Tag Archives: Kurdish

Small World Cafe/Cinema is back Wednesdays at the Square Centre, Nottingham from 30th March 2011

SMALL WORLD CAFE are back at the Square Centre, Alfred Street North starting with,
Lebanese Night
Wednesday, March 30th
Doors open at 7.00pm with the film “West Beirut” at 8pm. Light refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=157682374287895

Small World Cafe Mongolian Night
Thursday, April 21th
Join members of the Nottingham Mongolian community for a Small World Cafe night, doors open at 6.30 pm, film “cafe of the yellow dog” at 8.30pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=187352707972968

Small World Cafe Kurdish Film Night
Thursday, April 14th at 7:00pm, film at 8pm. Refreshments and snacks available for donations.
Film title: Welcome
Location: The Square Centre
More info: http://www.facebook.com/n/?event.php&eid=206329959383271

Osman Rasul Mohammed – tribute and appeal

Osman Rasul Mohammed
Osman Rasul Mohammed
The death of Osman Mohammed has come as a shock to many of the people who knew him. It is imperative that, through all of the political attention that will come from his story, we remember the human side – the wonderful person that Osman was. (please click on Read More or here for background and links to press). Continue reading Osman Rasul Mohammed – tribute and appeal

Small World Cafe – Kurdish Cuban night – Thursday 6th May 2010

On Thursday 6th May Small World Cafe is organising a Kurdish Cuban night to celebrate International Workers Day. There will be wonderful Kurdish food (served at 7pm) and it will be followed at 8pm by the film Che (part 1). Any money raised will go towards Cuba Solidarity and NNRF’s Tuesday Night Project’.

A Poster / leaflet can be downloaded from here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/23897135@N04/4484469773/sizes/l/

Nawroz New Year Party in Nottingham – Sunday 21st March 2010

This year’s Nawroz (New years Celebrated in Kurdistan, Iran and Afghanistan) New Year Party is being organised by Nottingham Refugee Forum’s ‘Tuesday Night Project’ but it’s not on Tuesday. It’s on Sunday 21st March from 5.30pm at The Pakistan Centre, 163 Woodborough Road, Nottingham. The night will include live music & delicious food from Afghanistan Iran & Kurdistan. Tickets £7 in advance or £10 on the door. Full details: http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/nottinghamshire/2010/02/446426.html

Tinsley House blockade against Iraq removal via charter flight, and hunger strike on inside

Early in the morning of March 17th, anti-deportation activists bravely put up a blockade of Tinsley House, an immigration detention near Gatwick airport, in order to try and prevent removal of Iraqi asylum seekers collected from here and also at detention centres at Dover and Campsfield (Cambs). Find full reports and pictures on Indymedia.
And not only action on the outside, since at the same time everyone inside Tinsley was on hunger strike, due to changes in the meal system since Brook House opened (breakfasts and evening meals are shipped from the new centre, portion sizes are smaller & evening meals have to be ordered 48hrs in advance).
Continue reading Tinsley House blockade against Iraq removal via charter flight, and hunger strike on inside

‘Nawroz’ film plus Kurdish food @ Sumac

NawRoz Nottingham - Join us in welcoming Year 2709! Small World Cinema event @ Sumac on Wednesday 25th March

The next Small World Cinema event at the Sumac Centre is on Wednesday 25th March which is a few days after Kurdish New Year (‘Nawroz’, which means New Day). A Kurdish refugee will show a film and provide Kurdish Vegan Food (he’s a very good cook!). Gather for food and bar from 7pm; presentation and films from 7.30.
Details on Veggies/Sumac events diary

52 Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers removed 17/18th September following brave airline revolt of the 15th.

We are angry to convey the news that after the brave stopping of a charter plane before it was able to leave on 15th September, 52 Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers (including those assaulted and injured in the earlier revolt) were forcibly removed from British immigration detention centres to Erbil International Airport, Northern Iraq, on 17/18th September. They were met by two hundred Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) troops. From a report to the International Federation of Iraqi Refugees-IFIR & Coalition to Stop Deportation to Iraq-CSDIRAQ by one of those removed, at least one was separated off from the other asylum seekers and escorted away by the troops. Iraq is safe, our warmongering politicians lie, yet again. We lost this one, but resistance has worked before, and will no doubt continue.
Continue reading 52 Iraqi Kurdish asylum seekers removed 17/18th September following brave airline revolt of the 15th.

Asylum seekers and fellow passengers resist airline deportations. Resistance is not futile!

