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( Sent to all news outlets, GMP, Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham and all Manchester MPs) GREATER MANCHESTER STAND UP TO RACISM NAZI AT CENTRE OF ANTI REFUGEE PROTEST OUTSIDE ALTRINCHAM HOTEL SAYS PROSCRIBED TERROR ORGANISATION NATIONAL ACTION "IS COMING BACK" Ryan Ferguson, the Nazi at the centre of Sunday's far right protest against refugees at the Cresta Court Hotel in Altrincham, threatened that banned terror organisation National Action would be "coming back" on August 15th. Using a megaphone to shout at supporters of people housed at the hotel, he yelled: "National Action are re-forming. National Action is coming back. On the 15th August, National Action are back. National Action are proud." Then, pointing at those supporting refugees living at the Cresta Court, he added: "We are going to show you what we are made of." Ferguson has attended other anti refugee protests as an open fascist. On May 20 in Birmingham, he joined the Britain First march wearing a Heil Hitler tee-shirt. In Leeds on July 27, during protests at a hotel in Seacroft, observers reported that "He made a Nazi salute and declared that 'National Action will be back' before attempting to march into the anti-racist protest group, only to be stopped by police." National Action has been a proscribed organisation in the United Kingdom under the Terrorism Act 2000 since 16th December 2016. Police officers and the media covering the Altrincham protest clearly heard what Ferguson said in an aggressive address to anti racist supporters standing in solidarity with people living at the hotel. But he was not arrested for showing support for a banned terror organisation. Far from being a ‘local’ from Altrincham, Ferguson is one of a number of far right agitators attempting to organise racist attacks on refugee hotels throughout the UK. When the UK government proscribed National Action they described the terror group: "National Action is a racist neo-Nazi group that was established in 2013. It has a number of branches across the UK, which conduct provocative street demonstrations and stunts aimed at intimidating local communities. Its activities and propaganda materials are particularly aimed at recruiting young people. The group is virulently racist, anti-Semitic and homophobic. Its ideology promotes the idea that Britain will inevitably see a violent ‘race war’, which the group claims it will be an active part of. The group rejects democracy, is hostile to the British state and seeks to divide society by implicitly endorsing violence against ethnic minorities and perceived ‘race traitors’." ENDS For more information: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/proscribed-terror-groups-or-organisations--2/proscribed-terrorist-groups-or-organisations-accessible-version Searchlight reports https://searchlightmagazine.com/2025/05/birmingham-day-out-with-a-nazi-troublemaker/ https://searchlightmagazine.com/2025/07/theyre-calling-us-nazis-protests-heil-hitler-nazi/ Manchester Stand Up To Racism on X: "Parliament was clear. All MP's supported the proscrition of National Action @AfzalKhanMCR @LucyMPowell @ConnorRand4ASW @gstringermp @GwynneMP @RLong_Bailey @MikeKaneMP @AndyBurnhamGM @ManCityCouncil @bevcraig https://t.co/ttd2O7OiT8" / X
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RAPAR - Working Together To Achieve Equal Human Rights Press Release. For immediate Release 25th July 2025 Palestinian Protester Calls on Egypt to Open Rafah Crossing to Let Aid Into Gaza A young Palestinian man staged a peaceful protest outside the Egyptian Embassy in London this week (July 23rd and 24th). RAPAR member Ibrahim, who is based in Manchester, is calling on the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah crossing immediately to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza. Outside the Embassy, he was shocked by the reaction of wealthy shoppers and tourists who complained when he played the sound of sirens. "They are the same sirens that children in Gaza hear every single day before bombs fall onto their heads," Ibrahim said. "There were wealthy passers-by and overseas tourists who didn’t like the sirens. "But they said nothing about the people who have been living with those sirens — every day, every night, non-stop, for months. "People arrived draped in gold and dressed in designer clothes with luxury cars. "We shouted for Gaza — and they stared through us as if we were invisible. Their luxury depends on staying neutral. Their governments profit from the same powers that murder our people. "There is no peace while Gaza burns, aid is blocked, crossings are sealed, and children are buried under rubble." The protest was coordinated with a similar action taken outside the Egyptian Embassy in Washington DC. Ibrahim added: "We stood outside the Egyptian