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We went along to the Mother’s Day Solidarity Gathering at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre last Sunday. Really good to join our friends from Justice and Peace Scotland, Ayrshire Friends of Refugees, Global Justice Ayrshire and others in showing solidarity with the people locked up in “Scotland’s Shame”. Just the sight of all that barbed wire and the massive fences around Dungavel is enough to remind you how inhumane the UK immigration system is and how we desperately need change. At the very least, we need to ensure that there is some time limit to immigration detention and, ultimately, we should be moving away from detention altogether and working towards free movement.

It’s also important to remember that Immigration Removal Centres like Dungavel are just the sharp end of a much wider policy which aims to create a ‘hostile environment‘ for immigrants. Since Theresa May was Home Secretary  back in 2012, this policy has been bringing border enforcement into every area of life, dividing communities and creating a pernicious undercurrent of fear and suspicion which can’t be good for any of us.

We went along to M&S on Argyle Street on Saturday 16th Dec, to highlight the irony of M&S using Paddington in their Xmas adverts. It’s great that they’re using a famous migrant in their ads and none of us would disagree with the #lovethebear slogan. Shame that they can’t see the irony of continuing to advertise in the Daily Mail, the paper that has done more than most to spread hate, racism and anti-immigrant feeling across the UK. The good folk of Glasgow were delighted to see Paddington whilst they were doing their Xmas shopping and we had some good conversations about the need to change the media messages around migration.

If you’ve got a minute to spare, you can sign People and Planet’s new petition to stop the media scapegoating ‘illegal’ migrants.

At the end of June, we joined the annual solidarity gathering at Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre (also known as ‘Scotland’s Shame’ or ‘The Monster of the Glen’), along with friends from Global Justice Ayrshire, Hope not Hate and Justice and Peace Scotland…not to mention a certain migrant from darkest Peru. This wee film explains why we were there – people shouldn’t be locked up just for trying to seek refuge in the UK. And even more – they shouldn’t be locked up indefinitely #time4atimelimit.

Last Sunday the Glasgow Mela descended upon Kelvingrove Park. A veritable feast for the soul (and the stomach), it brings together a variety of cultures from around our pale blue dot with an astonishing assortments of food, drinks, music, art, crafts, dance and so much more. Kelvingrove Park, looking as resplendent as always against the backdrop of the Kelvingrove Museum and Glasgow University’s majestic architecture, was host to tens of thousands of people all there to enjoy the rich and diverse tapestry of world cultures on display. Mela comes from the Sanskrit for ‘to meet’, which people certainly did do in large numbers, an estimated 40,000.

Amidst this celebration of multiculturalism, the perfect closer for the Scottish Refugee Festival, it was the perfect day for Global Justice Glasgow to set up shop for our Migration campaign. Amidst the lush, labyrinthine walkways of the park, our stall found itself in the middle of an eclectic mix of other organisations ranging from a theatre and a car rental company one side to a foster care charity and the navy on the other. Activists from all around Glasgow arrived to provide help and support over the course of the day – all of which helped to reach more people.

The star of the day and the main attraction was our good friend from deepest darkest Peru, Paddington Bear! Paddington is the perfect symbol for challenging the negative media narratives around the topic of Migration. Adored by kids and adults alike, he found it difficult to move around the Mela without being stopped every metre for a hug or a photograph from an excited fan.

Connecting with people in this way meant a lot more people came to our stall, asked questions, took badges, stickers and information on our Migration campaign. We were also joined by friends from Refuweegee, Refugee Survival Trust and Scottish Detainee Visitors (Check out their recent action at Dungavel here) who supported us throughout the day and informed visitors of the amazing work they do with refugees around Glasgow. Visit their websites to learn more about what they do and how you can get involved. 

In typical Glasgow fashion, we did get a downpour at somer points throughout the day but it did precious little to hinder the festivities which continued throughout the day in full furore. Across multiple stages, there were stellar performances from Indian, Chinese and local dance groups accompanied by music equally as astounding. The food on the day allowed you to taste your way around the world with expertly made authentic dishes to spice up your life like chana chaat and lamb bhuna or bring you a little sweetness with mouth-watering kulfi and falooda. For the first time, there was a ‘crafts village’ with workshops and demonstrations showing off the multitude of skills used to create beautiful and ornate artistic pieces.

The conversations at the stall that day were wide ranging and informative. We had people sign up for more information, asking how to get involved and sharing their own experiences with migrants and refugees in Glasgow or even their own personal story of migration and their experiences as a refugee in the city. One topic that came up time and time again is the question: “Who is a migrant?”. This prompted everyone to look back into their own family and history and realise that most of us are migrants is one sense or another.

