This unauthorised 24-hour “tent city” in Parliament Square is a protest against on-going UK deportations to Iraq. Bring a tent and join us to demand an immediate end to all forcible returns to Iraq, and the restoration of benefits, housing and the right to work for all rejected Iraqi asylum seekers.
I didn’t want to leave Iraq. I would go back tomorrow if I knew I would be safe. I love my country and I miss it; I miss my road, I miss the corner where my school stands, I miss all these things, but I can’t go back, because it is very likely that I would be killed
Iraqi asylum seeker Ahmed (34)
Because of its crucial role in the military invasion of Iraq, the British government bears a heavy responsibility for the acutely dangerous situation faced by Iraqis in their own country.
Nonetheless, since the 2003 invasion, the UK has been one of the key players in forcible returns of Iraqis, and has operated a harsh practice of cutting off assistance, including accommodation and benefits, for people who reach the end of the asylum process. As a result large numbers of Iraqis are now living in destitution, in a legal limbo, and under constant threat of removal.
For info about the camp contact the voices office on 0845 458 2564
Whilst technically an “unauthorised” – and therefore illegal – demonstration under Section 132 of SOCPA, arrests under the soon-to-be-repealed legislation are unlikely.
