Thread by @minnierahman

Some earnest thoughts on the events in #Glasgow #Pollokshields.

What happened there today epitomises everything that's wrong with the Home Office and this Government - but also shows us how we can oppose them. ⬇️⬇️⬇️

When the Home Office chose to send immigration enforcement vans on Eid, it wasn't an accident. Raids rely on foreseeing a person's location. They're also intended to be incredibly distressing, disorientating and confusing. Imagine being torn from your family on Xmas day.

The conflation between policing and immigration enforcement is something to be extremely concerned about. The classification of people as "illegal" is what makes it absolutely fine for 20 police officers to enter your home, trash it and shove you in the back of a van.

People who are part of our communities are told that they are a "danger" or "don't belong". They could have been here since they were children, they could have fallen out of the status by accident, the Home Office could have cocked up their case. jcwi.org.uk/pages/category…

These people could have been put in detention indefinitely. Behind closed doors, limited access to their family and legal advice. Often subject to brutality/aggression from private contractors. Often they are released back home after months. A pointless exercise in state power.

The Government intends to make all of this worse through countless measures in its "Borders Bill". It claims to be focussed on people smugglers but through smoke and mirrors, it will create further crisis in an already broken immigration system.

The Home Office also showed an act of aggression in Nicola Sturgeon's constituency. Is it a surprise that the community there pushed back against a policy dictated by the UK Government? Policies which tell migrants that they aren't welcome? I think not.

Those protestors showed up and won against the Home Office - something that isn't easy to do. But resistance which protects OUR communities, will be criminalised in the Policing Bill #killthebill. Limiting our right to democracy and to have our voices heard.

That Bill will also make it easier for the Home Office to deport people, and make it more difficult/dangerous for migrants to attend protests and stand up for their own rights. This is all connected. The venn diagram is a circle.

The answer is clear here. We must be united in our struggles and we must be organised on the ground. If you care about police brutality, freedom to protest, access to democracy, you must also care about migrants' rights.

When we are united, we can win, even if the journey is long. It is incredibly difficult for the Government to discredit community action which shows opposition to their draconian policies. I hope that we will see more creative protest in solidarity with each other.

And FYI community action can take many forms and protest isn't just on the street. We are all part of different communities, have different strengths and talents. Use what you know, use what you're best at, don't give up.