Embassy in London — not to beg, not to fight, but to remind the world that Gaza is starving, bleeding, and burning while the world looks away." Their action is a response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where more than two million people are being denied access to food, clean water, and medical supplies. “The people of Gaza are being starved while trucks full of food and medicine sit idle. Egypt has the power to open Rafah. We’re demanding that they do it now.” Egypt’s role in the siege has drawn growing criticism. Although it claims neutrality, the Egyptian government has actively participated in the blockade of Gaza by tightly controlling the Rafah crossing — the only non-Israeli border point — and restricting the entry of life-saving aid. Many Palestinians now see Egypt’s actions not as passive complicity, but as an active betrayal of the Palestinian cause. With hundreds of aid trucks stuck on the Egyptian side, and civilians in Gaza facing famine-like conditions, Palestinians believe Egypt’s cooperation with Israel has made it a key enabler of the suffering. Ibrahim has been living in the UK for two years and is working closely with Palestinians who are seeking asylum and facing uncertainty due to the deteriorating situation in their homeland. He is a member of RAPAR, a Manchester based human rights organisation which works with refugees. For more information, please call: 075221876699 Or 07865713474 https://youtube.com/shorts/09WqjqraSJk?si=u_228uQd01ZLCm3i   RAPAR
Press release - For immediate release 20 March 2025 HUMAN RIGHTS CHARITY CALLS FOR COUNCIL TO HOLD A ROUND-TABLE MEETING WITH ALL ORGANISATIONS WORKING WITH MANCHESTER'S HOMELESS CAMP People living at the camp should be invited to join the meeting and take part in any discussion about possible solutions The Manchester-based human rights charity RAPAR has urged the City Council to bring together homeless camp residents and all organisations working with the Albert Square camp for a round-table discussion. Ideally, representatives from the Home Office should also be at the meeting, RAPAR says. The charity welcomed an invitation to meet council officers yesterday (Wednesday 19th March) and asked them to organise the round-table session. A RAPAR spokesperson said: "We believe people at the camp should be part of any discussion. "We have been very concerned to see today's media reports that council leaders believe the homeless camp is growing because 'activists are buying tents'. "This is a gross misrepresentation of the housing crisis in the city and other areas of Greater Manchester - a crisis that has forced refugees to live on the streets. "Under these circumstances, it is not surprising that individuals have provided food and equipment for people at the camp. "It is a gesture of humanity that demonstrates the kindness and generosity of people in the local communities." RAPAR believes the Home Office should immediately halt the evictions into destitution of people fleeing war, famine and persecution. "They are being made homeless because they have been given refugee status and are forced to live on the streets because of the UK's housing crisis." RAPAR is working with people at the camp to build links with the wider community - and to dispel the many myths that have arisen about homelessness and refugees through the absence of clear and precise information. ENDS For more information, please contact: Kath Grant 07865713474 Dr Rhetta Moran 07776264646 Emma Leyla 07756735727 Please see also: Human rights charity hits back at council's claim over Albert Square homeless camp  PRESS RELEASE - for immediate release Wednesday, February 26th 2025 ST PETER'S SQUARE HOMELESS CAMP - EVICTED THIS MORNING - MOVES TO ALBERT SQUARE RAPAR working with camp residents on their cases and asks: "Why is the City Council refusing to find housing for homeless people before turning them out of their tents and onto the streets again?" The Homeless Camp in St Peter's Square was evicted by Manchester City Council this morning and has now moved a short distance into Albert Square. Since the possession order was granted by Judge Bird, RAPAR has been working with camp residents and last week hand delivered an urgent letter to the court asking the judge to reconsider. In the letter, we explained this was the second camp to be created by the community within a year. Many of the residents are refugees who have been made homeless by the UK's asylum system. The camps were set up because Manchester City Council's homeless team failed to recognise and respond to the needs of destitute and vulnerable people. Instead, they have been directing camp residents to a charity which cannot help with accessing housing and does not have the statutory responsibility for doing so. It is not a new problem. RAPAR has been warning for years about the homelessness caused by