No Borders Nottingham are holding an open meeting NO BORDERS, NO NATIONS, NO DEPORTATIONS at the Sumac Centre on Friday 13th June., from 6.30pm to 7.45pm, followed by SMALL WORLD KITCHEN (African vegan food, for donation of £3) at 8-8.45pm and a return gig of the excellent Zimbawean roots 'n' reggae band NGOMA (also £3 donation), from 9pm. All welcome.

The idea of the meeting is to introduce what No Borders Nottingham is doing locally (and what other No Borders groups are doing around UK) and to discuss how we can increase our activity - hopefully with your help!

For great reports and pics from Nottingham's Mayday events of 1st & 3rd May, featuring the No Borders Nottingham banner on the Saturday parade through the city centre, please see
Notts Indymedia coverage .

Also see a nice report by Manchester No Borders about their participation on the M'cr Mayday demo: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/05/398488.html

Download the latest No Borders network newsletter, no.4 no_borders_newsletter4.pdf [165.45 Kb] (Count: 25), contents as follows:

* Removal centre detainees fight back at Harmondsworth and Yarl's Wood - 1 to 5 & 10 April 2008
* Zimbabwe demonstration by asylum seekers in association with No Borders Nottingham - 29th March 2008
* No Borders South Wales picket Border and Immigration Agency again, in Cardiff - 12 April 2008
* Manchester No Borders demo for 'free spaces' - 12 April 2008
* Newcastle dawn raid protesters on trial - 27 March 2008
* Angel Group housing provider targeted in Leeds - 11 February 2008
* Leeds demo outside Home Office (Waterside Court) opposing detention & deportations - 27 Match 2008

Thanks to Manchester No Borders for producing the bulletin on behalf of the network!

See also, previous No Borders newsletters, and more, on the No Borders UK website.

Saturday April 5th 2008: Around 6.30 this morning 'riot' police were at Harmondsworth removal centre close to Heathrow airport, and detainees were taken away from the centre in vans. Around 30 detainees have been taken to unknown destinations, according to the news received by No Borders activists. From previous experience this looks like a typical reply from the authorities to break up protests by moving detainees to other prisons around the country and putting people in isolation.

Many thanks to Indymedia, the only independent media in the UK it seems. The lack of response from the mainstream media around the detainees' protest has been shameful.

Read the detainees' petition signed by 116 detainees:
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/395575.html

Read also, Press Release by supporting groups: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/395640.html

The British state makes criminals out of people demanding the right to work. Baktial Omar from the Meadows has been sent to prison for 8 months because he needed money so much that he was forced to forge his documents so that he could get a job. Read article on Indymedia: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/395649.html and 'Read more' for Nottingham Evening Post coverage.

Yesterday morning, April 1st, from 9am, all - or the majority at least- of immigration detainees at Harmondsworth removal centre refused food and were in peaceful occupation of the courtyard.

Detainees said: 'We are human beings, we want to be treated with dignity we shall stay in the coutyard until our demands are heard.'

Full story: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2008/04/395251.html

Later at 11pm, it was added "some detainees, they say about a hundred, are still in the courtyard and refusing to go back in. They intend to spend the night in the courtyard. They are gettig water. Some have duvets and warm clothes. Very few people have eaten, most are still refusing food since 9am."

UPDATE: Don't bother with writing to Jacqui Smith, Lovey is already at heathrow but do fax Virgin Atlantic! She is due to fly out at 20.30 hrs tonight. But below is the model fax

Lovey has been a volunteer with Refugee Action (in Nottingham) from July 2006 to 27th March when she was detained while signing on at Loughborough. Read more for more info and about what you can do to help.

The Aegis trust is organising free coaches from Nottingham for this demo.
For details, see http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/not.../03/394977.html

At 2pm on Saturday 29th March, on the day of the Zimbabwean elections, folks gathered to highlight the dangers that people who have fled Zimbabwe will face, if they are forcibly returned there.

No Borders Nottingham group [in association with Zimbawean asylum seekers] had called for the demonstration at our shinny new [temporary] Speakers Corner, on the edge of the Market Square, Nottingham. Some who had gathered there were asylum seekers who have come here for help, and their supporters demonstrating their wish that these people should not be turned away. Original story, audio interviews & lots of great photos can be found at http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/not.../03/395015.html
Addition - Link to more interviews here: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/not.../04/395427.html

Article about a deportation flight that took place last Thursday:
http://www.andyworthington.co.uk/?p=251
Extract: [...] Britain’s press completely ignored the forcible deportation, on Thursday, of 60 Iraqi Kurds, who were transported back to a decidedly uncertain future on a German plane from a UK airport. Each of the 60 “failed asylum seekers,” as they are officially known, was escorted by an armed Home Office guard funded by the UK taxpayer. The guards had previously seized the men from the detention centers at Campsfield and Colnbrook in what looked uncomfortably like a “dawn raid.” [...]. For further information on the deportation, email Dashty Jamal, International Federation of Iraq Refugees (IFIR) Secretary on: d.jamal@ntlworld.com

See also: http://sankofafoundation.blogspot.com/2008...ns-to-iraq.html