Liam Byrne's Trip to Glasgow
Liam Byrne came to Glasgow today and received a warm welcome. Kind of. Here is a report from a participant, and from Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees.
After a trip to the Parliament in Edinburgh, the Minister for Dawn Raids arrived at Glasgow City Chambers at 2:45. There was already a substantial crowd outside the front door when the two purple Merc people carriers pulled into the St. Vincent St entrance.
On arrival, our VIP was met with jeers and shouts of "No Dawn Raids" and "We belong to Glasgow," leaving him in no doubt as to his popularity amongst the victims of his government's vindictive policies. Whilst he was inside, people kept chanting and the crowd outside numbered around 70.
Around 3:30, the gates were opened and police forced a path through the crowd by shoving people. Some in the crowd complained about the rough treatment, one man was grabbed by the throat. The vans trundled off behind some cyclists enjoying the afternoon air.
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Protesters followed the Minister to the Home Office at Brand St, where the police presence was heavier and more aggressive. About 100 protesters sang, danced and chanted whilst the Minister met with staff inside. The "reforms" he announced today are bound to have raised their flagging morale, given that they consist of carrying on with the "fast-track" system recently introduced to no acclaim.
An attempt by Police to cause a diversion to allow the Minister to sneak away in the opposite direction caused the situation to descend into a melee as police over-reacted when protesters ran into the road and blocked the first car in the convoy. Despite their best attempts, protestors succeeded in bringing the car to a halt.
One over-zealous policeman, officer G116, was seen to push people to the ground, knock an elderly African woman to the ground then stand on her and attempted to snatch cameras from witnesses to his behaviour, described as "out of control".
Unfortunately, one asylum seeker was arrested after an empty plastic bottle was apparently thrown at the car. During his arrest, as he was panicking, our friend G116 chose to put him in a choke hold despite the man already being restrained by 3 other officers.
After the confusion, an ambulance had to be called for the lady knocked to the ground by G116. She appeared to be suffering from a panic attack brought on by the over-the-top, heavy-handed policing.
Despite the negative end to a day of determined protests, with Liam Byrne being dogged everywhere he went, today was overall a massive success showing the determination by asylum seekers and their Scottish friends and neighbours to resist the barbaric policies of the Home Office.
The man arrested was charged with resisting arrest and molesting police (!) and was released on bail the following day from Glasgow Sheriff Court much to the relief of his wife and friends who were deeply upset at his arrest and worried about his safety.
He has got some bruises, a ripped coat and marks around his throat - thanks to the violent way in which he was handled, especially by G116 but otherwise he is fine.
He's due back in court on 15th Feb.
If anyone has photo's, can be a witness or just wants to support the family please contact the UNITY Centre.
0141 427 7992
- - - - - - - - - - - Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees Report
No Dawn Raids No Deportations
80 of us travelled through to Edinburgh early on Thursday morning. We had a short rally outside the Parliament and then went inside to conduct a press conference/public meeting in one of the large committee rooms. Thanks to Sandra White MSP and her office for their invaluable help in this.
Nearly a hundred of us crowded in to hear statements of support from 7 cross party MSPs.Bill Butler, and Patricia McNeill, Labour, whose constituency include the Kingsway flats,Sandra White and Linda Fabiana, SNP, Patrick Harvie, Greens, Colin Fox, Convener of the SSP, Tommy Sheridan, Solidarity.
There is not agreement among the MSPs about their attitude to Liam Byrne's new arrangements but their support is a great encouragement.Rev Ian Whyte represented Positive Action in Housing and spoke of the parallels with the fight 200 years ago against slavery.
Margaret Woods spoke for the Campaign and emphasised that the new fast tracking arrangements are not an improvement. Given the loaded nature of the hearings they are a fast track to deportation not to asylum. Also that this is not a special deal for Scotland, other regions will have the same set up. Scotland will not have control of its own asylum arrangements, it will simply administer Home Office policy locally. It is the local defence networks set up by friends and neighbours and refugees which have the power to make a difference.
Evelyn Louden, a local campaigner from Toryglen, asked why they had been given money to help integrate refugees with their community only to have the heart ripped out of it. Jean Donnachie spoke of the Kingsway residents determination not to have any more of their friends and neighbours dawn raided and deported.Last but not least Amal Azzutin of the Glasgow Girls spoke eloquently and passionately for refugees themselves.
TV cameras were there and the meeting was covered on the lunch-time and evening news. Several newspapers, including the Guardian, Herald and Scotsman had reporters in attendance who interviewed several of the participants. Margaret Woods had been interviewed and was on the BBC TV News the night before. Thanks to the Kingsway residents success in turning back the Home Office vans, dawn raids and deportations are big news.
We travelled back to Glasgow in time to demonstrate outside the City Chambers where Liam Byrne was meeting representatives of Glasgow City Council. About 100 of us chanting, effectively barricaded the exit for an hour so that the police had to call reinforcements to clear a way. They brought this Minister of Her Majesty's Government out in two large vans with blacked out windows so that the people he represents could not see him and he could not see the people he represents. But he heard us all right.
We punched the air and chanted, knowing we had let him know there is serious support for refugees in this country and growing anger at our Government's abusive and racist asylum policies. How dare they assume that ordinary British and Scottish people are all racists whose xenophobic instincts have to be pandered to. The fight back against their racist asylum policy is being led and organised by ordinary local people who have learned to value "their refugees" as neighbours and friends and whose best instinct is to show solidarity with them in their adversity.
A smaller number carried on to demonstrate further at the Home Office centre at Brand Street where unfortunately one of the asylum seekers was arrested. It is of paramount importance that asylum seekers, refugees and campaigners get together to discuss how to demonstrate effectively and robustly but making sure that asylum seekers, whose legal situation is very fragile and vulnerable, and refugees, against whom anti-terror laws and even trivial criminal charges are being used to deport them, are not put into danger.
Jock MorrisChairGCtWR
