Protest against Removal of 600 refugee families from Glasgow City Council Accommodation

10:30 am for 11:oo am
Saturday 20 November 2010
UKBA
Brand Street
Govan
Glasgow
(nearest underground is Cessnock)

This message: From: "Positive Action in Housing" <home@paih.org>

Over 350 people attended today's demonstration outside the Glasgow City Chambers in protest at the UK Border Agency's plans to forcibly clear out 600 refugee families from their council flats.

The mood was very much that people are determined to fight the removal plans. People seeking asylum are asking not to be put through the upheaval of having to uproot themselves, take their children out of schools, and be moved somewhere else in the "Scotland region". The message to the UK Borders Agency from refugees and Glasgow City Council was "Renegotiate the contract".

The homes that the UKBA is trying to forcibly remove refugee families from were empty and unwanted before refugees lived in them. If the clearance plans go ahead, these communities will be decimated and the housing will lie empty.

Refugee families face being uprooted from the communities where they worked so hard to become a part of, to satisfy the UK border Agency's "integration test".

Families now face being transferred to poorly regulated, substandard accommodation run by private landlords contracted to the UKBA, whose sole focus is getting a profit from housing very vulnerable people. Vulnerable groups such as the sick, disabled, elderly and people with children will be hardest hit.

We support Glasgow City Council in its desire to have the Contract reinstated. Without a contract, the Council's ancillary services such as social work and homelessness services will be placed under greater pressure, and the Council will have to pay up, meaning council tax rises. It therefore makes sense to retain the council contract. Glasgow City Council is the best landlord and support agency the refugee communities have; there is no comparison.

Without any consultation or warning, the UKBA callously sent out letters of removal to 600 families on November 5th and created mass panic which resulted in agencies including ourselves being deluged with calls and visits from upset service users.  At least two women refugees were hospitalised after breaking down when they received the removal letter. It should not be forgotten that on March 7th 2010, a Russian family of three committed suicide together after being sent a letter from the UK Borders Agency telling them to go. The detrimental impact on refugees of the UKBA's communications cannot be under-estimated.

Many people seeking asylum are already saying they will refuse to move out of Glasgow City Council accommodation without a Sherriff's warrant, which means delays, as the Council would have to go to court to force eviction. We know the Council does not want to force anyone out and therefore call on the Council not to stand in the way of families who decide not to move.

To drive home the message of this protest, a peaceful demonstration is being called by Positive Action in Housing and Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees at 10.30 am for 11 am sharp, on Saturday 20 November 2010 outside the UK Borders Agency Offices at Brand Street, Govan, Glasgow.

In a symbolic act, the UKBA letters that were sent out on November 5th will be burnt in protest at the UK Borders Agency's decision to remove 600 asylum families out of Glasgow City Council accommodation.  So if you or someone you know received the letters from the UK Borders Agency, please ask them to bring their letters if they wish to join others in burning them outside the UK Borders Agency, to show the UKBA what we think of their letters and the misery they cause on Scottish soil.

Our message to the UK Borders Agency is, maybe you can get away with these cruel tactics in the "England region" but not in this country. Scotland has a long history of peaceful protest and standing our ground against inhumanity and injustice.

Faith groups, trade unions, politicians, members of Glasgow City Council and Scotland's arts community will also join the protest. The action is being supported by Positive Action in Housing, Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees, the Unity Centre, the Church of Scotland and members of Glasgow City Council.

It is disappointing that the coalition government continues to stands silent on the dehumanising and heartbreaking mass removal of some of the most vulnerable people in our society. This is the same government that promised an immediate end to child detention but they haven't stopped it, they just cart off Glasgow asylum families hundreds of miles down the road to the "England region" and lock them up there.

We call on our First Minister to represent the strong feelings of people in Glasgow and put maximum pressure on the UK government, Scotland Office and the Home Office to reverse the damaging actions the UKBA is about to take.

Please forward, display and circulate this letter to your workplace, trade unions, churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, family and friends, and attend this protest and show that glasgow stands solid with the refugee families.

Thank you for your support, and please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or queries.

With best wishes and kind regards,

Robina Qureshi

Director PAIH
home@paih.org
http://www.paih.org/About/