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…

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

#Jamaica50 update 🧵 we’re still in early stages of speaking to detainees, so far 12 detained. All bar one received these Removal Directions today for the flight on 18 May. This thread summarises what we know so far #StopThePlane (1/15) This #Jamaica50 flight set to be FULL of those who came as kids & those with learning disabilities & other disabilities. 7/12 came UK age 12 & under. 7/11 (1unknown) have learning disabilities, 3 dyslexia, 1 ADHD & 3 with other general learning difficulties #StopThePlane (2/15)

Spoke to Romanian detainee Colnbrook - situation highlights utter insanity of @ukhomeoffice policy & procedure. He is DESPERATE to return to his sick wife & child, he’s begun a hunger strike, here is his story #StopThePlane #Jamaica50 (thread 1/7) He came to UK for his birthday, to meet friends& party (he spent time living here years ago). Arrived 22 Oct, return ticket booked for 31 Oct. There was incident at party, he was arrested, held overnight but released without charge - he missed his plane (2/7)

BREAKING: Young asylum seeker on roof of @CrownePlaza threatening to kill himself - fire brigade there. neglect of asylum seekers in these hotels & extreme isolation of places like Crowne Plaza make deaths inevitable #RefugeesWelcome #EndDetention #EndDeportations (thread 1/8) Almost 400 asylum seekers in this one hotel, inc families & children, inc severely disabled children - we’ve known people left without a GP for 4-6 months despite serious health conditions #RefugeesWelcome #EndDetention (2/8)

#Jamaica50 flight has gone. @Wamosair are profiteers who took @ukhomeoffice blood money - not airline used before. We believe there is 10 or less on flight, smallest no since they restarted in 2019 post #WindrushScandal thank you to everyone who took action (1/5) 26 tkts cancelled out of 30 people in contact w/ MFJ. Detainees, families & communities put through torture in service of this governments racist agenda #StopThePlane #Jamaica50 #YesItsRacist (2/5)

#Jamaica50 Voices - Listen to the videos in this thread as D speaks out from Colnbrook about the conditions he's endured as someone who entered detention COVID free & is now gasping for breath & struggling with his mental health in isolation. Time to #StopThePlane (Thread 1/8) D isolated & not given phone charger or belongings "I feel physically weak at the moment, like Im going to collapse any time" "last time I felt like this was when homeless & starving on streets" "things like this trigger traumatic memories for me" #Jamaica50 #StopThePlane (2/8)

Who are #Jamaica50 ? It’s important to get truth out fast about people @ukhomeoffice have swept up in racist dragnet of Jamaican community ahead of Aug mass deportation charter flight. This thread tells some of their stories #StopThePlane #StopCharterFlights #EndDetention (1/16) 1. MM came UK age 11 to join father, indefinite leave to remain (ILR), 19 yrs UK. 7 British kids, 5 w/wife inc newborn. Convicted possession/intent, original trial judge gave suspended sentence noting good character & deserved second chance. CPS appealed, revised to 3yrs (2/16)

Let’s talk children. Imagine being a 14y/o boy seeing ur dad in prison every wk of 2yrs inside except when #COVID19 meant visits stopped. You’re excited cause he’s due out Thurs - day b4 your 15th Birthday. You’ve been planning & thinking about it 4 mths #Jamaica50 (Thread 1/7) Lockdown & visits stopping has been so hard but your parents reassure you it’s ok cause this is the day he’ll be out, he’ll be there for your birthday. So you try to keep your head down, get to grips with online learning, keep focused. It isn’t easy. #EndDeportations (2/7)

Spoken to 10 #Jamaica50 detainees & confirmed dets for 8 - this is who @ukhomeoffice planning 2 shackle & put on charter flight b4 Xmas at height of #COVID19 Fathers to 31 Brit children. Men who’ve been in UK most of their lives #StopCharterFlights #EndDeportations (thread 1/8) To carry out flight, up to 20 people will be shackled with waist, hand & feet restraints w/ guard either side of them as they are forced on a plane. Because of Coronavirus restrictions they will not have been able to say goodbye to their children and families in person. (2/8)

Spent 2day following up w/ cross channel refugees detained in #Yarlswood - picture emerging of vulnerable people denied right to legal reps & contact with outside world in drive to deport as quickly as possible. Here are some of things we’ve learned... (thread 1/9) #EndDetention Detainees being told that detention in hotels after #yarlswood will b for 14day “quarantine” - even those w/ families & addresses told they must go to hotel (we know it’s because it is easier to raid a hotel & pick everyone up at once for a charter flight) (2/9)