Kronstadt Hanger Reopens & Is Raided Yet Again

Once again the Calais authorities have intervened at the Kronstadt Hanger. Yesterday the hanger reopened after activists had repaired the damage inflicted by French riot police when they stormed the building on Sunday 7 February. After the doors were opened at 10am, between 30 and 50 migrants used the building, filling it up as LibeLille* put it "with conversations and music: Kurdish dances, a cinema area, with the projection of Albert Lamorisse's film The Red Balloon, and under a garden tent (see photo) a group sat around a heater. There was tea and coffee, English, French, German and Finnish No Border campaigners, and fifty migrants, mainly Kurds and Iranians."


At 6pm the migrants all left as agreed to go and attend the evening food distribution, leaving 5 activists behind in the shut hanger. The police then decided to pay an uninvited visit. Of course they didn't knock on the door and wait to be invited in, instead they forced their way in again and arrested those present and took them away for the usual ID checks at the local police station, whilst other searched the hanger yet again, confiscating who knows what this time? Apparently they will be allowed back in one by one to retrieve their personal belongings.

No official documents, such as a search warrant or arrest warrants, were again shown and we are again left to wonder on what legal basic they are closing the hanger down this time. Of course, we all understand what the violence and aggression on behalf of the authorities is all for. After all No Borders activists in Calais have witnessed it being meted out to the migrants for what is now two decades. It is a war of attrition. Brutalise them enough and they just might go away. Except that the migrants are there largely out of necessity and we No Borders activists are there out of principal, unlike the mercenaries in CRS uniforms and the self-serving politicians and bureaucrats.


* The Lille version of Liberation. See also: No Border, le retour du hanger.

More Criticism Of Child Detention

"My contention remains that detention is harmful to children and therefore never likely to be in their best interests, and we continue to argue that the detention of children for immigration control should cease." - Al Aynsley-Green.

Once again the Children's Commissioner for England, Al Aynsley-Green, has criticised the government's policy of detaining children at Yarl's Wood immigration prison and yet again the UK Borders Agency has come out with the usual homilies about each case being "considered carefully on its own merits" and that "the presumption in all cases continues to be in favour of granting temporary admission or release wherever possible", garlanded with the usual untruths about "people who are in detention are there because both the UK Border Agency and the independent courts deem them to have no legal right to be here". (NB: The press release does not say ALL people or THE ONLY people.)

The report* is a follow up to last year's 'The Arrest and Detention of Children Subject to Immigration Control', published in May 2009, which was highly critical of the Yarl's Wood regime and of the detention of children involved in the immigration system in general. The follow up was conducted in October last year based on 2 visits; one consisting of face-to-face interviews with detained adult family members, and held participation sessions with school aged children, and the second involving independent health and social care professionals studying a sample of detained children's medical records and welfare files.

Whilst the latest report did not dispute the UKBA's figures that, of the 1,000 plus children detained every year, the average length of detention is about two weeks. However, many children are obviously held much longer and in one case the study found a family was held for 70 days. As the report states "Article 37(b) of the UNCRC [UN Convention on the Rights of the Child] requires that detention is used only as a measure of last resort and for the shortest appropriate period of time ... Our evidence that some children are admitted to Yarl’s Wood for prolonged periods, and sometimes repeatedly, challenges this intent."

On the health front, the first report was also highly critical of health provision, and the follow up also found a failure to assess "even at an elementary level" the general psychological well-being of a child on arrival and a failure to recognise psychological harm when faced with dramatic changes in a child's behaviour. Medical records also revealed "the case of a three-year-old child with a fractured arm was symptomatic of a failure to provide a standard of NHS care that any British citizen could expect. The child had been examined by a nurse hours after a fall, but was not seen by a doctor until 15 hours later and, five hours after that, was taken to hospital."

The children's sessions found that the majority (62.5%) disagreed with the statement that the arresting staff were ‘friendly and helpful’. In fact, the report noted how many children "commented on the loud or violent way in which homes were entered, rude behaviour or treatment by officers, and the shadowing of children using the bathroom and toilet." Children also complained about being physically escorted from their homes, thereby making them feel and look like criminals.

