Mass deportation flight to Jamaica on the 30th anniversary of the release from prison of Nelson Mandela

Mass deportation flight to Jamaica on the 30th anniversary of the release from prison of Nelson Mandela
 

Written by: Zita Holbourne and Lee Jasper.

Designed by Lee Jasper

 

Boris Johnson's government has organised another charter flight mass deportation to
Jamaica, one year after the last one. Like a dog returning to the scene of its own vomit, the Tories appear habitually addicted to racist immigration policy. This is the second such charter flight since the Windrush scandal was widely exposed, as targeting Caribbean descent communities. This new mass deportation is expected to take place on 11th February, which coincidentally, is the 30th anniversary of the release of Nelson Mandela from Victor Vester prison.

We have received confirmation from several people now that they have been issued with a definite removal notice. Up to 50 people could be deported on this flight, people who will be torn apart from families including their young children, who have lived most of their lives in the UK and those still going through a deportation appeals process.

Artwork by Zita Holbourne 

Over the past week, there has been an escalation in people being detained whilst attending their regular signing in sessions at Reporting Centres around the country with Immigration Officers then transferring detainees to removal centres.

These are all people who are fearfully complying with Home Office requirements, and are now subjected to forcible detention. The government's cynical rounding up of vulnerable people, seen as nothing more than disposable garbage to be taken out, is shameful and unacceptable.

The British High Commissioner to Jamaica has alleged, that all those booked on the flight have criminal records and are not related to Windrush. But we know that it includes people who are appealing against Home Office decisions. Last year, people who were originally booked on a flight to Jamaica, successfully legally challenged their deportation leading to them being removed from the flight.

A whole year has passed only for them to be targeted again. All of the cases we have been made aware of involve individuals who have families here in the UK including children and, in some cases, even grandchildren. Most are people who
have spent the majority of their lives in the UK and who are to be deported to what will be a strange country as far as their lived experience is concerned.

Poster by artist Zita Holbourne 

Some will have been criminalised by virtue of their immigration status and deportation
creates a double, or rather triple punishment when you account for the periods they were detained.A British born person would not be sentenced for a crime, serve their time, be rehabilitated only to be denied access to essential services such as health care, detained in inhumane
facilities, to find their life even worse than when serving time in prison, only then be
deported to a strange country, separated from loved ones, left destitute and alone.

We believe that as there is clearly no guarantee of fairness and justice there should be no deportations and that the government must stop racially targeting Caribbean communities and their families.
Given the ongoing Windrush Scandal and the government's failure to adequately
compensate victims (with the vast majority receiving no compensation to date) we can have no faith that these detainees have been treated fairly and within the law.

Our communities have suffered enough over recent years because of the scandal, which is on top of racism and injustice amplified by austerity. It is not acceptable for the government to return to the discredited policy of creating a racially hostile environment for black people.

Artwork by Zita Holbourne 

The British High Commissioner to Jamaica may claim that those targeted on this charter flight have no link to the Windrush generation but the reality is that if it were not for the legacy of colonialism, their families would not have come to the UK in order to work hard and help the post-war recovery in the 1950s and 60s and they in turn would not have come to the UK to join their close family members.

Some of those targeted for these deportations included people who have served in the British armed forces, British when it suited the government but now deemed both undesirable and illegal. Having valiantly served Queen and country in active service, they are now cast aside with some suffering injuries and post-traumatic stress.

We have called an emergency protest to oppose the flight and wider injustice of the
government's hostile environment including the failure to make compensation accessible to all the families impacted by the brutality of the Windrush scandal.

Copyright BARAC UK: Windursh Day of Action, June 2019, Westminster  Bridge 

The protest will commence at 6 pm on Thursday 6th February opposite Downing Street. It is called by BARAC UK and BAME Lawyers for Justice which is an umbrella body for a group of Black and Asian race equality activists, lawyers and Windrush justice groups, all are welcome to join us. The action is also supported by the Society of Black Lawyers, Blaksox and Momentum Black Caucus.

