NCADC Campaigning Toolkit
If you want to raise awareness about your story among a small group of supporters, or for use in a public campaign, you will need to think about how to present that information.
People may find it easier to engage with your story if you use a photograph of yourself, but not everyone wishes to do this. Explain why your story matters in a compelling way – you only need to include information you are happy to share. Supporters may wish to know a bit of the legal background to understand what is happening with your case, but too many legal details can be confusing to readers.
People want to hear from you. If you can write a few lines about why your story matters, it can be very powerful. You may also like to ask family or friends to write a few lines, or a supporter explaining why they are supporting you.
Here is an example of what one supporter has written for a campaign:
I am supporting his campaign because he is a very kind and honest man ... He has a huge amount to contribute to British society and it would be a great loss and an injustice if he is deported.
If you are producing campaign materials for someone else – maybe because they cannot write English very well, they are in detention, or they have requested your help for another reason – you will need some background about the person at risk’s case. By the time someone is facing deportation, they will have had to have told their story to many different people. Think about how you could get the information needed for campaign materials with as little distress as possible.
One way of doing this is to use documents. If the person facing deportation is comfortable showing you their papers, you could read documents such as their asylum reasons for refusal letter (or any Home Office refusal letter), court determinations, immigration factual summaries (these are issued at the same time as the removal directions), and the latest applications submitted to the Home Office (particularly, fresh claims).
You can then write a summary of their story from these documents. Remember these documents will be quite dry, and you will need to give the audience a sense of the person, not just the case.
Always show a draft of the campaign materials to the person facing deportation – they can check it for accuracy, and whether they are happy with how they are being represented.
Who are you? Is your campaign just about you, or about your family too?
Which country are you from?
If you’ve applied for asylum, what were you fleeing from?
Is there evidence from news stories or human rights groups about problems in your country which you can include in your campaign material?
Why shouldn’t you be removed from the UK? (Partner, children, community in UK; medical or mental health reasons, etc.).
When did you leave your home country and how long have you been in the UK?
Where have you been living in the UK? Where are you now? Have you been detained?
What has gone wrong in your case (why hasn’t your reason to fear return or reason to stay in the UK been recognised)?
What stage is your case at: have you been refused asylum or other leave to remain? Lost an appeal? Been detained? Been issued with removal directions or a deportation order?
How urgent is your campaign? Is it an early stage in your case so you are trying to slowly and steadily gather support, or have you been issued with removal directions so you need people to take action that day?
What do you want supporters to do? (Campaign actions)
How can supporters contact the campaign if they have letters of support or get a
response from the airline/the Home Office?
Remember: If you’re asking people to write to the Home Office, they’ll need to include your Home Office reference number (see ‘Political Campaigning’ section, ‘Contacting the Home Secretary’) and your name.
Remember: If you’re asking people to contact an airline, they’ll need to include the flight number and date of flight, as well as your name (see ‘Imminent Deportation’ section on airline campaigning).
Has everyone named or pictured in your campaign given their permission to be
included?
Is the story in your campaign material the same as that submitted to the Home Office? It could be damaging to your case if you have information in your campaign that is different from the information in your legal case.
Below is an example of a campaign story structure, but you can use any structure you think works best.
2. Campaign headline: name, country of origin, risk
For example: Ali Mohammed threatened with deportation to Somali next week, his life would be at risk and his family life with British partner ripped apart.
3. Introductory paragraph
For example: Ali Mohammed, a 30-year-old man from Somalia, is ‘terrified of being sent back to Somalia. Al-Shabaab will find me no matter where I go. Communities in Somalia are small and close-knit, and it’s a world I just don’t know any more.’
4. Threat in home country (if asylum case)
For example: Give a brief explanation of what happened to Ali and why he would be at risk if returned. Follow with paragraph of general evidence on risk in Somalia, such as news stories and human rights reports. Always include references.
5. Family and community life in the UK
For example: How long in UK, family/partner/children, community involvement (local), faith groups? Explain the impact on Ali, and those around him, if he was not allowed to stay in the UK.
6. The legal case
Give a clear, simple explanation of what is happening with the legal case, so supporters understand what might happen next or what the time-frame is for campaigning. For example: The Home Office refuse to believe that Ali is from the area of Somalia he says he is. In his asylum interview, he could not understand the interpreter clearly. Despite telling the Home Office this, and providing evidence about Al-Shabaab’s persecution of him, his appeal was refused. Ali’s solicitors are gathering new evidence to support his case but need more time.
7. Take action
What do you want supporters to do and by when? Include contact details and if you wish, model text they can use. What outcome are you calling for? (Release from detention? Suspension of deportation? Refusal to carry the person on a flight? Status to be granted?)
How can supporters inform you of any responses or ask questions?
