Precious and Florence Mhango must stay! Last month they were refused asylum
Campaigners led by Glasgow MSP Anne McLaughlin led a demo at Donald Dewar statue on Monday July 11th in protest to the refusal of the case of Florence Mhango and 10-year daughter Precious by the Home Office. Anne and the campaign have run an amazing high-profile media campaign on Facebook, GMTV, BBC TV and Radio and in the pages of the Evening Times which has really supported this campaign in defence of mother - a victim of domestic violence trying to stay with her daughter who only know's Glasgow and does not want to live with her violent father's family in Malawi.
We all recently had a flavour of Malawi so-called justice system with the vindictive jailing of a gay couple - and it's family law favour's the father's family not the mother. Incredibly this abusive man still has a student visa and leave to remain here while his wife and child - whom he does not support - are made outlaws. Help Florence and Precious by joining the Florence and Precious Must Stay facebook group and writing to your MPs and calling on Home Secretary Theresa May to show some sisterly solidarity as Women's minister in the UK Coalition government!
Graham Campbell (A&CN Network Development Coordinator)
Charles Belongs to Glasgow ! Charles Atangana - NUJ journalist was not removed to Cameroon today!
Lawyers acting for high-profile Glasgow African journalist and NUJ trade unionist Charles Atangana have managed to stop the deportation flight as more than 50 supported gathered in the drizzle outside Brand St Home Office reporting centre.
I spoke to Charles this evening in buoyant mood at Colnbrook detention centre in England, despite having spent 23 hours a day locked with just two 30 minute exercise breaks per day. He expects a hearing on Thursday or Friday this week but worries that due to court staff holidays he could be there for several weeks before a date is set - so furtehr delayign his freedom. Since his detention on 25th June he has mostly been held on a wing for those with removal directions i.e. a departure flight date. This is the equivalent of death row and treats legitimate asylum seekers like Charles as terrorist for the crime of fleeing persecution by the dictatorship of President Paul Biya. Cameroon is officially one of the most dangerous places in Africa to be a journalist according to Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch.
Charles asked me to thank everyone who sent faxes and emails on his behalf and came to the demonstration today.
We hope to see Charles back in Glasgow in the near future but let's keep up the pressure for the courts to release him on bail. Once again the scandal of Kenya Airways being used as the default airline profitting from deporting Africans back to dictatoriships and possible death.
Multi Faith Anti Poverty Project: Phase 2 begins September 2010
We are asking for volunteers to become part of the second phase of the MAPP anti-poverty campaigning project linking African and Arab christians and muslims. The first phase was a great success with over 100 people attending the first 3 workshops on Poverty & Social Exclusion in March, on Employment and Education in April and on Housing in May at Hillhead High School and at the STUC, Woodlands Rd. Jointly organised by Dar al Falaah and Jubilee Social Centre - we heard Christian and Muslim women's and mens' voices on poverty alleviation and the role faith plays in combatting injustice and inequality. The workshops also highlighted the need for better access to employment, housing and eduation equal opportunities - and how discrimination compunds the poverty our communities face.
We are now looking for new volunteers to join the next set of workshops to be jointly organised with the Central and West Integration Network, Glasgow and with the nationally-based Ethnic Minority Civic Congress. .jpg)
The 1st MAPP project was managed by Arabic educational charity Dar Al Falaah jointly with the A&CN and two A&CN affliliates the REMI Church and Glasgow Jubilee Social Centre and was funded by FISCAF. We would like to thank in particular Rev Michael Angley Ogwuche, Imam Mustaqeem Shah, Mr Akhter Khan, Dr Abdelkader Kebabti and his Dar Al Falaah volunteer team of Abdul Mohammed, and Alaa Kebabti, Dr Nashwan Al Sharbati who helped coordinate the project. In particular Ms Twimuke Mushaka of the Poverty Alliance and Mr Shakeel Ali of the Transformation team were especially helpful in providing information and running workshops.
This will need your commitment to visit mosques and churches; to share concepts from our religion that guide us in fighting poverty and social injustice. We will train volunteers to help organise an anti-poverty conference and workshops during Autumn 2010. We hope you will become anti-poverty champions within your communities. download Phase 1 full report here
Had your asylum case refused? Worried about being detained by the Home Office? Scared of being deported?
Come and find out how to organise your anti-deportation campaign
Come to our monthly anti-deportation classes
the first Saturday of every month.
Organised by UNITY and supported by NCADC (National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns)
Next workshop: SATURDAY August 28th 2010 11am-4pm
At the Kinning Park Complex, on Cornwall Street, off Paisley Road West, opposite Kinning Park Underground station or bus 121, 54, 56 & 9
These classes, based on similar workshops run by the National Coalition for Anti-Deportation Campaigns, will last all day and will give an introduction to the UK asylum system and how you can do more to help your asylum case. Please bring your lunch
We will run these anti-deportation classes every month on the first Saturday of the month at the Kinning Park complex. Please tell anyone you think might be interested.
Financial Appeal by Unity Centre Glasgow
A BIG, brand new, New Year, Unity financial appeal has been lunched to ask people to make a donation to help keep the Unity centre open. It’s that time of year again when we ask people to make a donation to help us keep the Unity Centre open.
Run completely by volunteers, the Unity Centre is totally dependent on donations from friends and supporters. We do not get funding from any other source.
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Biniam Asmelesh was not removed to Italy! Lawyers in Scotland managed to stop the flight. We spoke to Biniam in Campsfield this morning. He asked us to thank everyone who sent faxes and emails on his behalf. We hope to see Biniam re-unitied with Lula and his children in the near future.
Biniam Asmelash is a 30 year old Eritrean man who was detained in Glasgow early june. He has been given Third Country removal directions for early on Monday morning despite his wife and three children are still living in Glasgow.
Biniam is a Pentecostal Christian and fled Eritrea in 2004 because the Pentecostal Christian church is not one of the four registered religions tolerated by the Eritrean government. Biniam married his wife Lula in Eritrea in 2003 while he was still in the army.