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| http://movagxen.wordpress.com/ |
Thank you
for those of you who made it to the Movement Against Xenophobia launch at the House of Commons and Stop The Immigration Bill protest held on Tuesday 22nd October. In seven days we have secured the support of over 65 organisations to our founding statement and as each day goes by more people and organisations are siginng up. So from all at MAX its a very b:og thanks you for all of you who helped spread the word.
Both our Parliamentary launch and lobby was a fantastic
success.
Both were organised within seven days and yet we were able to attract around
150 people to attend Parliament and lobby their MP's.
At the lobby speakers such as Habib
Rahman Chief Executive of Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants, Unite
Political Director Jennie Formby, Cllr
Lester Holloway from the Lib Democrats Jeremy
Corbyn MP in addition to campaigning groups such as
Southall Black Sisters and Movement
for Justice.
All gave powerful and moving testimony of the real danger of promoting racism, irreparably damaging community relations and the real threat to human rights legislation should this bill go through.
In the
afternoon MAX joined the London
Chinatown Chinese Association & Min Quan and The Monitoring Group in a demonstration in
London's China Town that saw every single Chinese restaurant close down for two
hours in protest at the heavy handed and repeated targeting of their businesses
by UKBA deportation squads. This is an issue that is affecting every single
black and ethnic minority business as UKBA under orders from Theresa May
unfairly targets these businesses whether that’s in China Town, Bangla Town,
Brixton or Brent the story is the same.
The landlords provisions in the bill are scandalous and herald a return to the days of the Colour Bar where Carribean Windrush and Irish immigrants in the 1960's were confronted with the signs;
No Blacks No Dogs No Irish.
Please help us and more importantly the wider community wake up to the reality of this deeply divisive bill that will we believe lead to a more divided Britain
Regards
In the
afternoon MAX joined the London
Chinatown Chinese Association & Min Quan and The Monitoring Group in a demonstration in
London's China Town that saw every single Chinese restaurant close down for two
hours in protest at the heavy handed and repeated targeting of their businesses
by UKBA deportation squads. This is an issue that is affecting every single
black and ethnic minority business as UKBA under orders from Theresa May
unfairly targets these businesses whether that’s in China Town, Bangla Town,
Brixton or Brent the story is the same.
Black and
ethnic minority business are being unfairly targeted by an aggressive and
sometimes racist UKBA. The point was not lost on those in attendance that
whilst Britain was Chinese investment it remains hostile to Chinese people.
Please see
below for some critical information on the Bill’s progress and action we need you to take immediately .
We really rely on you now to help us get the message out as the Tories are
seeking to rush the bill through Parliament in record time in the hope that any
opposition will be ill prepared and disorganised.
We believe
the bill will lead to a divided Britain and further demonise hard working
immigrant families and any one else assumed to be a foreign national. If
this bill becomes law as is, then all our communities will be forced to
demonstrate their right to be in the UK on a daily basis whenever we want to
rent a flat, access health care or open a bank account.
In essence
doctors, landlords, banks are all to become border guards for the UKBA. This
will lead to widespread anger confusion.
All trade
unions must refuse to comply with what in essence a codification of racism into
British immigration law. As such we must now make our opposition clear to
the Tory , Lib Dems and Labour Parties that such a bill
in a multicultural society like Britain is a recipe for disaster.
Len
McCluksky General secretary of Unite stated categorically that Unite and
its members will
"... oppose Home Secretary Theresa May’s Immigration Bill
every step of the way."
He added " We do not spy on our friends and neighbours on behalf of
the state"
What we need from Unite and
other Trade unions is a motion agreeing that union members and public
sector workers should refuse to carry out nationality checks on NHS patients and bank customers.
Disappointingly the Labour Party has already expressed it's in
principle support, for this nasty divisive bill. This completely unacceptable
and we will need to bring maximum pressure to bear on Ed Millband and Labour
MP's in the next days and weeks.
Time is
now of the essence and outlined below are a range of actions that we need you to
take immediately to ensure that the Tories do not simply stroll this bill
through Parliament on the nod.
1. At the second reading of the Bill
there were a total of eighteen votes against it three Lib Dems, seven Labour and eight from other parties.
2. The next stage is the Committee
Stage where the Bill is analysed line by line. This is normally 3 weeks or so
after the 2nd reading. In this case the Government keen to avoid controversy or organised opposition have decided that they will begin this process next Tuesday 29th Oct. This demonstrates that the Government is running sacred of proper informed debate on the bills provisions.
3. The Committee will take oral expert
evidence on Tuesday 29th Oct and half of Thursday 31st Oct. It will then begin examining the content of the Bill.
See bottom of page for details on oral evidence and scrutiny timetable.
4. Remember organisations and
individuals with an interest can provide written
evidence to the Bill Committee. We urge your organisation to do
so by clicking on this link Have your say on the Immigration Bill
5. The Committee will complete its
consideration of the Bill by Tuesday 19th Nov and then it will go to the Report stage where all MPs
debate the provisions, suggest amendments and vote.
You can
find the MP members of the Immigration Bill Committee here:
If members
of your organisations are constituents of the MPs who are on the Bill Committee
they should really be encouraged to write to them.
People
still need to write to their MPs saying why they oppose the Bill. Please see
MAX website for details and feel free to forward it on for template letters
etc.
People should
also urge their MPs to attend the Report stage of the Bill and vote
against it. It will especially useful if constituents of the MPs on the
Committee wrote to them in large numbers opposing the Bill.
Lee
Jasper
Movement Against Xenophobia.
COMMITTEE STAGE SCHEDULE
The meetings are open to the public.
Tuesday 29 October 8.55am and 2.00pm in the Boothroyd Room Portcullis House | |
| c8.55am until no later than 9.45am | Professor J. Meirion Thomas, The Royal Marsden; and Jacqueline Bishop, Brighton and Sussex University Trust and co-chair of the Overseas Visitors Advisory Group, NHS |
| c9.45am until no later than 10.45am | British Medical Association; Royal College of General Practitioners; and Academy of Medical Royal Colleges |
| c10.45am until no later than 11.25am | Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association; and MigrationWatch UK |
| c2.00pm until no later than 3.00pm | National Landlords Association; Residential Landlords Association; and UK Association of Lettings Agents |
| c3.00pm until no later than 3.30pm | Crisis |
| c3.30pm until no later than 4.00pm | Universities UK |
Thursday 31 October 11.30am and 2.00pm in the Boothroyd Room Portcullis House | |
| c11.30am until no later than 12.00 pm | JUSTICE |
| c12.00pm until no later than 12.30pm | Liberty |
| c12.30pm until no later than 1.00pm | Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants |
| c2.00pm until no later than 2.45pm | Home Office |
Line by line scrutiny of the Bill (all in Committee Room 9, Palace of Westminster):
| Tuesday 5 November 8.55am and 2.00pm |
| Thursday 7 November 11.30am and 2.00pm |
| Tuesday 12 November 8.55am and 2.00pm |
| Tuesday 19 November 8.55am and 2.00pm |