the Home Office asylum system and the City Council's reluctance to meet its responsibilities to ALL people living in Manchester. In the letter, we said: "Newly homeless refugee people were met with answering machines when calling to declare they had been made homeless. Given no access to emergency accommodation, they were left outside on the streets. "At the heart of this, there are people who have fled from war, brutality and the brink of famine. The Home Office has acknowledged their refugee status. Many are homeless because they have been given refugee status, or due to the dearth of immigration and housing advice available to them. "Some people are living at the camp for safety reasons, to avoid living in tents on their own. Others are in Manchester because of local connections - their communities, culture, or wider circle of family and friends. "The local authority should not be abrogating its responsibilities towards people living on the city’s streets and the council's homelessness services should be available to every homeless person living in Manchester." Saif Lutfisay, Chair of the Sudanese Community Association, says: "Sudanese members of RAPAR are working with homeless people in St Peter's Square and have consistently made themselves available to all the relevant authorities in order to enable the Sudanese homeless people, and indeed all homeless people wherever they come from, to achieve shelter, dignity and safety." Mohammed (not his real name),a 21 year old young man from Sudan says: "I have been living in a tent in St Peter's Square for two months. The Home Office had dispersed me to Blackburn which is why I was living there but when I was awarded my refugee status last September I was made homeless and I experienced racism on the streets in Blackburn so headed into Manchester. I have been trying to find work all this time but every time I go for a job they say that if I don't have an address they can't give me a job." Emma Layla, a RAPAR volunteer, the Chair of the community group Reach4Change, and with lived experience of street homelessness, is leading this work in RAPAR. She says: "On the first day of RAPAR's Homeless Camp Drop In, we saw 10 men from the camp. A tent is not a choice, it is necessity. None of these homeless peoples' circumstances have been assessed properly, nor have they been given correct advice or services. Everyone at the Drop In had already presented themselves at Mustard Tree charity where they have been told they cannot bid on any accommodation that becomes available. I hope that the judge who received our letter last Friday reconsiders and realises that this is a breach of duty of care that must be addressed immediately." ENDS
Today at 5.30 pm in St Peter’s Square Manchester City Centre, RAPAR will deliver and distribute its May Day address at the Manchester Assembly for Palestine which, as part of Stop The War’s UK wide Workers May Day mobilisation, is calling for an end to arming Israel.
RAPAR Members from around the globe have put together their statement making explicit the relationship between the colonialist forces that lie behind the exploitation and oppression in their home countries that have led to them having to flee - from Congo, Zimbabwe, Iran, Eritrea, Bangladesh, Côte d’Ivoire, Afghanistan, Iraq, Sierra Leone and Cameroon to name but a few - and the Imperialist forces directly and indirectly responsible for the current genocide being carried out in Gaza. Launching the hashtag #Refugees4Palestine, RAPAR stands alongside British trade unionists and community-based organisations calling for a #FreePalestine and to #StopArmingIsreal. Later this week it will continue to develop its profiling of the relationship between the Gazan Genocide and being a Refugee when it participates in Manchester’s Solidarity Gathering ‘No to Rwanda’ that will take place in the same location (St Peter's Swuare) from 12 noon on Friday 3rd May. For more information contact Dr Rhetta Moran on 07776264646 or Kathleen Grant on 07865 713474 For more information: Dr Rhetta Moran 07776 264646 Kath Grant 07865 713474
"Horror of daily news from a friend in a Palestinian refugee camp... "Why a Manchester mother is marching for peace this weekend" This weekend, on Armistice Day, coachloads of people from Greater Manchester will be joining a huge demonstration in London calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. As a human rights organisation, RAPAR supports this call and many of our members will be travelling to London on Saturday. See RAPAR's statement here. Our members will be joining people from communities across Greater Manchester and the UK, many of whose lives have been personally touched by the Israeli government's war in Gaza. One of them is Ann Wilson, a 63 year old mother and grandmother who lives in Manchester. She has worked for a faith-based international