Papers for All

On May 19th, a meeting was held at South Bank University to discuss developing the migrant solidarity movement, building on the October 7th coalition that organised last year's demonstration in London.

The meeting agreed to seek to build a coalition with the name 'Papers for All, for Freedom of Movement and the Right to Stay'. A number of work groups have been set up to plan the way forward, including networking and putting out a newspaper. Watch this space for further details.

Medical Justice Launch

Medical Justice Launch Party - 3rd July
Everyone invited !

Tuesday 3 July 2007 from 7.00pm at Cargo, 83 Rivington Street, EC2A 3AY

Featuring hip hop, reggae, african beats and more from Asian Dub Foundation, Heatwave, , YunGun, ZongZing All Stars. Plus speeches, poetry, photography and exhibitions from Pip, Isabelle Merminod and Sophie Le Phat Ho.

Fundraising event - suggested donation £10 (free entry for asylum seekers). Medical Justice provides legal and medical support to people in detention centres.

No Borders G8 Night

People from No Borders London are taking part in protets against the G8 Summit in Rostock, Germany in the first week in June 2007. Demonstrations and meetings around migration and racism will be a major strand of the week's events.

On Friday 8th June, there will be a benefit night in London featuring report backs from the G8. Details follow:

Regularisation For All

On May 7th, up to 5000 people participated in a migrants rights march to Trafalgar Square in central London. The march was organised by Strangers into Citizens, which is proposing a limited amnesty for some undocumented migrants.

No Borders activists, and others from the October 7th coalition took part in the demonstration, with banners, a Papers for All newspaper and a leaflet calling for the widest possible regularisation, based on freedom of movement and freedom to remain. The leaflet text follows:

REGULARISATION FOR ALL! NO ONE IS ILLEGAL! ABOLISH ALL RACIST IMMIGRATION CONTROLS!

The government has so far refused to consider an amnesty, but many groups are talking about campaigning for one. An amnesty usually refers to granting legal status to migrants who don't have it. But would there be conditions? And are there some amnesties which are bad for migrants?

You are invited to an IDEAS AND PLANNING DAY FOR REGULARISATION Saturday May 19th 11am – 4pm South Bank University A chance to discuss what kind of regularisation we should be campaigning for, how we react to amnesty campaigns that won't demand regularisation for all and how to build an inclusive movement reflecting the needs and concerns of all asylum seekers and migrants. We are calling for:

- Regularisation for all migrants. No one is illegal.
- The closure of all detention centres, because moving country is not a crime.
- An end to all deportations & the externalisation process turning countries on the edges of the EU into holding camps.
- Full labour rights for all workers, independently of their migration status.
- End the apartheid system of benefits, healthcare, housing and legal representation, and the deliberate policy of destitution for asylum seekers whose cases have been refused.
- Official recognition of rape as torture and persecution.

IF YOU ARE CAMPAIGNING FOR AN AMNESTY, MAKE SURE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU'RE CAMPAIGNING FOR

Some organisations (including Strangers into Citizens) are campaigning for an amnesty which will exclude most migrants/asylum seekers and cause deportations by alerting their presence to the Home Office, who get to decide whether they "deserve" an amnesty or not. We say "REGULARISATION FOR ALL". We don't want anyone to be misled. Make sure you ask these questions about any amnesty campaign:

- Does the amnesty apply to everyone or just a few people?
- Does it force people to rely on exploitative employers for references and/or sponsorship from other groups?
- Does it only count for people who speak fluent English?
- Does it only count for people who can prove they have lived and worked here for several years?
- Do the Home Office get to decide who deserves it and who doesn't, or will everyone who applies get status?

No arbitrary limits on who gets amnesty and who doesn't. Migrants should not be divided against each other by including residency requirements or language tests in amnesty proposals. It doesn't matter who has been here for one year and who has been here for 4 years – no-one is illegal!

Stop deportation of Janipher Maseko

A young mother being held in Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre is facing deportation on 1 June. Black Women's Rape Action Project (bwrap@dircon.co.uk) reports:

Gatwick demonstration last month

The call for a No Borders camp at Gatwick in September follows a demonstration last month in Crawley, the nearest town to the proposed camp.
On April 21st, 100 people took part in the demonstration called by No Borders Brighton and No Borders London (Indymedia http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2007/04/368379.html ).

Detainee Resistance

The last month has seen renewed protest by people being held in detention centres in England.

Yarl's Wood

At the beginning of May, women at Yarl’s Wood Removal Centre staged demonstrations and a hunger strike. The actions followed the take over the centre by SERCO, the company which won the £87m contract to run it in April. SERCO seems set on cutting costs by reducing staff numbers and making conditions even worse for the women and children held there. In particular women were concerned about suggestions that SERCO would begin:

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