[noborders-brum] Indymedia feature on Birmingham's 2007 Refugee Week

[Shiar]

[for hyper links see
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/birmingham/2007/06/374496.html]


Birmingham's 2007 Refugee Week(end)

IMC Birmingham | 27.06.2007 00:37

Besides the annual high-profile Celebrating Sanctuary 'festival', this
year's Refugee Week in Birmingham saw a candlelit vigil, organised by the
Birmingham Anti-Racist Campaign (ARC), in the grounds of St. Philip's
Cathedral on Friday, 22 June, to remember asylum seekers who took their
own lives and to protest against the government's racist policies [call].
This was followed by African, Kurdish and Iranian live music, then the
annual Refugee Sleep-out to highlight the problem of destitution that many
asylum seekers suffer from. The following day, the end of Refugee Week,
saw a rally in Victoria Square, organised by ARC as well, to highlight the
bitter realities suffered by refugees and asylum seekers in Britain and to
protest against the Home Office's war on them [call].

Meanwhile, Birmingham NoBorders issued a statement on the
much-talked-about asylum amnesty, pointing out that, even when not based
on racist criteria, it is not a long-term solution and often causes great
suffering for those who do not 'fit in' and leads to stricter immigration
controls.

Related: Celebrating Sanctuary?! What Sanctuary?! | Birmingham NoBorders
and The Angel Group at Celebrating Sanctuary | Refugee Week 2006: ARC
vigil | Solihull picket | "party without borders"