NGO, managing volunteers committed to social and global justice. Ann first visited Palestine in 2015 on a Fairtrade trip. She has returned twice since then to learn more about life in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Last year, she spent three months in East Jerusalem monitoring human rights. In the UK, Ann has raised awareness of the Israeli occupation in the West Bank and Gaza by joining bike rides highlighting violations of humanitarian law. Last Sunday, Ann joined 100 others in a cycle ride in Alexandra Park to show solidarity with the Palestinian people, including her friend, a doctor who sends daily news about life in East Jerusalem's Shufat Refugee Camp. She says that last Sunday, she came home from the cycle ride feeling "sustained and at one" with her fellow cyclists. "I felt the importance of ‘sticking together’ and realised this was, in part, for fear of possibly being arrested if the home secretary deemed our activity to be a 'hate ride' along with the 'hate marches' taking place weekly. "I observed no hate whatsoever, only a desire for a peace with justice for all in the Middle East. "I am not a politician or an academic. I believe in human rights for all and I want my government and all governments to adhere to international law. Last year, I observed practices by the Israeli government indicating this is not the case, and it has not been the case since the occupation began in 1967." Ann's news from her doctor friend at Shufat Refugee Camp has included scenes of distressed and injured children in Gaza that she finds hard to look at - including graphic images of an unlawful white phosphorous attack on Palestinians. Her friend tells her the camp in East Jerusalem is raided on a daily basis. He says the Israeli Defence Force uses rubber bullets, tear gas and skunk water, and so far have arrested 50 young people. Others have been shot. The doctor and his friends are attempting to visit the families of those detained. "They are also attempting to ensure people have food parcels as food is increasingly difficult to obtain. The camp was closed for five days last year and raided nightly. My doctor friend told me this was the worse situation he had endured. I was puzzled as to why this was the case? He explained that he felt the soldiers had lost their humanity. "This was shocking and disturbing for him to witness. I spoke to him today and did not ask him how he felt now…I could not bear to hear the answer." Ann adds: "I am a person of faith and have respect for the faith of the Muslim and Jewish people I know. "Faith, for me, is about justice and peace and the dignity of each human being. "My Palestinian friends feel let down by governments. They tell me their hope is in the ordinary people holding governments to account. "This is why I march, cycle, sign petitions. My actions are not borne out of hate but out of concern for my fellow human beings whatever faith they are or whether they have a faith or not." “Seeking asylum is not a crime. Neither is exposing human rights abuses nor hunger striking in protest against them.” - Shay Babagar
“It is wrong that they were arrested and faced prosecution for arguing for their right to live without fear.” - Nicky Hall, Solicitor The Crown Prosecution Service have dropped the case against Shay Babagar, the refugee who went on hunger strike last November to highlight allegations about human rights abuses taking place in Serco run hotels. In May, alongside his wife, Shay pleaded not guilty when the couple appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court to face allegations that they refused to leave Stepping Hill Hospital when asked to, an offence for which they were arrested with a trial date set for December this year. Speaking from a house in Manchester, where they are now living with their child pending the outcome of their asylum application, Shay says: “Seeking asylum is not a crime. Neither is exposing human rights abuses nor hunger striking in protest against them. I hope that all the other people in the hotels take strength from this climbdown by the Criminal Justice system. If we come together, publicise the truth and organise collectively with people inside and allies outside of the asylum system, we can not only resist the current persecution that we are experiencing as people seeking asylum, we can expose it and ultimately stop it. Many issues relating to our treatment at the hands of Greater Manchester Police, Serco staff and hospital managers remain outstanding and we will never give up, not until the truth comes out and we are completely vindicated in our action.” The family are determined to clear their name and to continue their work with RAPAR and others to expose the truth about the conditions in hotels and end the ‘Hostile Environment’. They are now exploring the best next steps for bringing the right