Stung by the publicity the criticism garnered, Dave Wood, head of criminality and detention at the UKBA, later elaborated on the relatively bland UKBA press release, that the report contained "factual inaccuracies" and that in some areas, it was "misguided and wrong." He also tried to push the blame for the situation onto the parents of the children, claiming that the majority of cases of prolonged detention were the fault of the parents making “vexatious” legal claims and using judicial review to delay their deportation.

On the positive side, the report did commend the end to the use of ‘caged vans’ to transport children as per the previous report's recommendation. However, it also noted that there now appeared to have been a "coincident increase in the use of separate vehicles to transport children and parents at the point of arrest", and went on to argue that "separating young children from their parents – even for a short time during transportation - is potentially extremely damaging and should only be used in the most extreme circumstances."


* Link to the Follow Up Report and the Executive Summary.


"We stand by our contention that arrest and detention are inherently damaging to children, and that Yarl’s Wood is no place for a child."

Movement Issue #4 Now Available

Issue number 4 of the UK No Borders network newsletter 'Movement' is now available for download [right click on image and Save].

Alternatively, why not join the mailing list for 'Movement' by emailing:
movement-subscribe@lists.riseup.net

You can also find all the back issues and extensive links here:
http://movement-noborders.blogspot.com/

Migrant Hangar Reopened In Calais

PRESS RELEASE:

At 10am today, the No Borders network (1) officially reopened the Kronstadt Hangar (2) in Calais to the migrant population. This follows the first public opening on Saturday 6th February, and the subsequent violent police eviction the following day (3).

The major of Calais ordered the eviction of the Hangar on alleged grounds that the hangar was not fit for public use, so the Kronstadt Hangar is now open as a private space for members of SoS Soutien o Sans Papiers only. All migrants and activists inside the hangar have official membership.

The hangar is presently open to migrants from 10:00 until 18:00. The hangar is not just a humanitarian space but also a space for political discussion and debate, as well as various cultural and entertainment exchanges.

Marie Chautempts says "while the authorities are blocking any shelter proposals, migrants in Calais are facing one of the coldest winters in recent history and a constant ritual of police harassment. The situation is degrading and goes against any common understanding of decent behaviour towards other human beings. Something has to be done, so we are fighting to creating to a space for migrants to come and engage in activities at their leisure."

It is to be noted that at the time of writing the circumstances regarding another police intervention are unknown. However, on the new front door of the hangar Article 1 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights (4) has been painted. Any violent police intervention into the hangar is regarded as contrary to human rights law.

Tim Wallace says "another violent eviction will not deter us, we will not stand by and watch human beings being treated as animals. 8 years of violence and migrants are still in Calais because there is no recognition of the reasons behind migration from places such as Afghanistan, Darfur and Iran."

Calais Migrants Solidarity.

ENDS

Notes to editors

(1) The No Borders network is a global movement of individuals and groups fighting for the right to freedom of movement for people, not just for the Lorries that make sections of European society rich. Since the No Border Camp held in Calais in June 2009, No Borders activists have had a constant presence in Calais under the banner of Calais Migrant Solidarity. We have monitored and documented police abuse and violent, collectively resisted evictions, organised humanitarian aid distribution, and made direct interventions for the rights of migrants.

(2) As a continued act of resistance and solidarity with undocumented migrants in Calais No Borders have rented the Kronstadt Hangar for the months of February and March, together with SoS Soutients O Sans Papiers. The Hangar is in between the port and the centre of Calais.

(3) On Saturday evening, about 100 migrants came to the warehouse with the intention of entering. They were met by two separate lines of French police on either side of the hangar. Shouting “freedom! freedom!”, the migrants and No Borders activists pushed through the police lines and successfully occupied the hangar. Donations of blankets, extra-clothes, basic mattresses and hot tea were provided for the migrants.

However, after a safe and secure night, 75 CRS police arrived on Sunday afternoon and forcibly evicted the new space by smashing down the front glass doors. 12 activists were arrested, but later released, while one was taken to hospital.

