The family has decided to have a small and private funeral. They however would like to invite everyone to Miriam’s wake which is going to be held on Thursday 3rd of March from 6.30pm onwards at:

The Polish Eagle Club
2 Sherwood Rise
Nottingham
NG7 6JN

Tel: 0115 962 4859

Everyone is welcome. We’ll there until 11pm (maybe later). It was Miriam’s wish that people brought some food and ate together so please feel free to bring what you can (vegetarian food only please – daughter’s request)

There will be a commemoration book for people to leave messages and a mic for people to share memories and stories.

I look forward to seeing you on thursday so we can all pay tribute to the very special woman Miriam was. Gone but never forgotten. Always loved & always in our hearts.

No Borders Camp Brussels

At the beginning of October a group of us in Nottingham went to the Brussels No Borders camp. In many ways it was interesting and inspiring, and at the same time tiring and frustrating. Since returning to Nottingham we’ve tried to piece together our thoughts on the camp, its successes and failures and how it might be relevant to those living in Nottingham who aim to live in a world without borders.

We’ll start of with a collation post from Brussels Indymedia which gives us a rough idea of what autonomous group actions happened over the week.

• A police station was attacked, windows smashed, 2 cops injured and some of their cars destroyed. http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/211
• The façade of the Italian Embassy was covered in shit and graffiti to protest against the deportation of Roma people and the recent agreements with Libya on immigration. http://bxl.indymedia.org/ articles/196
• Buildings of companies involved in the deportation machine were smashed and graffitied across town:
  • CarlsonWagonLit et Randstatd: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/128
  • Serco: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/147
  • Sodexho: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/236
  • Steria: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/244
  • Dalkia: http://switzerland.indymedia.org/de/2010/10/77904.shtml

• A Frontex meeting was blocked, and the front house was painted: http://www.vimeo.com/15401376
• An action against Frontex took place in Brussels airport, with a banner drop and flyering: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/227
• STIB, a Brussels transport company which participates in mass arrests of undocumented migrants, were targeted with machines to control and sell the tickets destroyed in three subway stations
  http://cettesemaine.free.fr/spip/article.php3?id_article=3515 and other inspection machines damaged in the trams.
• A police station was attacked, windows smashed, 2 cops injured and some of their cars destroyed: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/211
• The façade of the Italian Embassy was covered in shit and graffiti to protest against the deportation of Roma people and the recent agreements with Libya on immigration: http://bxl.indymedia.org/ articles/196
• A symbolic action took place against the offices of BP’s lobbying in Brussels: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/197
• Sodexho, providing food in many prisons and detention centres, received a visit from a group of people who poured 40 litres of oil inside their building: http://bxl.indymedia. org/articles/180
• The façade of the cultural representation of southern Germany was trashed in response to the repression of a demonstration in Stuttgart: http://linksunten.indymedia.org/de/node/26075
• A recruitment session of the Brussels police was disrupted by several activists: http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/239
• The doors of the IOM (International Organisation for Migration) were glued http://bxl.indymedia.org/articles/262

Along with these actions we took lots of positives from the camp. It was a self-organised camp which changed and developed as the week went on. The levels of accessibility to become involved in the organisation varied between working groups, with social networks and lack of time to pass on responsibility and skills sometimes playing a role. However on the whole for those who wished to participate in the functioning of the camp there were possibilities. The camp was based in and around big old and abandoned train station which provided plenty of room both inside and outside, for the workshops, meeting spaces and camping.

From what sometimes feels like an isolated and fractured no borders movement in Nottingham, a sense of the bigger picture of this movement was an inspiration for us. Links were made between campaigns that highlighted the ways in which a No borders position intersects with other political issues.

For the most part the camp itself physically felt to us like a relatively safe space. Although there was massive amount of police repression during the camp it often felt like we were coming into contact with that once outside of the physical camp itself.

In terms of the negatives we’ve discussed during and after the camp, one of the big issues to us was how the camp interacted with the ‘mass mobilizations’. They took place throughout the camp but actually the only no borders organized demo was on the last Saturday. The innumerable arrests, most preemptive, that took place over the course of the week often took place when no borders was participating in events organized by other groups. This threw up loads of issues, not least that there was relatively little participation people like us who had just arrived for the week could undertake to understand the situations we were about to be a party to.

The big trade union demonstration on Wednesday for e.g. was expecting 80,000 participants. The trade unions had organized for no borders to be right at the back of the march. This inevitably left us isolated, and through our half – hearted poorly communicated attempts to address this situation left us vulnerable, assaulted, kettled and arrested. (although before the kettle happened we managed to get some physical solidarity from the other participants in the demo in the face of the police’s stalking.)

