London NoBorders supports the call for a National Day of Action against Benefit Cuts on 24/01/11 and is joining the Party and Picnic at 2pm at Atos Origin's UK head office at 4 Triton Square, Regent's Place, London NW1 3HG.

Atos Origin have been awarded a £300 million contract by the government to carry out 'work capability assessments' for benefits claimants. This testing system has already led to people with terminal illnesses and severe medical conditions being declared fit for work and having benefits cut.[2]

Denise McNeil, one of the "Yarl's Wood 3" who have been in prison for over a year for taking part in a hunger strike at Yarl's Wood immigration prison, has a bail hearing this Tuesday 25th January from 10am at IAC Hatton Cross, York House, 2/3 Dukes Green Avenue, Feltham, Middlesex, TW14 0LS (travel directions here). We really want to show alot of support for her inside and outside the court.

[London NoBorders] Gay pride marches followed the Stonewall riots of 1969 and were a protest against the social invisibility of the LGBT community. In the London Pride march of 2010 most of the larger floats were paid for by businesses and governmental organisations proudly presenting their LGBT staff. The Home Office float, commandeered by Spectrum – the LGBT support group within the department – were going for a Moulin Rouge theme.

Civil servants in the Home Office, UK Border Agency, Criminal Records Bureau and Identity and Passport Service, were shaking their booty to a blasting sound system. A bit further down the march a procession of a different kind with eight people dressed in black, their mouths taped shut, carrying coffins. Their front banner read 'Stop the deportations' and the coffins were a strong reminder that LGBT's in UK detention centres awaiting their deportation run the very real risk of torture and death once returned to their so-called 'country of origin.'