Whilst the British government have a lot to answer for, we cannot forget or let off the hook those complicit with the process of deporting people on charter flights, the airlines, security companies, pilots, etc. but also governments of countries such as Jamaica, who allow these flights to land and who are paid to accept the wholesale illegal deportation of people without consideration of their circumstances and the inhumanity of their treatment.

That's why we are supporting and encourage people to join the emergency demo called by Movement for Justice at 12 noon on Monday 3rd February outside the Jamaican High Commission calling on the Jamaican Government to follow the lead of the Nigerian government and refuse to allow the plane to land.

Durham Miners Gala, 2019

We are also supporting Windrush activist, Patrick Vernon's petition; The Windrush
Compensation Scheme, demanding the application of the principles of restorative justice and fairness to the victims of the Windrush scandal, repairing the harm done by this government's hostile environment policy and its impacts on African and Caribbean communities and others from the Commonwealth. The petition demands the Home Secretary adopt a 10-point plan to write the wrongs of the Windrush Scandal. MPs have the opportunity to make amendments to the Windrush Compensation Bill at the Second
Reading of the bill in February.

We can have no confidence in this government's commitment to treat people fairly and call upon all good people to support our struggle for justice and oppose state racism.

We would also ask that you sign, share and promote the following petitions;

https://www.change.org/p/stop-all-charter-flight-mass-deportations-to-jamaica-other-commonwealth-countries


https://www.change.org/p/prime-minister-conduct-an-independent-public-inquiry-into-the-windrush-scandal

https://www.change.org/p/british-airways-stop-helping-the-home-office-deport-people

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/restorative-compensation-scheme-for-windrush-scandal


If you want to get in touch please
contact bamelawyersforjustice@gmail.com or baracuk@gmail.com

Artwork by Zita Holbourne 

Defend the UCL Five: Statement initiated by BARAC UK & NUS Black Students Campaign

Defend the 

UCL Five 

Statement

Universities in the UK should be a safe space that provide for free expression and positive learning, but instead, University College London has embarked on a campaign to silence radical student voices challenging oppressive practice. 

In recent months, the university has embarked upon a targeted campaign of silencing student dissent and protests on campus through management intimidation, scare tactics and the threat of disciplinary action. 

On 27th October 2016, a group of UCL students came together to protest an intended talk by Hen Mazzig who was invited by UCL Friends of Israel to speak at an event on the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Hen Mazzig is a reservist in the Israeli military and was speaking about his activities enforcing the illegal military occupation of Palestine and the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements, considered a war crime under international law.  

The UCL students’ non-violent protest was made up of students from a range of diverse backgrounds and included chants calling for an end to violence against Palestinians and the illegal Israeli occupation of the West Bank and the waving of flags and traditional Dabke dancing.  

Protesting students persisted despite being verbally harassed by groups and individuals from outside the university such as Sussex Friends of Israel and individuals such as UCL alumnus Elliot Miller who was caught on video pushing a student. 

Individuals from this group shouted racist slurs against black students on the protest, such as "the Home Office should follow you up”, “get out of our country" and called announcing that "Islam is a violent religion".  

In the days following the meeting Mazzig repeatedly tried to depict our opposition to his event as the protest of “an angry Arab mob”. This amounts to the racial profiling of resident British UCL based students.  

They were then subjected to a malicious, politically motivated complaint. The response from UCL was to racially profile five students and serve them with notice of impending disciplinary action.  

All five are active in student politics, and all are either Muslim, Arab, Asian or Black. The five students together, have contributed to the fundraising of thousands of pounds going towards humanitarian aid in Africa and the Middle-East. They have helped to launch various campaigns such as Israel Apartheid week, Black Lives Matter and leadership and management programmes. 

These Black and minority ethnic students are currently being targeted and harassed by UCL management as a consequence. These actions by UCL management, we believe, constitute an intolerable restriction of the human rights of students seeking to express political opinions on issues of concern.  

Alarmingly the university has so far failed to investigate the racist slurs that UCL students were subjected too. This injustice is now further compounded by UCL racially profiling and adding and abetting the malicious smearing of students of colour, who were simply exercising their rights to free expression and lawful protest.  

