Sunday 21 March 2010

We Say: "No More WH Deportation Tours!"

London NoBorders and No Borders Brighton are calling for a week of action against WH Tours, a coach company in Crawley that is responsible for transporting immigration detainees to airports to be forcibly deported.

From Monday 22nd March to Friday 26rd March we are asking people to write letters and send faxes to WH Tours in protest. See a model letter below.

On Friday 26th March between 11am-1pm we are asking people to phone WH Tours to tell the company what we think of their practices.

And finally on Saturday 27th March we are calling for a noise demo outside the WH Tours office. We are meeting at 11am at Crawley train station or 11.30am outside the WH Tours office, The Kelvin Centre, Kelvin Way, Crawley RH10 9SF.

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WH TOURS CONTACT DETAILS:

WH Tours
The Kelvin Centre, Kelvin Way
Crawley, Sussex
RH10 9SF
Email: coach@wandhgroup.co.uk
Tel: 01293 510220
Fax: 01293 513263
Web contact form.

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MODEL LETTER:

Dear WH Tours,

I understand that WH Tours is subcontracted by G4S to provide coaches for transporting detained migrants from immigration detention centres to airports to be deported on commercial or specially charted flights. I am writing to you to express my disgust at your involvement in this inhumane business.

As you must be aware, the vast majority of deportations have been to countries devastated by wars and armed conflicts such as Afghanistan, Iraq, DR Congo, Nigeria, Jamaica, Sri Lanka and so on. After being forcibly deported, many have been kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured and killed. Others have had to change their identities or move again to avoid persecution. Forcible deportations also tear apart people's lives as they are split from their families and communities and their right to freedom of movement is denied.

By providing coaches to transport deportees to the airport, WH Tours is complicit in the human tragedies that forcible deportations cause.

Furthermore, there is mounting evidence that deportees, including families and children, have been repeatedly subjected to racial and violent abuse at the hands of G4S security (see, for example, this report: http://www.medicaljustice.org.uk/content/view/411/88/). By providing coaches where some of this abuse takes place, WH Tours is complicit in these illegal acts too.

In the light of this information, I am hereby asking you to cease providing coaches for G4S and the UKBA for the purpose of forcible deportations as this will have a negative impact on your company's image and your other business.

Yours sincerely,

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