How can 60 men vanish? Yesterday morning at Tinsley House immigration removal centre (IRC) near Gatwick airport, 15-20 men (Kurdish Iraqis) were being hurried to get ready to board a coach. Several were still waiting for responses from their solicitors, but their phones were quickly removed. At Colnbrook, another IRC at Heathrow airport, detainees had just received the news to get ready, and half an hour later all their phones were off too. Meanwhile at Dover there were about 20-30 men being hurried to board the coaches at about 11.30am, again phones off. When they asked where they were going to be taken so that they could let their families know, they were told, “Thats a Home Office Secret”. No departure time, flight number, airline, destination. So that’s around 60 Kurdish Iraqis being rounded up to be whisked away by the British state with maximum efficiency, minimum information, maximum fear. But this Iraqi Charter Flight never left the UK. Early reports suggest that detainees were forcibly put on to a Hamburg International plane. The plane sat on runway for four/five hours (probably because Erbil was unapproachable due to poor visibility caused by a sand storm). Then a ‘disturbance’ broke out, one detainee sustaining injuries, and a plane window was broken. The pilot said the plane was not air worthy and all detainees were removed from plane. All detainees are now back in removal centres. Dozens of Iraqi Kurds have been forcibly removed into an extremely dangerous and very often deadly environment – is it any surprise that they are resisting? These removals must end now.

Important update by International Federation of Iraqi Refugees-IFIR : Forcible Deportation of Iraqi asylum seekers ended in violence

Earlier this year, in a press release by the Respect Nigerians Coalition, it was explained how a man Ayodeji Omotade had been charged with threatening/abusive/insulting/disorderly behaviour towards British Airways (BA) crew, as a result of intervening in a violent deportation flight to Lagos on March 27, 2008, from Heathrow, London. Despite widespread public protest, including internationally, the case against Mr Omotade is going ahead, although his trial (due to take place Tomorrow Thursday 18th September at Uxbridge Magistrates Court) has been adjourned ? no new date yet. He sends his heartfelt thanks everyone who wrote messages of support.

Join a peaceful protest the day before at 12 noon, WEDNESDAY 17 SEPTEMBER, 2008, at British Airways PLC, Waterside (HAA3), Harmondworth, UB7 0GB.

Mr Omotade asks: “What would you do if someone on your flight was
distressed and crying out for help? Would you stay silent or would you
speak? I spoke and B A didn’t like it. This type of corporate tyranny
must be challenged and stopped.”

More details: Respect Nigerians Coalition: http://www.respectnigerians.com/BoycottBA.pdf

Note: the recently failed charter airline & tour operator XL Airways was previously forced by activist pressure to pull out from deportation flights. More pressure can and must be put on airlines not to participate in forced removals and deportations.
Continue reading Asylum seekers and fellow passengers resist airline deportations. Resistance is not futile!

Appeal for burial funds after death of refused Iraqi Kurd from Doncaster

Mohammad Hussain dies of cancer following 8 years struggling to gain refugee status
by INTERNATIONAL FEDERATION OF IRAQ REFUGEES-IFIR
Appeal for funds to send Mohammad Hussain?s body home to be buried

The International Federation of Iraqi Refugees (IFIR) is sorry to inform you that one of our comrades Mohammad Hussain died of cancer on Sunday 3rd August. Many of you will know Mohammad Hussain from Doncaster. He was a big man with a big heart. Mohammad was originally from Erbil in Northern Iraq. Mohammad has been a political campaigner all of his life. He was forced to leave Erbil and seek refuge in the UK March 2000, following threats from the Kurdish Democratic Party because of his political campaigning.

Unfortunately Mohammed became one of the many Iraqi Kurds caught up in the UK Home Office asylum system. But until the very end of his life, Mohammed never gave up on the fight to gain refugee status. He was arrested and he was moved from Lindholme detention centre to Campsfield detention centre in Oxfordshire, to Tinsley House and then to Haslar. The Home Office tried to deport him on 14th June 2008 to Iraq via Royal Jordanian Airlines but 44 minutes before he was due to be deported his solicitor and the campaign to defend him sucessfully stopped his deportation. While he was in the detention centre at Lindholme he was very stressed and suffered much pain. When he explained that he had a lump in his stomach which was getting bigger and harder he was given a mild painkiller, then sold a headache tablet by the detention centre ?doctor?. Mohammad died but did not get refugee status.”

For the eight years Mohammad was in the UK he was a constant and fierce defender of refugee and human rights. Mohammad worked with many refugee charities and organisations.

Download IFIR full leaflet including appeal: [attachment=15]

See also, Stop Deportations to Iraq news blog: http://www.csdiraq.com/

Mohammad Hussain Mohammad 11th March 1962 ? 3rd August 2008
Continue reading Appeal for burial funds after death of refused Iraqi Kurd from Doncaster

UK government deports 60 Iraqi Kurds; no one notices

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
Continue reading UK government deports 60 Iraqi Kurds; no one notices