(4) Article 1 reads:"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Demo In Solidarity With Yarl's Wood Hunger Strikers

Wednesday 17th February 6.30pm-7.30pm, outside Holloway Prison, Parkhurst Road, London N7 0NU.

On Thursday 4th February 84 women started a hunger strike in Yarl's Wood Immigration Detention Centre near Bedford, demanding their release.

On Monday 8th February the hunger strikers were locked up by the centre's guards for 8 hours, without access to water or toilet facilities. Four women were picked out as "ringleaders" and were taken to various prisons. All are now incarcerated in HMP Holloway.

We are calling for the immediate release of the "Yarl's Wood 4" and all the other women still on hunger strike in the centre.

Please come and demonstrate outside HMP Holloway this Wednesday between 6.30-7.30pm. Bring banners and instruments.

CLOSE ALL DETENTION CENTRES! STOP DEPORTATION!

Report On Friday's Demonstration...

...outside Serco's offices in London can be seen at: Report.

Women In Yarl’s Wood Vow To Stay On Hunger Strike...

...Until They Are Released

Statement From: Black Women’s Rape Action Project

We have spoken to over 50 women in the last few days and they all have a compelling case to be released: their continued detention is either inhumane or contravenes Home Office rules. Some have been referred to lawyers because their detention is illegal.[1]

STOP PRESS: we just heard that one woman has been released but three others faced removal. 50 still on hunger strike

Most women are:
SURVIVORS OF RAPE AND OTHER TORTURE.[2] Operations Enforcement Manual rules say they should only be detained “under very exceptional circumstances.”

MOTHERS SEPARATED FROM THEIR CHILDREN. The impact of detention on children is finally widely condemned. But what about the impact of separation on children left with social services or other family members when their mothers are detained? Some families face permanent separation if women are deported. Mothers speak constantly of their anguish at not being able to care for their children who suffer depression, bed wetting and feel at risk of harm.

NOT FACING IMMINENT REMOVAL. According to the Home Office people should only be detained when: their removal is imminent; there is a risk of them absconding; other alternatives have been considered; and the person has no particular health needs or vulnerabilities. Yet many of the women on hunger strike have been detained for months, some for up to two years and no independent assessment of their circumstances has been done.[3]

CRIMINALISED FOR TRYING TO SURVIVE. What is not generally known is that many women are in detention having been convicted of “crimes” of destitution or for travelling on false papers (unavoidable when you are fleeing persecution). They are convicted, imprisoned and then transferred straight to detention pending removal. Many have lived and raised families in the UK for years.

Lord Justice Sedley, a Court of Appeal judge, commented that the rule telling judges to dismiss asylum-seekers who have fled their home country using a false passport is a “serious invasion of judicial independence”.[4]

Hunger strikers are from a wide range of countries including: China, Cote D’Ivoire, Eritrea
Ghana, Guinea, Jamaica, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Morocco, Namibia, Nigeria, Qatar, Romani, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Trinidad and Tobago, Vietnam, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Many women report suffering violence from guards. Some were left outside in snow storms on Monday wearing only light clothes. A recent report upheld 97% of complaints against UK Border staff.[5]

The All African Women’s Group, a self-help group of women asylum seekers, some of whose members are in detention, are part of a daily rota taking calls from hunger strikers.

Women on hunger strike include:

Ms O, who has now been taken to Holloway prison. She fled to the UK having suffered years of domestic violence from her uncle in Nigeria and was then threatened with Female Genital Mutilation. She was told by a woman who befriended her that she didn’t stand a chance of asylum.[6] In 2007, she was arrested and convicted of possessing criminal property as she had a little money in her bank account because her parents’ home had been sold. She was remanded in Holloway and eventually in desperation and believing that she would be released sooner, pleaded guilty. She was taken straight from prison to Yarl’s Wood. She reported to the Yarl’s Wood health centre that she was a survivor of torture and showed them her scars. But she remained in detention. (Women Against Rape helped another woman win £38, 000 in similar circumstances.) A lawyer demanded £4000 to represent her. Her barrister used the wrong name in court, didn’t present all the evidence in her case and she was refused. During the hunger strike, she was told by Yarl’s Wood staff that “You are from the jungle” and she should “go back”.