Groups external to the university made malicious and vindictive accusations which were backed up by inaccurate depictions of the protest and had no objective supporting evidence.  

This raises serious concerns about the veracity of the original complaint and the subsequent impartiality of the investigation conducted by UCL management. 

This seems to be part of a wider campaign of suppressing student activism and protest on UCL campuses, and is echoed in "crackdowns" on other UCL student and staff protests.  

For example, a number of UCL students active in the Fossil Free campaign have also been issued a notice of disciplinary action. Fossil Free is a student led branch of the international campaign on campus to pressure the university into divesting from fossil fuel companies.  

This unnecessary, aggressive and authoritarian behaviour by UCL management is counterproductive, unfair and only serves to intimidate students who are already feeling intimidated and restricted in their ability to freely engage in democratic debate and political protest. 

The actions of UCL management flies in the face of the founding principles and academic philosophy on which UCL is based, a secular institution of free thinking, political and academic debate. 

We demand that UCL drops all the disciplinary procedures against the five students concerned, and enter into dialogue with a view to examining the culture of political persecution of Black and minority ethnic students on campus at UCL. 

We the undersigned urge you to:

Join our campaign to challenge UCL management's racial profiling and political intimidation of students it disagrees with.  

Support the five UCL students who were part of a peaceful protest against a meeting being addressed by Hen Mazzig, an Israeli military reservist, who have been subjected to a malicious complaint, resulting in UCL instigating disciplinary action after receiving a malicious complaint from Sussex Friends of Israel. 

We ask that you write to UCL Vice Provost of Operations; Rex Knight and the UCL Provost; Michael Arthur, UCL, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, expressing your concern about UCL management's actions and subsequent racial profiling and targeting of students on religious grounds.   

We ask that you join the Defend the UCL5 campaign by adding your name / organisation to this statement initiated by Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UK and the NUS Black Students Campaign,  that you use the #DefendUCL5 hashtag to publicise.  Email barac.info@gmail.com to add your name to the statement and send messages of support.

Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC) UKNUS Black Students Campaign

Sean Wallis, Vice President UCL UCU, UCU NEC member 


Zita Holbourne, PCS Union Acting Vice President & Co-Chair BARAC UK

Neil Rogall, Jews for Justice for Palestinians, UCL Graduate (1972)

Anne Cooper, Writer, Unite Community

Hassina Malik, Assistant Branch Secretary, Lambeth UNISON

Adie Mormech, Student at Manchester Met University GDL

Rob Ahmed. 1st Year Chemical Engineering Student at UCL.

Kate Byrne 

Abdel Mahmoud, UCL student

Donna Guthrie, Unite Branch LE127 Co-Equalities Officer (pc) & BARAC Women's Officer

 Faris Tamimi

Dr. Louis Bayman, University of Southampton

Tahmidur Rahman, 3rd Year Student of English at UCL 

Maria Gutierrez

Simone Webb

Jen Izaakson, Unison

Fatima Mahmoud

Elahe Amraie

Laila al-Khatib

Amanda Dilley

Lorraine Harding.

Felicity Premru

Simmi Dullay, Black Cultural Producer 

Margaret Kabasinde, retired 

Ayan Shegow

Diane Langford, Writer 

Annette Rochester

Nana Asante, Chairperson - Africans for Momentum / Africans for Jeremy Corbyn Values, Secretary - IDPAD Coalition UK

Mohammed Shafiq

Zaharan Sofi

Rhiannon Lockley, West Midlands Chair UCU (PC)

Nat Raha, University of Sussex and Edinburgh College of Art

Lee Jasper, Blaksox 

MOUNTING PRESSURE ON THE BARBICAN AS THE CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION RESPONDS

 MOUNTING PRESSURE ON THE BARBICAN AS THE CITY OF LONDON CORPORATION RESPONDS TO OUR OPEN LETTER

 

Pressure is mounting on The Barbican from a growing number of organisations and individuals outraged by the arts venue's decision to host the offensive Exhibit B, designed by white South African, Brett Bailey. Over 15,000 people have signed an online petition calling on the Barbican to withdraw from hosting the exhibition. 

