​EDUCATION RIGHTS IN HOTELS COLLECTIVE

Press Release - for immediate release
Friday, August 28th 2026

LET ALL CHILDREN LEARN

Campaigners take their demands to new Secretary of State for Education

Photo opportunity

WHERE: 
Number 10 North, 
Heron House, 
Lincoln Square, 
Manchester M2 5LN

WHEN: 
10am Tuesday, 1st September 

On the first day of the new school year, Tuesday September 1st, the Greater Manchester-based Collective for Education Rights in Hotels will be delivering a letter at No 10 North to the Secretary of State for Education, Lucy Powell.

Our Collective consists of families,  trade union branches, charities and community organisations - and we are working together to address the imposing educational barriers facing children who are living in asylum accommodation hotels. 

We have identified a number of gaps in the current system and have been in contact with some Greater Manchester councils to highlight the problem.

Local authorities have a duty to ensure all children are given access to education but families in the hotels are frequently moved - from one hotel to another or from a hotel into other types of Serco-managed accommodation. 

In some cases, families are moved to  different areas of the UK where other private sector companies are contracted by the Home Office to provide asylum housing.

But children and young people are not always automatically transferred to other schools when their families are moved so a number of them are being deprived of their right to education.

New Government policy to close hotels has exacerbated the situation throughout the UK and there is now a London case pending in the High Court which is seeking to challenge some of the issues legally.

We believe there should be a robust  system in place to stop children from falling through the gaps and we will be taking our message to the Secretary of State for Education on Tuesday September 1st.
Hide quoted text

ENDS

For more information, please contact:
[email protected] or phone 07865 713474

Press Release
For immediate release
Thursday, August 6th 2026

"SERCO MUST GO" - RAPAR CALLS FOR AN IMMEDIATE END TO THE PRIVATISATION OF ASYLUM HOUSING 

Manchester Human Rights organisation RAPAR has warned that "Serco Must Go" if Andy Burnham is to end rough sleeping, the first pledge he made when he became Prime Minister.

RAPAR believes the privatisation of asylum accommodation has created housing problems and homelessness over many years. It would be far better if asylum housing support was in the hands of local authorities - a policy the Prime Minister says he supports.

Now RAPAR is urging refugees, charities, trade unions and community organisations to join together and demand that the Government brings a swift end to multi billion pound asylum housing contracts with private companies Serco, Mears and Clearsprings.

RAPAR Founder Dr Rhetta Moran said: "Street homeless people, including many refugees who reach out to us for help and who we see every night on our streets in Greater Manchester, demonstrate that the ‘A Bed Every Night’ scheme has simply not worked for many. This is not a surprise: no piecemeal intervention, however well intentioned, can create sustainable and meaningful change. 

"As is the case with many industries, from Water to Energy, privatisation has done nothing but degrade service delivery and put more money in the pockets of the rich. The Refugee ‘industry’ is no exception. 

"The time is well overdue for bringing everything to do with homelessness back into public ownership - and we call upon the Prime Minister to meet with us as a matter of urgency to carve out how we do that in partnership with street homeless people themselves."

It is expected that the total cost of the 10 year Home Office contracts with private companies will hit £15.3 billion by 2029, according to a National Audit Office report in May last year. 

Asylum accommodation, including in the hotels, is often sub-standard and unsafe. The Government should end the contracts now instead of waiting for them to expire in three years' time.

When a positive decision on an asylum claim is reached, private contractors that provide asylum accommodation (in the North West, it is Serco) tell people they are being evicted because they are no longer seeking asylum. Many end up living on the streets because they have nowhere else to go.

Legally, the "move on" period is 28 days. A longer period of time would ease the homelessness situation to an extent but if local authorities were responsible, and fully resourced, for asylum housing the administration of it would be much smoother, more cohesive and less stressful.

Alimamy Bangura, co chair of RAPAR's Leadership group, says Serco does not properly explain the transition from living in hotels - or other asylum accommodation - to the housing people will live in when they have been given refugee status.

"There is a lack of clear guidance about what to expect during this process, particularly regarding housing arrangements. 

"In addition, there is insufficient information about children’s schooling and how their education will be managed when the families move from hotel accommodation to their new homes," he says.