Brussels, as has been talked of before, is also quite an isolated space in terms of how accessible it is to a range of no borders activist. For this and other reasons there was unfortunately far less participation from activists without documentation/papers than what might have been possible.

Finally considering the international crowd, English became the dominant but also often only language used in group meetings which meant a lot of people probably didn’t engage with some of the larger daily meetings.

Preventative arrests were one of the biggest issues during the camp with police identifying any groups larger than two or three likely-looking people as a threat. This meant many autonomous groups were swiftly disabled by Belgian arrest powers before anything exciting could happen during mass actions. There were also incidents of police assault, sexual and physical as well as general intimidation tactics throughout the week.

The fact that every event organized by the camp (such as the demos, as well as smaller events like the city bus tour and the samba parade through the local neighborhood) was met by vast members of Police, indicates that they did view our presence as threat. More accurately what we were there to talk about, to oppose and also to create made them fearful. The predictable and excessive level of presence and force they used – particularly with the mass use of preventative arrests alongside the proposal to create a database of “suspected trouble makers” that will be shared across Europe, is another example of the way in capitalism extends its control via the “legitimized” power of states.

As a group we have felt inspired and reassured by the momentum of this autumn’s no borders camp and hope that the more we communicate in Nottingham about how to recreate that momentum the further we will get – there’s loads more information about the camp on the Brussels indymedia site.

ExLibris run charity fundraising events several times a year. You may have seen them at the Green Festival. This time it’s in aid of Nottingham charities:Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum Destitution Fund (supporting destitute asylum seekers)& Hayward House Cancer Care.

Details and a flyer can be found on the Sparrows’ Nest site.

FEATURING (click on Read More for details):

AISTAGUCA – Balkan Gypsy Music

Unique World- Sounds from around the world

feat. Sami Haque on Afghani Rabab

MUHA – Eastern European Folk

The Undercats – Gypsy Jazz funk

Black Feather – Music, poetry and dance

GUMLOCK – Reggae Music

Petrica Bistran – Acoustic Romanian music

Birdie Mack & Angel

Ben of the Green – comical poetry and music

POETRY:

Frank McMahon

John Humphreys

Geoff Curl

Teodora Todorova

Other Acts TBC!!

Door £5, discounts available…or extra donations welcome!

African BBQ in the back yard!

See you there!!

Throughout the 6 months that we knew him he was never anything but a caring, giving and polite man. Even through all of the traumatic experiences he had to face, he never let these crush his compassionate spirit. This compassion, along with the immense strength he showed, is what we will always remember him for.

On several occasions Osman said that he just wanted the whole world to live in peace, and that he did not wish any pain or revenge on anyone. It is this compassion that makes his life a beacon to all those who are suffering in similar situations to him.

-Friends

What happened to Osman and how you can help:

Since Osman’s death we have started raising money in order to help pay for the repatriation of his body and burial. As soon as this is attended to, and its importance cannot be stressed enough, we hope to continue to raise money to help support those who face similar problems to Osman. This is in the knowledge that if we can prevent just one other person suffering what Osman went through, we will be doing right by our friend.

Osman was an asylum seeker from Kurdistan who had lived in the UK since 2003. Having faced constant dismissal from the Home Office over all these years and in the wake of several traumatic experiences over the past month, Osman took his own life on 25th July 2010. A commemoration event and fundraising efforts are now being put in place in order to mark Osman’s life. These will be taking place over the next month. The immediate future requires that we help raise the £3,300 needed to send Osman’s body home, so he can be buried by his family. Once this has been done we will be raising money to help support asylum seekers in Nottingham. There will be more detail about this on the blog.

We have now set up a dedicated bank account to handle donations taken in the immediate future. If you feel you can spare anything, you can find details on how to donate, along with information about the progression of the campaign, at http://friendsofosman.wordpress.com/

Thank you so much on behalf of all of Osman’s family, friends and those who understood his struggle.

News Articles:

Osman’s story has been published in the press, please see the links below and the ‘Friends of Osman’ blog page for more information on this:
An article published by the Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/01/asylum-seeker-osman-rasul-death-legal-aid

An article published by the Nottingham Post:
http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/news/Friend-launches-campaign-send-asylum-seeker-s-body-home/article-2481872-detail/article.html

The story was discussed on BBC Radio Nottingham’s breakfast radio show just before 8am on Tuesday 3nd August. Segment begins at 1:53.30
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0091tf0/Andy_Whittaker_03_08_2010/

Osman’s story will also be discussed on Radio 4’s Face the Facts show on Thursday 5th August.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00t8752

Film screening & Discussion at the New Art Exchange, Nottingham in collaboration with Long Journey Home. Thursday 5th August, 7pm.