organisations to account for themselves, including Greater Manchester Police who, so far, have not investigated the assault allegations made by the family. Last November, while they were still hospitalised, the Police said it was not in the public interest to investigate the assault allegations. However, they appear to have changed their mind in April this year when they told Manchester Evening News (MEN): “Greater Manchester Police have confirmed an investigation into a suspected assault on Shay at the hotel where they lived is ongoing, but no arrests have been made.” However, a month later, GMP had confirmed to MEN that the case was closed. The family’s criminal defence lawyer, Nicky Hall of Robert Lizar Solicitors observes: “Shay and Aisha had required hospital treatment. They did not want to return to those hotel premises where they had been abused. It is wrong that they were arrested and faced prosecution for arguing for their right to live without fear.” Now Shay’s Family Campaign are planning a public meeting about the human rights violations taking place in hotels on Thursday 7th September 6.30 pm at Friends Meeting House in Manchester. For more information please contact: Rhetta Moran 07776264646 Kath Grant 07865713474 8th May 2023. RAPAR PRESS RELEASE: ASYLUM HOTEL HUNGER STRIKER AND WIFE ENTER ‘NOT GUILTY’ PLEAS
o Home Office finally offers accommodation away from Serco sites of alleged abuse and assault but absence of translator creates further miscommunication. o Family now in contingency hotel where they found insects crawling in one of the beds and a compulsory room search has already happened. Tony Lloyd, the family’s new MP in Rochdale, says: “Hotels are simply not the right place for families with young children to be housed for months on end. Serco has questions to answer about the basic quality of accommodation, their stewardship of the Home Office contract and dealing with legitimate complaints…” (see full quote below) The Mum and Dad from Shay’s Family Campaign appeared at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 27th April 2023. They were charged with a criminal offence and have entered ‘Not Guilty’ pleas. The two day hearing is scheduled for 11th and 12th December 2023 with a case management hearing set for 12th July this year. It is alleged that, contrary to section 119 of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act 2008 they did cause without reasonable excuse on NHS premises a nuisance / disturbance [between] … 11th and 22nd November 2022 at Stockport while on National Health Service premises, namely Stepping Hill Hospital , other than for the purpose of obtaining medical advice, treatment or care for yourself[ves], caused, without reasonable excuse a nuisance or disturbance to an National Health Service staff member who was working there or was otherwise there in connection with work and refused without reasonable excuse to leave the premises when asked to do so by a National Health Service staff member. It was day 20 of Shay’s hunger strike, November 22nd 2022, when he and his wife were discharged as medically fit, immediately arrested and then, after spending six hours in separate cells at Pendleton Police station in Salford, were charged as above. Following their release on bail, a further six months of legal petitioning via pre-action protocols, public demonstrations and press coverage has highlighted the circumstances of their situation. During this time Mum, Dad and Child have been sheltered in the Stockport community and the Child has continued uninterrupted school attendance. After emphatic and consistent assertion that they should not be returned to a site of alleged abuse or assault - namely Serco run contingency accommodation - the Home Office, under threat of Judicial Review, finally offered Shay’s family self-contained accommodation on 12th April 2023. This meant that they would not be subject to surveillance by Serco, or unable to control who came into their living space at any time, or what or when they ate. This offer was made on the same day that the Manchester Evening News reported that “GMP [have] confirmed an investigation into a suspected assault on Shay at the hotel where they lived is ongoing, but no arrests have been made.” This information directly contradicts what Stepping Hill Hospital wrote to mum and dad five months previously, on 18th November 2022: “We have been informed that Serco have investigated your concerns, that investigation has been shared with GMP, and GMP have determined that it is not in the public interest for them to investigate.” However, in the absence of translators on 12th April, miscommunication led the family to believe they were being put into a contingency hotel again and they refused the offer. Despite several attempts to explain that their refusal was a result of miscommunication, no further offer of