No More Dawn Raids - No More Deportations/Rally and Lobby of Scottish Parliament
Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees | 24.10.2006 12:05 | Migration | Social Struggles
Thursday 26 October 2006
Canongate
Edinburgh
EH99 1SP
Scottish, churches, charities, schoolteachers, trade unions, neighbours have condemned the dawn raids by immigration officials on innocent asylum seeking families in Glasgow.
The demonstration will highlight the continuing brutality of the British Home Office's asylum policy on Scottish soil.
Early morning vigils stop dawn raids
Across Glasgow just before sunrise something new is happening. Early in the morning friends and neighbours are gathering outside tower blocks in their local communities to mount vigils against dawn raids on asylum seeker families living there.
On Tuesday 3rd October, 120 Kingsway residents, schoolteachers and supporters turned out at 5.30am in peaceful protest at dawn raids in their communities, on their neighbours. Around 6.30am an immigration snatch squad turned up in Kingsway to take another family. Watched by STV cameras - protesters linked arms and demanded the snatch squad cease the dawn raid on one of their neighbours. After a 40-minute stand off, the chief of police informed the protesters there would be no dawn raid and the snatch squad would leave. Sure enough, the snatch squad, complete with stab vests and metal battering rams, scuttled off empty handed into their caged vans, waved off by the residents.
The following Saturday over a 100 people stopped another dawn removal and several other pickets have been successful in frustrating immigration/police officers from 'snatching' asylum seeking families.
"Here in Scotland we have good reason to fight for humane asylum policies, to fight against the subservience being imposed on us by Westminster by its reserved asylum excuse, to fight against dawn raids and to fight for the right of asylum seekers to stay here." Robina Quershi
Come one come all, join the protest this Thursday
Transport 8:30 am City Chambers George Square Glasgow
To book transport phone: 078 9687 7315 or 078 7028 6632
Inquiries/further information:
Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees
C/o Fire Brigade Union
52 St. Enoch Square
Glasgow, G1
glascamref@hotmail.com
If you cannot join the demonstration, send a message of solidarity to be read out on the day to:
glascamref@hotmail.com
Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees
e-mail:
glascamref@hotmail.com