A City united - for
Freedom of Movement - for the Right to Stay and Work - against
Racism - three marches one rally
2nd April changed something in Manchester!
Anti-deportation
campaigns led the 3 massive marches of "Demonstrations against
Deportations - to a Rally against Racism" into Manchester city centre on
Saturday April 2nd 2005, the European Day of Action in support of migrants
and against inhumane immigration controls.
A central rally in Albert Square was address by Viraj Mendis - an asylum
seeker who led an anti-deportation demonstration in Manchester 20 years ago. After
two years sanctuary in a Manchester he was deported but made it to Germany
where he now works supporting migrants.
The very special thing about this event was that it was organised by and led
by people facing deportation and their campaign groups. A recurring point
is that although these people face enormous difficulties themselves, they never
stop helping others facing deportation to embrace resources around them to fight
for the right to be in the UK. For example, Farhat Khan has recently
established WAST - Women Asylum Seekers Together - and many of the WAST women
are establishing their own anti-deportation campaigns.
Speakers in Albert Square rally …
Viraj Mendis - who led an anti-deportation campaign in Manchester 20 years
ago
Farhat Khan - of the Farhat Khan and Family Must Stay campaign
Fr.Gregory Hallam - of the Longsight & Levenshulme Coalition of Anti-Deportation
Campaigns
Son of Mansoor Hassan - of the Hassan Family Must Stay campaign
Jeremy Dear - General Secretary of the NUJ
Moses Kayiza - of the Moses Must Stay campaign
Lynda Shentall - of George House Trust
Mark Krantz - of the Manchester Committee to Defend Asylum Seekers
Afzal Khan - Manchester Deputy Lord Mayor
Eric Allison - of the Guardian newspaper
Ziadah Nakatchwa - of the Ziadah and Sharif Must Stay Campaign
A total success in very respect !
"We have a voice at a new level now"
"Something changed in Manchester - this is the beginning of something much bigger"
"I'm not embarrassed anymore to ask people to sign my ant-deportation petition
- if someone looks doubtful, I just take it straight back and move on to
the next person because I know now there are many who will sign"
"We were shouting. I was flying !"
"I felt accepted. I felt welcomed"
"I met one guy who I know has had serious mental health issues - he was smiling. It
was the first time I've ever seen him smile. He was chatting and making
friends"
North Manchester March with Farhat Khan and family
Farhat Khan : "It was the best day of my life in the UK"
Farhat mobilized community groups and individual anti-deportation campaigns
in the north for a massive march into the city. Members of the Congolese
community sang so load … the event's 'Control Room' in the city centre asked "can
you get the Congolese to be singing as they come into Albert Square?" - "you
try and stop them" was the response. One of the marchers said that the
passionate chants in Urdu and Lingala resonated off the tall buildings
in the city centre - pedestrians rushed over to see what it was all about.
About Farhat Khan : "The card is embossed with a golden crown. It reads: "The
Master of the Household has received Her Majesty's command to invite Mrs Farhat
Khan ... to a Christmas Reception to be given at Buckingham Palace by the Queen." (The
Guardian, December 2004 http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,1367269,00.html). Farhat's
contribution as a volunteer advice worker in Manchester was recognised by the
Queen at the same time the Home Office were taking steps to deport her. She
spent 21 years working in Pakistan for a number of Western Governments
and Aid Agencies, including the UK Department For International Development,
mainly with the most disadvantaged women in rural communities. Her courageous
work was at great personal cost and whilst helping to improve other people's
lives, she herself became a victim of domestic violence.
More about Farhat : http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine45/farhat.html
South Manchester March with Mansoor Hassan and family
Mansoor Hassan : "It was brilliant"
Manssor's campaign is backed by the National Union of Journalists, who also backed
the whole day's events both financially and with fee-on-the-street. The march
was joined by many individual anti-deportation campaigns from the South of Manchester
and a mobile detention centre complete with detainees.
Mansoor Hassan; " I am a journalist - I thought it was important to let people
know the truth. I didn't want to sit back and watch government corruption going
on around me. But reporting it endangered my life and my family's life." Mansoor
is a member of the National Union of Journalists, who support his campaign
and the demonstration. Their General Secretary, Jeremy Dear, spoke to the
Rally in Albert Square.
More about Mansoor Hassan : http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine52/mansoor.html
Central Manchester March with Moses Kayiza
Moses Kayiza ; "People who are gay and those who are HIV+ didn't feel on
the sideline - we were right in the middle of something powerful"
Moses' campaign was joined by a samba band and the "Brides Without Borders",
and they all joined up with the South march into Albert Square. One
of the marches said that previously disempowered people felt able to break
through barriers and felt like they had a right to be there.
Moses Kayiza is a gay asylum seeker who was detained and abused in Uganda
because of his sexuality. According to the law, religion and culture, homosexuality
is strongly criminalised in Uganda. The official maximum penalty is life imprisonment. The
President of Uganda once called for a return to the good old days when "these
few individuals were either ignored or speared and killed by their parents". Moses
will lead the march from the Gay Village, expressing the solidarity of
lesbians and gay men in this city.
More about Moses : http://www.ncadc.org.uk/archives/filed%20newszines/newszine56/moses.htm
A city united
More than a dozen organisations came together with individual ant-deportation
campaigns to organise this event. We held a series of organising
meetings. Everyone
pulled together well and some worked quietly in the background pulling
in donations which were essential in enabling the whole thing to happen.
There were many banner-making sessions around the city - one was organised
by WAST in Trinity Church ….
Those with established anti-deportation campaigns rolled their sleeves
up and helped those who haven't got their campaigns off the ground yet.
Some of the other anti-deportation campaigns at the Manchester march …
Ziadah & Sharif
Must Stay Campaign
Seid Ahmed Must Stay Campaign
Perparim Demaj Must Stay Campaign
Friends of Kimolo Kikeni
Darlain Must Stay!
Fri Linda Simaze Must Stay!
Jumrati Family Must Stay!
Source for this page
NCADC