self-contained accommodation has been forthcoming. Last Friday, in an effort to break through the bureaucracy, the family moved into a Serco run hotel in Rochdale which they describe as having “the same unbearable smell”. Film of insects crawling in their bed in the middle of the night and of their room being searched by hotel staff has been shared with RAPAR. Now they are in Rochdale, the family’s MP is Tony Lloyd who says: “Hotels are simply not the right place for families with young children to be housed for months on end. Serco has questions to answer about the basic quality of accommodation, their stewardship of the Home Office contract and dealing with legitimate complaints. Tory Home Office Ministers now accept hotels are not the right place to accommodate asylum seekers but they must raise their game and deliver a much quicker resolution for asylum claims. Hotels are not the answer, not for asylum seekers, not for the community and not for the taxpayer." RAPAR’s findings about conditions in hotels housing people seeking asylum date back to the summer of 2022. They have recently been further validated by Refugee Action and amplified by Migrant Voice. Even more recently, on 27th April, Open Democracy carried a report about the Government’s intention to legalise hazardous accommodation by relaxing licensing rules around HMOs for people fleeing danger and in this way “speed up the process of landlords offering up asylum accommodation, without having to wait for an inspection to be completed. It will also make it easier for them to claim public cash for doing so.” FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT Rhetta Moran 07776264646 Kath Grant 07865713474 RAPAR (Refugee and Asylum Participatory Action Research)
21st February 2023 PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Racist attacks and young people missing from refugee hotels are result of UK Government’s lack of action seven years ago Conservative Party Deputy Chair Lee Anderson’s weekend comments that Calais charities are ‘just as bad as people smugglers’ are disingenuous, divisive and dangerous. Seven years ago, RAPAR was asked by the leaders of the ‘Calais Jungle’ refugee camp to send an open letter they had composed to Prime Minister David Cameron. This was done but their letter was not even acknowledged. In it, the recognised leaders of the camp proposed the opening up of safe routes into the UK in order to save lives and halt the huge money-making operations of people smugglers. (See text of Open Letter at the end of this press release.) Since 31st March 2016, when the letter was sent, there have been hundreds of deaths - not just at the Calais border but in lorries and, more recently, small boat tragedies. Inflammatory comments (Lee Anderson says Calais charities ‘just as bad as people smugglers’ - Independent) encourage current attempts by far right groups to demonise people seeking asylum who have been placed by the Home Office in hotels throughout the UK. The racist and fascist far right are capitalising on the fears and frustrations of UK citizens confronted with a profound housing crisis and spiralling living costs. Together with the current Home Secretary’s incendiary language, it has led to an increasingly dangerous situation as we have recently seen in Knowsley and elsewhere. (Suella Braverman proved it again: racism is a fire the Tories love to play with - Guardian) On Saturday, RAPAR participated in a large anti racist rally in Liverpool to show support for refugees living in asylum hotels managed by Serco and other ‘for profit’ companies. (See top of this page: Seeking Safety.) The same day, the Guardian reported that police had focused on North Manchester in their search for missing refugee children who have seemingly been abducted from hotels: Revealed: UK’s missing child refugees put to work for Manchester gangs. This story quotes police as saying that one young man had been commuting daily from a Warrington asylum accommodation ‘contingency hotel’ to North Manchester. Last summer, in a meeting with police and social services, RAPAR was told by the police representative at the meeting that there was a history of very problematic safeguarding incidents being reported from one of the hotel chains. RAPAR asked why, in the light of that fact, this hotel chain was being used at all inside of the asylum process where, by definition, residents are acutely vulnerable. The police officer’s observation is reflected in comments made by Shadow Home Secretary Yvette Cooper when the scandal of the large number of minors missing from hotels on the south coast was revealed by a whistleblower. She said Greater Manchester Police had warned that children in asylum hotels were being targeted: Yvette Cooper – 2023 Speech on Missing Unaccompanied Asylum-seeking Children In December, RAPAR profiled a Serco whistleblower who