Report/Photos of Demonstration in Response to the Killing of Jimmy Mubenga by GS4
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rights, freedoms and repression |
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Monday November 15, 2010 16:14
by Ciaron - Giueseppe Conlon House/ London Catholic Worker
On October 12th 2010, Jimmy Mubenga was killed by GS4 security guards in a packed plane waiting for take off on the runway at Heathrow, London. While being deported to Angola he was being heavilly restrained by security guards and had complained of breathing problems.
Kevin Wallis, a passenger on the aircraft, said he heard Jimmy Mubenga complain "I can't breath, I can't breath" for at least 10 minutes before he lost consciousness, and later observed that handcuffs had been used in the restraint.
The guards work for G4S, aprivate security firm sub-contracted by the British government to carry out deportations.
Jimmy's body remains in the custody of the state, which can't work out whether to deport the corpse of Jimmy Mubenga or finally grant him the assylum of a grave on British soil. The family understandably are distraught. It was very courageous of them, and other Angolans, to attend this demonstration.
According to the "Institute for Race Relations", 77 people have died as the result of UK's harsh Border Regime. This past Friday I attended a demonstration in downtown London, we marched with Jimmy's widow and children from the Angolan Embassy to the Home Office. This is a good report (woth photos) of the demonstration by Lara.............
Report/Photos of Demonstration in Response to the Killing of Jimmy Mubenga by GS4
by Lara
Consider this. We were marching on a working day, a Friday, in central London. It was a very specific demonstration, to demand justice for Jimmy Mubenga and justice for his family. It was always going to be a long walk from the Angolan embassy to the Home Office on Marsham Street. In the event, it became even longer by the time the police had finished diverting us down the back of the Palace and then away from St James’ Park. (The reason: ‘They’re changing the guard at Buckingham Palace.’ Said Alice. ”It would frighten the horses.’ Really? They can cope with a 21-gun salute, so how could they possibly be frightened by a very peaceful demonstration led by a grieving family? ) Consider too the weather. Heavy rain predicted for the entire morning. Consider too that many of the target marchers – the Angolan community in the UK – came under pressure not to come out. They had to draw on significant reserves of courage and determination to join the rest of us who were under no threat whatsoever. Taking all this into account, we were delighted to be joined by over 150 protesters, the vast majority of whom were Angolan, some Congolese, a couple of Iraqis, a group of Brits, an Australian, and various others. This was already a success.
Article continued.........
http://savageclown.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/twelve-elev...-ten/
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Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7A couple of photos.
Ciaron with Sign
Close-up of Sign
YOUTUBE (3 mins) NECK (London Irish Punk band) - "Everyone's Welcome to the Hooley" (anti-racist)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaTDHF-0nJQ
If any of you would like to read more about our demonstration last Friday, I have uploaded the speech by Rosário Miranda, which he gave outside the Home Office. Many thanks to IndyMedia for showing support and interest.
Second attempt to remove Maurice Ombaku
Maurice Ombaku a 34-year-old Congolese national (DRC) is currently detained at Harmondsworth IRC. He is due to be forcibly removed from the UK, on Thursday 18th November @ 19:00 hrs on Kenya Airways flight KQ101 from London Heathrow to Nairobi for onward transport to DR Congo.
A previous attempt to remove Maurice on the 10th of November was stayed
Since the previous attempt, fresh evidence has arrived from DRC: Maurice's cousin has been killed by police looking for Maurice. Because of this, it seems even more clear that Maurice's life would be in danger if he were to return to the DRC.
Maurice fled to the UK after realizing his life was no longer safe in the DRC. His safety is at severe risk, should he be removed.
*Please take action immediately to help Maurice - this case is extremely urgent.
About Maurice
Maurice has been a low level member of the opposition party MLC (Movement for the Liberation of Congo) since 2003, and has been engaged in low level political activism for the party since January of this year, rallying support in preparation for the 2011 elections. Since June of this year, armed men from the government have been coming to his house in Kinshasa, threatening to kill him. After evading them a number of times, he realised that he was no longer safe in the DRC, and fled to the UK via South Africa with a false passport. He did this not knowing a word of English, and in the belief that he would know no one in the country (it subsequently turned out that a cousin of his lives here).
His case has been Fast Tracked, as the Home Office claims that the DRC is a safe country. He was first allotted a solicitor from Sheikh and Co., but the firm went bust; he was then allotted solicitor from another firm, legal reprsentation ngligence followed.........
Maurice now has a solicitor from Beeman's working on his case, who has put in a fresh application based on an MLC membership card which has arrived from the DRC. However, this may not be enough to stop the deportation.
Political violence against MLC members was well-documented in the run up to the last elections. There is no reason to expect this time will be any different. In addition, having fled once, Maurice's life will certainly be in yet more danger if he should be forced to return to the DRC. Please act now to stop this unjust removal.
What you can do
1. Contact Theresa May, Home Secretary
Ask her to exercise her discretionary powers to stop the flight, to release Maurice from detention and to grant him protection in the UK. You can use the attached template letter , Maurice_Ombaku_homesec_letter.doc or alternatively write your own one. Please remember to quote Maurice's Home Office Reference number in any correspondence: O1140834.
Rt. Hon Theresa May, MP
Secretary of State for the Home Office,
2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Fax: 020 7035 4745
emails:
mayt@parliament.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
2. Contact Kenya Airways' Sam Okwulehie
Mr Sam Okwulehie
Kenya Airways
Bedfont Road
Staines
Middlesex, TW19 7NL
Fax: 020 8745 5027
Phone: 020 8759 7366
E-mail: contact@kenya-airways.com
Jimmy Mubenga was buried form a church in Ilford, London, last Saturday morning (Dec 4th.)
Jimmy Mubenga's GS4 Killer Still at Work Humiliating Deportees on Facebook
A guard under investigation for the alleged manslaughter of Angolan detainee Jimmy Mubenga has used his Facebook page to post a mocking photograph of two other men, assumed to be detainees, on an aircraft.
Terence Hughes, from Portsmouth, who was arrested over Mubenga's death last year and remains on bail, placed the image of two south Asian men on the social networking site last month.
The Guardian can reveal Hughes has permitted a number of friends to post a string of racist and offensive comments below the image. Some of the posters are other guards accredited by the Home Office to escort detainees.
The comments include offensive remarks about the men's appearances, suggestions they should be on the "London to Bradford Express" and a joke that the men should have been in handcuffs shouting "kill me now".
Two serving guards have been suspended as a result of the Guardian's investigation into the Facebook postings. Jonathan Sedgwick, acting chief executive of UK Border Agency, expressed his "deep concern" and said the Home Office had requested an immediate investigation.
Sedgwick said: "None of the staff involved will work for the UK Border Agency while these claims are investigated. The prisons and probation ombudsman will begin an investigation into these allegations, at our request."
ARTICLE CONTINUED......
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/jun/21/mubenga-case-g...ebook
AUDIO (4 mins) - Eyewitness to the G4S killing of Jimmy Mubenga
http://tinyurl.com/32yk6jm