For more information, please contact:
​Kath Grant on 07865 713474
[email protected]
[email protected]

Dr Rhetta Moran 07776 264646

PRESS RELEASE. 
For immediate release
25th March 2025

For media inquiries: Clare 07415177862


TOGETHER AGAINST THE FAR RIGHT - ON THE BIGGEST MULTICULTURAL MARCH IN BRITISH HISTORY

Saturday, March 28th, in London

This Saturday is likely to see the biggest multi cultural march in British history when trade unionists, community organisations, faith groups and individuals come together to say No to the far right and fascism.

Ten coaches from across Greater Manchester will be going to London with many other people travelling by train or using their own transport. 

Salford Mayor Paul Dennett believes TOGETHER can build solidarity between different groups and organisations to mobilise effectively against the "extremely troubling rise of the far-right." 
 
"I encourage everyone to get involved in supporting the TOGETHER Alliance, in building unity and solidarity in their local communities in Salford, and where possible joining the national demonstration in London on 28th March," the Mayor added.

Local signatories to the petition include Maxine Peake, Christopher Eccleston, Steve Coogan, The Charlatans and Rebecca Long Bailey MP. 

Andy Burnham, Greater Manchester Mayor, and Hannah Spencer, newly elected MP for Gorton & Denton, will be speaking along with a host of bands, celebrities and trade unions.

Hannah Spencer MP says: “I’m tired of politicians blaming everyone else for their mistakes. I'm tired of minorities being scapegoated. 

"Us coming together, working together and sticking together is the only way we can bring about change and hope in the current political landscape."

We believe people will look back on 28th March as a turning point. 
 
Will it be just another Saturday that passed you by - or will you be making history on the streets of London, marching for Unity with hundreds of thousands of people from every corner of the UK?

This isn't just a walk. It is a chance to shape our country’s identity and our story.

It's still possible to book through TOGETHER Alliance's page.

RAPAR  (Refugee and Asylum Participatory Action Research)

31st December 2025

Press Release
For immediate Release

CITY COUNCIL MUST OFFER SHELTER FOR STREET HOMELESS PEOPLE NOW

As another homeless man dies on the city's streets and falling temperatures are set to bring in the New Year, RAPAR renews its call for immediate action

There has been a 20 per cent nationwide increase in the number of people sleeping rough over the last year, according to figures released in December. 

The sharp rise in street homelessness was tragically reflected on the streets of Manchester this Christmas when a 47 year old man was found dead near the Bridgewater Hall on Boxing Day. It is thought the cold may have been a contributory factor.

With temperatures forecast to plunge below freezing, RAPAR is calling for urgent discussions between the Greater Manchester Mayor, city council leaders, homeless people, and all charities working with them, in an attempt to avert more deaths.

RAPAR caseworker Emma Leyla knows of three other recent deaths of street homeless men in Manchester.  

Emma says: "The alarming increase in the deaths of homeless people raises urgent questions about lack of protection. 

"In Manchester, refugees, migrants, and local people who have become homeless are all falling through the so-called safety net.

"But lives could be saved by offering warm beds, outreach services, and trauma-informed support that addresses poverty and displacement."
 
Earlier this year, RAPAR called for a round table discussion to address the worrying rise in destitution in the city and other Greater Manchester council areas. 

Emma adds: "We were provided with a direct number for Manchester's homelessness team but a round table discussion was refused. We are now renewing our call but we remain adamant that homeless people should be involved in any discussions and decisions."
 
RAPAR members have long experience of the UK's chaotic asylum and immigration system which, in itself, can cause homelessness and destitution. But RAPAR also works with all displaced people from many different backgrounds and circumstances.

At RAPAR's homelessness drop-in sessions, Emma and other volunteers have worked with around 100 people over the last 12 months. RAPAR caseworkers are willing to share their experiences and insights with others to help create a united strategy in order to prevent more deaths on the city's streets.

A £3.5bn national plan aims to cut the number of long-term rough sleepers by half over the next five years and prevent other people from falling into homelessness. But emergency measures for those who are currently sleeping out need to be introduced immediately. 

Shelter's data shows there are 9,589 homeless people in Manchester alone - equivalent to one in every 61 people. 

There is a range of complex reasons for why people end up with no roof over their heads - and any homelessness strategy must fully address all of them if it is to be a success.

ENDS

(See also this report from ITV news online and this excerpt from ITV's Granada News aired on the 2nd Jan. 2026 featuring RAPAR's Dr Rhetta Moran)

( 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

​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."