raised serious concerns about the lack of safeguarding training for employees working with vulnerable adults in Warrington, including young men whose ages were disputed and who may have been minors. For nearly a year, RAPAR has been highlighting profound safeguarding concerns relating to hotels in Manchester and Stockport. This was initially about children not being in school (Refugee pupils with no school places have lessons in Manchester car parks - Guardian) but other safeguarding issues have since come to light. If the solutions offered by leaders in the Calais refugee camp in 2016 had been heeded, the subsequent deaths, disappearances and exploitation of people seeking safety would have been avoided. It has never been more vital for the agencies that are supposed to be managing migration in the UK to finally listen to refugees and involve them in finding solutions. Like the overwhelming majority of UK citizens, the people living in hotels have a vested interest in undercutting the racism that is confronting them. Together, practical solutions can and must be found. ENDS Text of OPEN LETTER FROM CALAIS ‘JUNGLE’ CAMP REFUGEES TO DAVID CAMERON AND THE BRITISH PEOPLE The representatives of the communities of people living in the Calais refugee camp, the ‘Jungle’, have written an open letter to Prime Minister David Cameron and the people of Britain. Entrusted into the hands of RAPAR, this open letter has been sent by recorded delivery today to David Cameron. A photographic image of that letter, and of the registered envelope in which it was sent, are attached to this release. The letter is signed by camp residents from Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, India, Kuwait, the Kurdish, and Solomon, an individual. These signatures include those leaders now recognised by the French State as representatives of the Refugees. At yesterday’s weekly camp meeting, at which RAPAR was present, Medicins Sans Frontier reported back from their latest meeting with the Pays –de-Calais Cabinet of the Prefecture, Delphine Brard. They confirmed that, to enable direct communication, she is now asking for the names and numbers of the refugee camp leaders. Dated today, 31st March 2016, the Open Letter says: Open Letter from the Community Representatives of the Calais ‘Jungle’ Camp to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, David Cameron, and to its people. From the point of view of the different community representatives in the ‘Jungle’, we see the British Government spending millions of pounds, an enormous amount of money, each year, to secure its borders. But what is happening? The borders aren’t secure. Are you able to stop Refugees from coming to the UK? No. People are going to the UK illegally because the British Government has blocked the legal ways. The only thing that this use of British taxpayer’s money is doing, is empowering the Traffickers. Please, think about it. There are a minimum of 8000 Refugees in France. For each one, to be guaranteed to reach the UK, it costs around 10 thousand pounds. Per head, this is an enormous amount of money. Where is that money going beyond the Traffickers? The people staying here in the ’Jungle’ are risking their lives to get to the UK. They are putting themselves in danger, waiting for many months, illegally, and, if they can find the money, spending 8 to 10 thousand pounds to reach Britain. Every month between 5-700 people are reaching the UK from France, illegally. They would not go illegally if you provided them with a legal way. There are thousands of people, waiting here, to go to the UK, legally. The time has come to find an alternative, a better political solution, for Britain, for France, for Europe: for the people here, and for your borders. We understand that the British Government might be scared about different people coming into the UK that you don’t want. We understand that you might be frightened about terrorists coming to the UK. Therefore an asylum system in place, here in France, here in Calais, where Refugees can apply for asylum in the UK, from here. This is the solution. Together, work it out with us, the Refugees in Calais. ENDS For more information contact: Dr Rhetta Moran, RAPAR, 07776264646/ [email protected] Kath Grant 07865 713474 - RAPAR (Refugee and Asylum Participatory Action Research)