A coalition of organisations have come together to campaign against the exhibition together with the petition author, Sara Myers. This includes BARAC UK, OBV, BEMA, UpRise, Unite the Union, PCS union, NUS Black Students Campaign, OBU, Legali, DLA & YEMANJA & BEF. 

On 2nd September, as The Barbican had failed to respond to our second letter to them,  BARAC sent an open letter to the City of London Corporation, which owns The Barbican.

On 4 September we received the following response from The City Corporation Chief Executive:

Dear Ms Holbourne

Firstly, let me assure you that your concerns in relation to the presentation by the Barbican Centre of Exhibit B are taken seriously. The City Corporation, and in turn the Barbican Centre Board, recognise the strength of feeling in relation to Exhibit B. It tackles controversial and sensitive issues and has rightly initiated intense debate.  

There is no  mechanism for the public to directly address the Court of Common Council. Given the timing of the Court of Common Council meeting, and that the next meeting of the Barbican Centre Board takes place after Exhibit B, and the strength of feeling on this issue, we would be able to arrange a meeting between you and representatives from the Barbican Centre Board and management to discuss the issues raised by Exhibit B in advance of 23 September.  

Yours sincerely,

John Barradell 

 We have written back to Mr Barradell setting out the terms of any meeting to take place. 


 

If We Stand for Nothing, We Fall for Anything, by Zita Holbourne

We invite you to join us at two protests next week as follows: 

We plan to lobby  the City of London Corporation Court of Common Council taking place on Thursday 11 Sept at 1pm, assembling 12.15pm. The address is: Great Hall, Guildhall Yard, London, EC2V 5. Join the Facebook event for details and updates. 

On Saturday 13th of Sept we will be staging an event at The Barbican to hand in the petition, assembling at 1pm.  The address is: The Barbican Exhibition Centre, London, EC1Y0. Join the Facebook event for details and updates.

If UK arts institutions wish to explore the histories of black people, they need to understand and acknowledge that our story did not begin with enslavement, colonial rule, apartheid and segregation.  They need to understand that the atrocities that were inflicted on us are not us. They must acknowledge that the objectification of us during periods of history cannot be addressed by repeating this objectification and labelling it art. Contrary to The Barbican's claim that doing this is empowering, it is in fact about power and privilege. It devalues and undermines our worth in a degrading way. Our lives, histories, struggles and successes cannot be understood by the recreating of a human zoo. 

  As an artist and curator, I create and promote art that challenges racism but also promotes equality. I am the curator of the Roots, Culture, Identity Art Exhibition
which is currently on tour and showcases the art of young black artists.

From the collection 'Still Rising, Still Shining' by Zita Holbourne

 Here is an extract of the Press Release for the exhibition which will be hosted by the Public and Commercial Services later this month: 

 Zita Holbourne, curator, artist and an elected member of the TUC Race Relations Committee said; ‘Following the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence, the TUC set up a Task Group to examine institutional racism and one of the agreed actions was to make the Marble Hall at Congress House available to showcase the talents of young Black people. I am delighted to be curating this exhibition and that the Race Relations Commmitee is giving an opportunity to young Black artists to share their talents with a wider audience. Young black people are impacted negatively and disproportionately on multiple grounds by austerity, both in the labour market and by cuts to arts funding. It’s important to nurture the extraordinary talent that exists in our communities, now more than ever.  Such talent and the important messages and ideas about the world we live communicated through art, need to be shared, understood and celebrated.’

Rise Up Against Racism, by Zita Holbourne

 
Brett Bailey's exhibition does nothing to address the institutional racism, amplified by austerity that black people face today in the UK or to celebrate our achievements throughout history or today. 


Zita Holbourne, Campaign Press Officer, 
National Co-Chair BARAC UK.  



Scroll down for Boycott the Human Zoo Campaign connectivity and Press contacts