With Brexit due to move full steam ahead and the Great Repeal Bill looming over the horizon, it is set to affect climate change, health and safety standards, food standards, workers rights, human rights and, of course, the right to free movement. Now more than ever, we need to defend this right and ensure it is upheld for all, wherever they’re from. As complex and challenging as the issue is, it is only made worse by the simplifying, misinformed and toxic coverage of it by the some parts of the media. To this end, if you haven’t already, make sure to email the CEO of Marks and Spencers to stop advertising in the Daily Mail and put a stop to their support of misleading and poisonous rhetoric around Migration.

To find out more about Global Justice Glasgow, sign up to our newsletter in the sidebar, like our Facebook page or follow our Twitter.

Glasgow Campaigns for Migrant Rights

no one leaves home unless
home is the mouth of a shark

– Warsan Shire, Home

 

25,000 people have died trying to get to or stay in Europe since 2000 (International Organisation for Migration) and, yet, refugees are not given support but are faced with xenophobia, detention, destitution, abuse and physical violence. In the coming months, with Brexit and another independence referendum on the cards, Scotland is at a crossroads in its history. Are we going to turn away from the suffering of thousands of innocent people fleeing warfare and devastation, taking long arduous journeys for a better life for themselves and their families or are we going to support them in their quest for safety, for security and defend the right to freedom of movement for one and all?

In Glasgow, we have already seen great resistance to the recent descent into nativism and jingoism brought about by the pro-Brexit campaign and overseas with the election of (I still can’t believe I’m about to type the next two words and mean it) President Trump. Huge protests around Scotland, in all the major cities, demonstrate the appetite for an alternative way of looking at migration, of taking a more humane approach, of treating our fellow travellers with compassion and understanding rather than disdain and the subdued contempt that suffuses our current political climate.

 

Most of the world’s refugees don’t flee to Europe, let alone the UK. Only 1% live here. Developing countries host over 80% of the world’s refugees.

(British Red Cross)

 

At Global Justice Glasgow, we are preparing for a whole host of events taking place over the next few weeks, each one a chance to build the campaign for migrant rights, to ask the difficult questions, to engage, challenge and support.

 

Migration Gathering (6th May)

With stalls from various organisations, a powerful and moving photo exhibition and a screening of the outstanding documentary Precarious Trajectories, this event looks to be the perfect storm for anyone interested in migrant rights to come together and support each other and develop ideas on how to make progress on these difficult issue.

The main afternoon discussion will be on what can be done to tackle this issue in Scotland specifically and what we should demand of the Scottish government in response to this crisis.

 

Refugee Festival Scotland (20th June – 2nd July)

Hosted by the Scottish Refugee Council, this festival celebrates the contribution refugees make to the rich tapestry of Scottish culture and how Glaswegians embrace this as they become neighbours, colleagues, classmates and friends. Last year, it attracted around 13,300 people at 140 events across the country ranging from live music and performances to literature events. For this year’s programme and other updates, keep an eye on the website.

 

CCA Film Screenings (23rd June, 6-8m – final details tbc)

A screening of three local and global films from Take One Action, exploring lack of safe passage for refugees, and their lives in their chosen destination country:

 

Glasgow Mela (2nd July)

We will be at the Glasgow Mela, Scotland’s biggest free multicultural festival from 12-8pm on Sunday, 2nd July in Kelvingrove Park. Come along to take part in the festivities – the activities, the food, the performances and much more. It’s worth coming to see clothing alone! – as dazzling and spectacular as it can possibly be. You may also get to meet our favourite bear from Peru, one Mr. Brown, first name Paddington – and don’t be surprised if you see his friendly face popping up around Glasgow over the coming weeks – keep an eye on our Facebook and Twitter for possible sightings!

Bottomless suitcases and marmalade aside, we hope to engage anyone interested in the topic of Migration whether it be someone wanting to question, to learn more, to explore, to challenge or simply enjoy the stunning array of sights and sounds you’ll be surrounded by on the day, Make sure to follow the Mela Facebook and Twitter for the latest updates.

Right now, Scotland is rediscovering its identity and we have a chance now to move towards more progressive values, towards a better way of doing things and not sliding into the same, old, ineffectual discourse about ‘us versus them’. We can reject the political parties which bang the populist drum against migrants with their toxic rhetoric of division, half-truths and hatred. Let’s take a better approach, one that acknowledges the challenges ahead of us but does not shy away from them. Let’s show them what the people of Glasgow are really made of.

 

We hope to see you over the coming weeks as we fight to make Glasgow a city that welcomes all and  stands up for the vulnerable because we know People Make Glasgow, wherever we’re fae.

Great to have some time with trade activists from across Scotland in Dundee yesterday (Sat 25 March). We’ve all spent a lot of time and energy over the last few years campaigning against horrible corporate power-grabs like TTIP, CETA and TPP, so it’s really good to be able to talk about positive alternatives. We need to push our elected representatives to think about positive trade deals that puts environmental protection and workers’ rights before corporate profit. It’s not going to be an easy campaign to win, but it has to be worth it…