Currently browsing:
Manchester

Manchester action

Back where it all began… In November 2016, These Walls Must Fall hosted their first open meetings at Cross Street Chapel, to discuss, plan and start building a new kind of local campaign against detention in Greater Manchester. This was just over a year ago, and under the shadow of the detention local activist Dianne Ngoza*, people discussed the open-source, decentralised, non-directive approach of the campaign, and explored what the challenges and opportunities might be… Read more »

This Council believes …. These Walls Must Fall!

Yesterday, Manchester City Council become the first local authority in Britain to pass a motion condemning immigration detention.  You can read the motion here. The motion, proposed by Councillor Mahadi Sharif, was passed unanimously by the council. Here’s how it happened: Councillor @kelly4labour seconding the #TheseWallsMustFall motion at #Manchester council. We must send a message to the government: "enough is enough!" #unlocked17— Right to Remain (@Right_to_Remain) November 29, 2017 Final #mcc business is @MahdiTaarwale, who came… Read more »

“When you see injustice – speak out!”: These Walls Must Fall in Manchester

Last Thursday human rights campaigners, union members, migrant rights groups, political representatives and other members of the public met in Manchester to campaign against immigration detention. Setting up for the big event at the historic Mechanics Institute.Follow us, @wallsmustfall and #TheseWallsMustFall for updates! pic.twitter.com/EAcln0LgrG— Right to Remain (@Right_to_Remain) November 2, 2017 Gathering at Manchester’s historic Mechanics Institute, at a campaign launch meeting organised with Uniet the Union Greater Manchester Social Action Branch, over 120 people… Read more »

Manchester campaign public meeting, 2 Nov 2017

Challenging immigration detention. These Walls Must Fall campaign meeting Thursday 2 November 7pm – 9pm Mechanics Centre 103 Princess Street Manchester M1 6DD Speakers include: Julie Ward, Member of European Parliament, NW England Unite the Union, NW389 Social Action Branch Freed Voices group: experts-by-experience Right to Remain Manchester Migrant Solidarity Women Asylum Seekers Together African Rainbow Family This event is free, but with limited places. Please register to ensure you can attend. Book your place!… Read more »

A polite revolution

What makes people start caring about an issue? And what makes people go beyond just caring to doing something about it? These were some of the questions considered during a These Walls Must Fall workshop in Manchester this week, with campaigners from asylum-seeking and other migrant backgrounds. How many people would date their political awakening to being handed a flyer, or asked to sign a petition, or reading a policy report? In all honesty, very… Read more »

Manchester says: These walls must fall

On Monday 20 February as part of the One Day Without Us national day of migrant solidarity, over 100 people gathered in Manchester’s Piccadilly Gardens for two events. The gatherings were organised by Right to Remain with local migrant groups including United For Change and Manchester Migrant Solidarity, under the campaign banner of These Walls Must Fall. The afternoon rain stopped, sort of, just long enough for the lunchtime gathering at Piccadilly Gardens. Over the… Read more »

Imagine one day without us. Imagine one day without detention centres

“At 5 am I wake up sat on my bed and staring outside the window looking at the gods, praying that G4S will not come today” Monday 20 February is a national day of action – One Day Without Us – in solidarity with migrants, with events taking place up and down the country. In Manchester, Right to Remain is working with local migrant groups including United For Change and Manchester Migrant Solidarity to hold… Read more »

“We are the people who can change everything”: detention has met its match

Right to Remain’s double-bill of Manchester detention workshops seemed to, inadvertently, involve very inauspicious timings.  The first workshop in the series, on preparing in case of immigration detention, was on the day that local activist Dianne Ngoza was detained at Dallas Court (the Home Office reporting centre in Salford). Dianne is very well connected and an active member of lots of local groups, and there was a large demonstration in solidarity with her at Dallas Court on… Read more »

Manchester lessons

If you are at risk of detention, it’s really important to be prepared. There are many things you can think about and get ready in case the worst happens to you. One of the most important aspects of this is having a system in place with other people, so that if you are detained, people know straight away and start taking action for you. This was discussed at the recent Right to Remain workshop in… Read more »