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WAKE UP!! WAKE UP!! THE WORLD IS UNDER ATTACK!!
The free weekly direct action newsheet published in Brighton since 1994 - Copyleft - Information for Action

UKBA- blood on their hands

Cardiff family lose deportation fight

An Egyptian family were deported yesterday from Cedars detention centre in Pease Pottage, Sussex, amid desperate attempts from friends, family and campaigners to block their removal to Egypt where they are likely to suffer violence and risk death.

On the morning of the 24th, as the family were due to be taken from Pease Pottage to Gatwick airport at 1.30am, protesters descended on the centre to try and stop the bus transporting the family. The vehicle was stalled for five hours. Two people locked on underneath the vehicle, one when it was on it's way into the centre car park and one protester who jumped the fence to lock on inside. One was arrested and the other was hospitalised. The police had been prepared for resistance and pulled out dozens of police and dogs to enable the family's deportation.

While anti-deportation campaigns are not unusual, the case of the Saleh family – Fariman Saleh and two of her children – prompted a huge response from the local community, and support even from the local MP, along with an internet campaign and a rapid response from anti-deportation activists, due to the blatant injustice of the UKBA and the strength of the arguments for them to remain safe in the UK. The series of events leading up to their removal on a charter flight yesterday morning are harrowing, and the police response to the activists attempting to block the journey to the airport yesterday was brutal.

The family have been living in Cardiff for five years, after legally arriving in the UK and asking for asylum status. Mrs Saleh had fled Egypt with her children after suffering 15 years of extreme domestic violence that threatened their lives at the hands of her husband, who escaped prosecution in Egypt due to his status and links with the police and judiciary. On return to Egypt they are at real risk of violence and 'honour'-based persecution. Mrs Saleh's eldest daughter, who is 20, remains in the UK because she lodged a separate asylum claim.

The family had been taken into prison last Thursday (18th) after a dawn raid at their home. A judicial review of their case was due to take place on 11th November. Immediately after the raid lawyers secured an injunction to postpone their forced deportation, but the last ditch attempt to save the family was overturned 30 minutes later when the judge rang their solicitors informing them he had been contacted by the UKBA and told they had booked a charter flight at a cost of £60,000. Because, you know, sending people to their death is preferable to the UKBA losing money. The actions of the UKBA were unlawful as they should have lodged a formal appeal process.

The morning before the deportation Mrs Saleh had injured herself in prison, slitting her wrist. She had written on the wall in her own blood: “I only wanted to save my children”. This act of desperation didn't make the UKBAstards to reflect on the situation, they also refused to pass details about the incident on to the family's solicitors. Now the family is in Egypt, but there is no information available about their whereabouts or safety. It is thought they were victims of violence during the deportation as they tried to resist.

There are 5 comments on this story...
Added By: Anonymous - 26th October 2012 @ 8:01 PM
Living in Egypt is pretty simple with a UK passport and the authorities treat you quite well, even in that awful and chaotic office on Tahrir Square. How depressing then that the filth in UK are just a bunch of ignorant thugs.
Added By: SIMPLE AS ABC - 26th October 2012 @ 10:54 PM
The family has been given every chance to leave the country voluntarily.

UKBA were acting within the law and their actions were totally correct and proportionate.

Simple as that.
Added By: Anonymous - 27th October 2012 @ 5:37 PM
Err....if you bothered to actually read the article you would see that it is about how the UKBA actions were NOT totally correct and proportionate. Simple as that.
Added By: Mirella - 13th January 2013 @ 7:50 AM
Esam, I doubt if you will understand this paphers your friend will explain I ll try and keep it simple . First of all, when the UKBA tells asylum seekers they have to go back to their own country, then I agree with the decision of the UKBA they are correct. I am not interested in asylum seekers or their "friends" or you claiming they cannot go back to their own countries because they are unsafe. The UKBA have made their decision, all failed asylum seekers should be deported immediately using whatever means necessary, including forced removal. When asylum cases are refused the UKBA should stop giving those asylum seekers any support the decision has been made immediate deportation should happen and any person blocking the deportation should be arrested our laws must be carried out. Asylum seekers are not "chased here" asylum seekers choose to come to the UK. And when the seekers come to Britain they never stop moaning, whining and complaining you are a blatant example of the ungrateful seeker. I am not interested on the so-called "suffering of asylum seekers", including your own so-called suffering. Asylum seekers and their "friends" do not give a damn as to where they get their money or those of my people who suffer when that money is taken from them and doled out to asylum seekers. There are British people who are being denied life-prolonging medicines because the medicines are considered too expensive for use on the NHS. British pensioners, and others, are keeping their own heating down or off whilst paying to heat the homes of asylum seekers asylum seekers do not pay to heat and light their council tax free and rent free furnished accommodation the British taxpayer pays their utility bills. Our care homes and our NHS are deteriorating, more of our own people are becoming homeless. Thousands of my people are homeless and living on the streets and many of those are our own ex-soldiers. I and many others do not care if seekers and refugees and yourself are "living in the park ,bus stop , outside" we do care about our own people. More money is required, we have that money, but it is not being used to eradicate poverty within our own people. Obvious answer, stop funding refugees and asylum seekers. And stop squandering our money on their asylum and immigration support charities . Esam, time for you to get back to your own country, try and get yourself a job and work to support your own people. The mistake you are making is due to those supporters befriending you (many are paid s to befriend you) you are under the false impression that we in Britain feel sorry for asylum seekers. Not so, there is a fast-growing anger towards asylum seekers in Britain. As more British people become impoverished and destitute the anger will become hatred. Go back to your own country you only take from us.
Added By: Anonymous - 15th January 2013 @ 10:42 PM
We are an affected family, the UKBA from Cardiff leave our rights, and deport us from the Uk the past February actually my children's are emotional affected. The migration officers heat my husband in the airplane. Let him fully blooded in front my children's ,later push me with force in a plane. The migration officers push my 8 months tommy. After this the flay by KLM is canceled and return us in Cedars detention centre. The migration officer make separate the family they kind-nap my husband and send him in other jail one weak later send him to our country in the street 3 weaks later send me with my children's to my own country I blooded in a fly, with my children's my baby born in a emergency with a risk to dead. The rest of the history is catastrophic ( we lose our life's )
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