19th January 2023 RAPAR PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Eleven year old child may end up homeless as Serco refuses to provide alternative asylum accommodation For nearly three months, the Home Office's asylum accommodation provider Serco has insisted that a family - including an 11 year old child - returns to one of its "contingency hotels" or remains homeless. The father, a political refugee from Balochistan, went on a 35 day hunger strike in early November to publicise the plight of hotel residents in asylum hotel accommodation in Stockport. Serco is demanding that the family return to the hotel accommodation despite reports of serious Safeguarding concerns in at least two North West hotels. o Asylum seekers: Scabies and abuse at Stockport hotel, council claims - on the BBC o Asylum seeker on hunger strike against 'inhumane' treatment at Stockport hotel - on ITV News o RAPAR's June 2022 open letter to Manchester City Council City Solicitor Stockport Council itself has expressed deep concerns about the hotel in its area and a former Serco employee has raised similarly serious questions about a "contingency hotel" in Warrington: o Stockport Council and RAPAR speak out about scabies outbreak, rubbish in corridors and "inhumane treatment" in Serco-run asylum hotel - rapar.co.uk o Press release: 16th Dec. 2022: Whistleblower speaks out about safeguarding, racism and scabies at Serco’s asylum “hotel” in Warrington - rapar.co.uk So far, neither Serco nor Greater Manchester police have conducted any form of transparent investigation into the allegations of abuse the family has made relating to the hotel in Stockport. Since late November, rather than return to any Serco managed hotel, the mother and father have been "sofa surfing" while their child has been looked after by a family friend who lives within commuting distance of the child’s school. But that arrangement will end this weekend and the section 17 assessment of the child’s needs, that is currently being carried out by Stockport Council's social services, is still in progress. The family needs to be together and both Serco and Stockport Council could step in and secure their safety. The question is - will they do this before the whole family ends up with nowhere to live? In 2019 the government awarded SERCO government contracts worth £1.9 billion – the biggest ever – for managing more than 5000 properties occupied by people seeking asylum Serco Group PLC wins largest ever contract from UK government worth £1.9bn (proactiveinvestors.co.uk During Covid, the UK government’s demand for immigration services improved Serco’s previous forecasts of sales and profits. In a trading update SERCO said it expects revenues for 2022 of around £4.5 billion with underlying profits to be around £235 million: Serco Group PLC predicts flat 2023 as Covid work comes to an end That is just £55 million shy of the total budget that Stockport Council was spending in the same year: Have your say on Stockport Council’s budget proposals for the next financial year - Stockport Council The family have said they will go into any adequate accommodation as long as it is not a "contingency hotel" and their child can continue going to school. But so far Serco - which also has asylum housing accommodation in the community - has refused to agree to an alternative and the Home Office has not intervened. How much would it cost to shelter this child and parents safely while proper investigations into the reports of assault and other serious safeguarding allegations take place? Will Stockport Council step in if Serco continues to refuse the family’s request? Independent Social Worker and RAPAR Trustee, Steve Anderson, says: “A key feature of this family's plight and flight from ill treatment is that the substantive help to them has come from the voluntary sector which understands the deficiencies or iniquities of the asylum system. The father had to go on hunger strike to highlight the serious Safeguarding issues affecting each member of his family and others. Serco is still to be investigated. "Pro bono independent legal and medical advice has helped the family, despite Serco and governmental agencies insisting that the family should return to 'contingency' accommodation and potential further ill-treatment. "Even more worrying is that the family is split up and the local authority, Stockport, has yet to assess under S17 Children Act 1989 to Safeguard the needs of the child who is living separately from the family. The father is now off his hunger strike and, with his partner, they desperately want to care for their child who is settled in school but emotionally suffering from not living with parents in a new country. "Will Stockport Children's Service provide appropriate accommodation under S17 or does the child have to go into damaging and costly care with costly legal proceedings to follow? Is Stockport Council so limited in its resources due to central government cuts to its budget? "Which is more humane and less expensive? Compulsory care for a vulnerable 11 year old or suitable accommodation which will allow the child to continue in their current school and thrive within the family. This is a talented young child and a family who would contribute to our society, if they are helped." ENDS For further information contact: Kath Grant on 07865713474 Dr Rhetta Moran on 07776264646 Or email [email protected] |
