Thinking on #PolicingAct & chilling effect on democratic right to protest. Here’s a 🧵 of some MFJ demos/marches only from past 2yrs - we never asked ‘permission’, we never informed police. Now we could be prosecuted. This one is recently at Colnbrook detention centre (1/20)
Here we marched from brixton to Home Office via Serco & G4S offices -- it was a powerful, vibrant, important march led by asylum seekers, refugees & undocumented many who came to UK on promise of freedom, democracy/equality. #PolicingAct makes mockery of those principles (2/20)
Here outside the Rwandan High Commission protesting inhuman Refugee Trafficking deal. This was after passage of #PolicingAct . How many people will think twice before organising such a protest because of this Act? We can’t let them make us afraid, we must keep fighting! (3/20)
Here outside the High Court as In-Justice Swift decided it was perfectly fine to send refugees to Rwanda even in face of possible human rights threats. The right to protest is integral to democracy - we have a govt treading a path towards fascism #PolicingAct (4/20)
Another from outside Rwandan High Commission - including this one because you can hear that detainees were protesting with us from inside Brook House - no one demonstrates for a jolly day out - we do so because lives are on the line, freedoms, all of our futures (5/20)
Outside the CPS offices demanding they drop the charges against cross channel refugees (6/20)
Outside Jamaican High Commission - this is one we’ve done 2/3 times a year for past few years - every time there’s a #Jamaica50 flight. We’re small but loud as hell - will our PA now be confiscated under police act? (7/20)
A different demo at Jamaican High Commission. On one of these demos we had a PHD student come out from Imperial college & tell us the noise was disturbing him - #PolicingAct puts his momentary discomfort above our right to protest. #Jamaica50#StopThePlane (8/20)
Marching in Peckham, an impromptu march in our community against the #BordersBill & #Raids (9/20)
Outside Canterbury Crown Court protesting prosecution of Cross Channel Refugee Nabil - #BordersBill now criminalises ALL who arrive UK w/out papers 2 seek asylum. court were not happy w/ our demo, neither were some local racists but we will never shut up about injustice (10/20)
Marching outside of 1 of the Home Office’s detention hotels where several residents have died. More people have died in Home Office accommodation than have died crossing the Channel. Let that sink in & try telling us we shouldn’t be loud & disruptive #RefugeesWelcome (11/20)
Outside the Home Office, one of many here. This one was against the murderous plans for push backs of Refugee boats in the Channel. We have a govt prepared to kill black & brown people in the sea. We will KEEP protesting regardless of #PolicingAct (12/20)
Outside Colnbrook Detention Centre in the pouring rain on the eve of another #Jamaica50 flight. For years the pvt companies who run detention centres have tried to get our demos shut down - the #PoliceAct Gives power to abusers & murderers to shut down protest. (13/20)
Outside Magistrates Court in Kent protesting as Nabil’s case was being heard. (14/20)
Marching in Lewisham! We March in our communities because that is where our power lies - we’ve seen that in the successful resistance to immigration raids (15/20)
Marching around Harmondsworth & Colnbrook detention centres on the eve of a #Jamaica50 charter flight - these protests are crucial to the resistance against the racist hostile environment, detention & deportations. (16/20)
full impact of PoliceAct yet to be felt. We saw 1st impact in police confiscation of @snb19692 PA & the charges he is facing. We cannot allow this disgraceful anti-democratic Act to stop us. We keep fighting, we keep marching, we keep resisting. (17/20) libertyhumanrights.org.uk/advice_informa…
full package of laws passed/proposed by rotten, corrupt govt lays infrastructure 4 fascism. Their plans 2 END Human Rights (cause that’s what it is when u pick & chose what humans are ‘worthy’ of rights) will b a rallying call 4 fascists #RightsRemovalBill#SaveOurRights (19/20)
We’re witnessing desperate govt in death throes. Inciting racism 2 try & save their worthless skins, stoking flames of division. We’re in dangerous times, cannot rely on law, on MPs, we must rely on ourselves, on the movement- OUR POWER IS IN THE STREETS! Keep marching! (20/20)
