan University Unison; Pete Firmin, President Brent Trades Council; Mick McDonnell, Socialist Alliance candidate Brent South; Alf Filer, Press Officer Brent Socialist Alliance; Brian Butterworth, Secretary Brent UNISON; Colin Adams, Chair Brent East Constituency Labour Party; Johnathan Davies, treasurer Brent East Constituency Labour Party; Chris Harman, editor Socialist Worker; Mike Marqusee, writer; West End Amalgamated CWU Branch; AEEU Shop stewards committee, Bristol rolls Royce, Test Area; Socialist Alliance; Brent UNISON; National Coalition of Anti Deportation Campaigns.
Signatures: Bruce Kent; John Edmonds, General Secretary GMB; Mark Serwotka, General Secretary elect PCS; Mark Seddon, editor of Tribune; Doreen Lawrence; Suresh Grover; Jonathan Steel, Guardian columnist; Vivek Chaudhary, Guardian columnist; Paul Foot, Guardian columnist; Simon Hatterstone, Guardian journalist; Liz Davies, former Labour NEC member; Miles Barton, NUJ Northern Region Organiser; Jeremy Dear, NUJ National Organiser; Dave Toomer, former President NUJ; Mark Steel, writer and comedian; Mark Thomas, broadcaster and comedian; Jeremy Hardy; columinist and comedian Louise Christian, civil rights lawyer; Dr Ghayasuddin Siddiqui, leader of Muslim Parliament; S Maharasingam, Tamil Action Committee; Nirmal Fernando, CURL; CARF; Mary Arnold, Brent Labour Party Councillor; Mary Cribben, Brent Labour Party Councillor; Dan Judelson, Sec Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Elcina Jeffers, Co-Chair Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Stephane Goldstien, Co-Chair Kilburn Branch, Brent East LP; Bill Hamilton, TGWU member Ford Dagenham & SA candidate; L Waker, East London CWU political officer (personal capacity); Tony Openshaw, North West Organiser for the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation campaigns; Stephanie Harrison, lawyer; Gareth Peirce, lawyer; Julie Holden, lawyer; Linda Moulsdale, Assistant Branch Sec Manchester Metropolitan University Unison; Pete Firmin, President Brent Trades Council; Mick McDonnell, Socialist Alliance candidate Brent South; Alf Filer, Press Officer Brent Socialist Alliance; Brian Butterworth, Secretary Brent UNISON; Colin Adams, Chair Brent East Constituency Labour Party; Johnathan Davies, treasurer Brent East Constituency Labour Party; Chris Harman, editor Socialist Worker; Mike Marqusee, writer; West End Amalgamated CWU Branch; AEEU Shop stewards committee, Bristol rolls Royce, Test Area; Socialist Alliance; Brent UNISON; National Coalition of Anti Deportation Campaigns.
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