Ms D, a Black woman and a mother of two, has been detained for 11 months. She was convicted of “racially aggravated assault” after police were called to an argument in a shop. She tried to stop police taking her youngest son from her, was held down and accused of kicking a policeman. One of the police officers (all white) called her a ‘black bitch’ to which Ms D responded ‘white bastard’. This led to a conviction for possession of drugs. She was imprisoned and then taken to Yarl’s Wood. Her 16 year old son is in the care of social services and her seven year old with a cousin. Ms D was assaulted by a guard on Monday and suffered bruising to her head. She is being held in segregation because she has visible bruises and she has had no medical treatment for her injuries.

Ms N, a lesbian woman and a single mum with two children, has been in the UK for 12 years. She fled to the UK from Jamaica after she witnessed a murder, was falsely accused of being a “police informer” and beaten and stabbed. She had no idea that she could claim asylum in the UK. For years she was unable to speak about the rape she suffered from her stepfather as a child. She eventually disclosed it to Women Against Rape describing how when she told her real father about the abuse, her stepfather killed her mum. She won asylum in late October but the Home Office appealed and has been kept in detention since. Her son has been attacked by a gang and threatened with guns while she’s been inside.

Ms W has been in Yarl’s Wood for eight months and is on the seventh day of her hunger strike. She has lived in the UK for 10 years and her daughter is British. She was convicted and imprisoned for 10 months for possession of drugs after she was forced to carry a package by men who threatened to kill her and her daughter. She could never speak about the threats as the men told her that they knew where her daughter was and would kill her if she talked. Ms W has not seen her seven year old daughter for 1 ½ years. Her daughter cries constantly on the phone. Relatives say that she sometimes starts packing her bags to “go and see mummy”.

Ms S has been in Yarl’s Wood for eight months. Ms S is from Jamaica. Her mother left for the UK when she was six and she didn’t join her mother until she was 12. She was traumatised by the separation. In her teenage years, she started using drugs and at 19 was arrested for intent to supply. She was threatened by a gang that if she gave information to the police she would be killed so, fearing for her life, she went on the run. After 15 months she was caught and got a heavier sentence because she had broken bail. She now faces deportation to Jamaica where she has not been since a child. Other women say she has been transferred to prison but we can’t get hold of her.

Ms M fled rape and other torture in Gambia. She tried to get help from the legal aid clinic in Yarl’s Wood but they didn’t get back to her for four months. She is on five different medications but still joined the hunger strike.

Women are available for interview: 07980659831
More information about the conditions in Yarl’s Wood reported by women recently released who spoke at the House of Commons 14 January 2010.

Black Women’s Rape Action Project
Crossroads Women’s Centre
230a Kentish Town Rd
London NW5 2AB 020 7482 2496
12 February 2010

[1] Minister ‘admits paying millions to detained migrants’ Thursday, 11 February 2010
[2] 70% of women in Yarl’s Wood are survivors of rape and other torture. “Bleak House in Our Times: An investigation into women’s rights violations.” Legal Action for Women, June 2006
[3] Council of Europe report: “The detention of asylum seekers and irregular migrants in Europe” (January 2010) provides 10 guiding principles governing detention including that “detention shall be ordered only for the specific purpose of preventing an unauthorised entry or with a view to deportation or extradition; vulnerable people should not, as a rule, be placed in detention.
[4] “Asylum-seekers put at risk by law, warns top judge.” The Independent, Wednesday, 2 July 2008
[5] ‘Fast and fair?’ A report by the Parliamentary Ombudsman on the UK Border Agency Fourth report Session 2009/2010 found 478 complaints made against the UKBA since last June. 97% of those investigated were upheld.
[6] Home Office Operational Guidance Notes on Nigeria accept that FGM is widely practiced in Nigeria, that women are unlikely to get state protection but say that it would be safe for a woman to relocate to another area. Asylum claims should therefore be “certified as clearly unfounded”.