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Dear @NickFerrariLBC - pls stop using LGBT history to invalidate @JustStop_Oil protests. The fight for LGBT rights is rich in militant direct, disruptive ‘law breaking’ actions (a 🧵 1/5)
Who can forget the Lesbian Avengers glorious abseil into the House of Commons in protest at Section 28 (also broke into BBC studio during news & chained to Buckingham Palace) (2/5) lesbiannews.com/british-lesbia…
Die ins, disruption of events, squatting buildings, mass marches - the history of LGBT rights in the UK is a history of resistance, of law breaking (not least, simply by existing gay people were breaking the law up until 1967) (2/5) historicengland.org.uk/research/inclu…
Love this picture by @veripix captures how it FELT marching yesterday w/ Gay Liberation Front #Pride50 Marching alongside Nigerian Lesbian MFJ activist Rosemay Ogiwuke (queer as in fuck your borders sign) & Gay Nigerian activist Micky - both fighting for their right to stay (1/5)
We marched cause PRIDE IS A PROTEST we have so much still 2 fight 4, cause people like Rosemary & Mickey are routinely disbelieved 2b LGBT by @ukhomeoffice who happily deport LGBT people to persecution/death while draping themselves in the rainbow flag #Pride#StopThePlane (2/5)
This is Taher, an Algerian unemployed workers activist who had 2 flee after jailed for protesting. He crossed the channel last year seeking freedom & sanctuary. The day before we marched he was granted asylum. Towards end of this march he said… (3/5) credit @veripix
UPDATE 🧵: 7 people still with tickets for Rwanda 2day. 2 Iraqi Kurdish, 3 Iranian, 1 Albanian & 1 Vietnamese. All have some form of legal action taking place 2day. But this is a race against time #StopTheFlights#StopRwanda#StopThePlane#Rwanda50#NotInMyName (1/10)
One only got decent legal representation YESTERDAY - all had enormous difficulties finding representation in detention. It is a LIE to say they have had chance to make their cases - there is no time, everything is in English & getting a solicitor is no easy task (2/10)
1 is in Brook House, the remaining 6 are in Colnbrook. 2 have expressed suicidal thoughts to us. 1 reports scaring all over his body from torture. This flight is inhumane & must be stopped #StopRwanda#StopTheFlights#StopThePlane (3/10)
TIMELINE of #Rwanda50 flight & all details we know: Mon there’ll be 2 cases seeking injunction to ground flight plus multiple individual detainees cases will b happening - that’s why we’ll be at the court all day, join when u can! at 5.30pm there’s at demo at Home Office (1/7)
We suspect flight will b scheduled for TUES EVE. The 2 most used airports are Stanstead & Birmingham - if it’s BHM guards will start taking people to coaches around 5-6pm (later if Stanstead) we won’t know till the day *Watch this space* (2/7)
There are roughly equal numbers of #Rwanda50 detainees at Colnbrook (Heathrow) & Brook House (Gatwick) detention centres. Coaches should start arriving in afternoon of 14th. Detainees are spread between coaches & vans, few in each. (3/7)
Another detainee, arrived 23rd May, held in #Yaswood for 5 days, given letter of intent for Rwanda in English (with 7 day deadline to respond) but told he couldn’t get duty lawyer till he was moved to colnbrook #Rwanda50#StopThePlane (thread 1/5)
He was moved to Colnbrook & signed up for lawyer the next day (already 3 of 7 days wasted), lawyer calls after 2 days (now only 2 days left of 7 days) - says “I am your lawyer now, will send you docs to sign” & till today he’s had no documents (2/5)
He’s written the form to get duty lawyer several times, nothing. Then he gets an inadmissibility letter saying “you’ve made no submissions” - how the hell could he have made submissions with no lawyer? (3/5)
LONG THREAD 🧵#Rwanda50 how we can #StopThePlane - this is fight of our lives, a defining moment. We cannot let this crime against humanity stand. & while amazing #Activistlawyers work behind scenes to stop this plane, it would be mistake to rely solely on courts (1/20)
This has 2b fight BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY & on all fronts. No one org can do it all, look at this list & think what connections u have, what actions u can take to #StopThePlane then do it. Anyone whose thought “what would I have done in Nazi Germany”- this is your time. (2/20)
We have UK govt determined to destroy human rights in the UK & rip to shreds the very right of seeking asylum - they’ve no tears, they don’t care about horror stories - we will not win by a moral or legal fight alone. #Rwanda50#StopThePlane#EndDeportations (3/20)