Venue: New Art Exchange, 39-41 Gregory Boulevard, Hyson Green, Nottingham, NG7 6BE

Tickets: £3/2 (concessions) – available at the Box Office on 0115 924 8630.

Sorious Samura becomes an illegal immigrant. He travels from Morocco into Europe, finally crossing the English Channel to Britain. He lives in the same conditions and experiences the same gruelling hardships as his companions. New Art Exchange in collaboration with Long Journey Home are pleased to be hosting a post screening discussion to address some of the issues within the film. Sharing the panel will be Stuart Brown (Long Journey Home) and Amdani Juma, a refugee whom left Burundi in 1991 and was evacuated from Rwanda by the UN during the 1994 genocide. After the conflict he returned to Burundi as a university graduate, but was held captive, tortured and put under surveillance. In 2003 Amdani fled to Britain and was granted 3 years Humanitarian Protection in the UK. During his time in Nottingham Amdani became a popular and enormously well respected community worker; assisting refugees to adjust to life in Britain and was also instrumental in providing awareness of HIV/AIDs within the African / Caribbean communities. However Amdani’s Indefinite Leave to Remain, has been denied. He now faces the prospect of being deported back to Burundi at anytime.

Long Journey Home is an East Midlands-wide network that recognises the important role the arts can play in breaking down barriers, challenging stereotypes, empowering the disenfranchised and enriching the cultural wealth of society as a whole; working with artists in exile and those communities that have recently arrived in the region from all over the world. www.longjourneyhome.org.uk

The banners stayed up for varying lengths of time, with one still being there late into the afternoon. One of the banners was directly facing the offices of the Nottingham Evening Post in order to highlight their practise of distributing prejudice around Nottingham on a daily basis (see article here: http://nottingham.indymedia.org.uk/articles/125 )

Elsewhere, London No Borders produced a spoof Metro newspaper: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2010/07/454790.html

BREAKING BORDERS – Live Music and Arts Performance Night FRIDAY JULY 9TH, 8pm till 12am at The Polish Centre, 2 Sherwood Rise, Nottingham with bar open late, food available.

Includes eclectic music and poetry from many parts of the world. Visual artists will have works on display and some live demonstrations! Stalls about different issues.

Featuring…

• Aistaguca – Balkan Band
• NOLKLON, a Romanian Rock band
• The Gentlemen, lively music from different parts of Africa
• Nyam, playing Traditional Mongolian music
• Black Feather – music and poetry
• Nottingham Tribal Drumming Group (tbc)
• Unique World, performing a varied range of music from different countries
• Lance Hulme, on sitar, and Beance on Tabla
• DJ EARTHPIPE (Sweetpotato Soundsystem / Subdub / Exodus)

Poetry from…

• Frank McMahon (plus other DIY poets tbc)
• Geoff Curl
• Sharon Walia from Prose of the Occupation (tbc)
• Ben of the Green, humorous wordsmith. (tbc)

Artists displayed:

• Ahinee Mensa, Jeffer M-Garib, Jasim Ghafur, Mirela Bistran and Obediar Madziva

Other acts to be confirmed, listen out for updates!

Door £2/£3/£5 ( unwaged / low-waged / waged )

Money raised after expenses will go to Nottingham & Notts Refugee Forum Destitution Group

Schedule

19 May – Detention and Deportation
23 June – Capitalism and Migration
21 July – Frontex
25 Aug. – Clandestinity and the struggle of migrants
22 Sept. – European migration policy

In preparation for the Brussels No Borders Camp in September, Nottingham No Borders is holding a series of info nights as an introduction into the topics that will be discussed at the camp. With films, food, and lots of interesting discussion, we hope to create an informal and open space for those who may be new to the politics of No Borders as well as those who would like the chance to delve more deeply into the details of the UK and European border regime and how it can be challenged.

Detention and Deportation
Wednesday 19 May, 7pm, Sumac Centre

The system of detention and deportation is one of the main ways in which the state attempts to control migration and violently curtail people’s freedom to move. What can we do to work in solidarity with those in detention? How do we challenge the private companies that make a profit from running detention centres and forcibly removing people? Is there a wider battle to be fought against the prison system as a whole?