Ahead of this weekend’s Festival of Resistance, human rights activist, Pinar Aksu, reflects on some of the key moments around asylum policy from the past few years and the unity now needed in the face of the Nationality and Borders Bill.

Words by Pinar Asku and Images by Simon Murphy

At the start of the pandemic, when we were unsure of everything, people seeking asylum and refuge were evicted from their homes across Glasgow and put into hotel accommodation.

They were informed on the day of the move and were given just 30 minutes or so to pack their belongings, without being told where they will be going. This was condemned widely as something that was not right and should not be normalised. Unfortunately we lost our friend Adnan Elbi, May 2020 in one of those Glasgow hotels. Campaigners and organisations continued to raise concerns for these provisions, however our voices were not listened to.

In June 2020, Badreddin Abadlla Adam, who was moved into the hotel at the start of the lockdown, lost his life at the Park Inn Hotel in Glasgow. It was recently reported that he had contacted the Home Office, the housing and social care provider Mears as well as the charity Migrant Help 72 times in the run up to the incident. These calls were once again ignored.

At the moment, people are now in hotel detentions across the country. It’s a method which should not be normalised; a process which takes away people’s dignity and freedom.

In April 2021, a friend experienced a dawn raid, in which more than eight immigration officers came to detain the family, causing extreme shock for everyone. Our friend was taken to the hospital as he had medical needs and was left alone there. As the communities reorganised to raise awareness about what happened, we spoke out about how the practice of dawn raids should never happen anywhere. It is a traumatising experience that leaves people in shock and is condemned by many.

Around three weeks later, on 13 May 2021, the dawn raid on Kenmure Street in Pollokshields took place. As the van was about to leave, everyone came together to stop it happening. Someone lay beneath the van, and people started to gather, chanting: ‘These are our neighbours, let them be, let them free’. With resistance arriving from all across the city, after eight hours, our friends were free! This was a resistance; a community resistance.

And now on 13th and 14th of May, the Festival of Resistance is taking place on Kenmure Street to remember the solidarity which took place.This solidarity is now needed more than ever, as the asylum system is being used by the UK Government for political gains.

The Nationality and Borders Bill

Now that the Nationality and Borders Bill has been passed by the UK Parliament, we are witnessing one of the most inhumane proposals on immigration. The key aspects of the anti-refugee bill include creating offshore asylum processing centres, criminalising people when they arrive in the UK by boat, taking citizenship away from people without notice, restricting family reunification, and creating a two tier refugee system.

The bill is condemned widely by third sector organisations as well as many politicians, lawyers, UNHCR, people with lived experience and grassroots groups. It will be a direct violation to human rights, the UN Refugee Convention, as well as international protection mechanisms. The bill will not be fair and just and it will enable direct division amongst the communities. Especially with the recent news about creating offshore detention in Rwanda. This proposal will enable people being sent to Rwanda while asylum claims are being processed and once granted status, to stay in Rwanda.

Although the House of Lords have added amendments such as ending offshore detention and providing the right to work for people in the asylum process, the House of Commons have been rejecting these amendments.
Now, the ping-pong process has ended and the bill passed, we all need to be ready to continue opposing the bill. We need to remind everyone that the bill is divisive, inhumane and not in line with international law. We need to celebrate our differences, we need to continue campaigning for a fair, just and humane immigration system based on human rights. We need to say it out loud, and to say it clear that refugees are welcome here!

This article will feature in Issue 6 of our magazine which will be available to pick-up around Govanhill from early next week.