The Case against Deportation

cork | migration | event notice Friday July 31, 2009 20:30 by Joe Moore - Cork Anti Racism Network mapuche at eircom dot net 087-2994796

Civil Rights for Asylum Seekers-The Case against Deportation. A meeting to discuss this issue will be held on Friday 21st August at 8.00pm in the Victoria Hotel, Patrick St. Cork. The meeting will be addressed by Rosanna Flynn, Residents against Racism Dublin, Joe Moore, Cork Anti Racism Network and Theresa Obi, Cork Anti Racism Network. The proceedings will be chaired by Marie Claire Kah.

On December 10th 1948 the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Since then Human Rights Day is celebrated internationally on December 10th. Last year marked the 60th anniversary of the Decleration. The Irish government took part in the celebrations.

However on the following day, December 11th, the government showed its true committment to human rights by deporting 56 Nigerian men, women and children. Since then there has been four further mass deportations to Nigeria and at the time of writing another is planned.

Cork Anti Racism Network is campaigning for civil rights for asylum seekers. Our charter of four demands was launched last February. These are the right to work, the right to third level education, the closures of direct provision centres and an end to deportations.

Deportations are the most vicious form of state racism. Families are separated, dreams are destroyed. The deportation of 25th February last, saw the breakup of two families. In one instance a husband and father was taken, leaving behind his wife and three children. In the other a wife and mother was deported, leaving a husband and two children.

In many cases deportations begin with dawn raids. These allow no time to say good bye to friends. Children of school going age are removed from the state, with their class mates left wondering what happened to them. As the Jack Warshaw song "No Time for Love" puts it,
" No time for love if they come in the morning,
No time to show tears or for fears in the morning,
No time for good bye, no time to ask why,
And the sound of the siren's the cry of the morning."

The media are compliant in these deportations. The most that can now be expected is a short column in some of the daily papers. These reports dehumanise the victims, only refering to them as "failed asylum seekers" or "illegal immigrants." To quote Woody Guthrie,
" You won't have a name when you ride the big aeroplane,
All they will call you will be deportees."

Cork Anti Racism Network will argue the case against deportation at a public meeting on Friday 21st August at 8.00pm in the Victoria Hotel, Patrick Street.