Babi's been detained. Demonstrate tomorrow

[Dic Penderyn]

Babi got arrested this morning when he went for his regular signing at the UK Border Agency Offices in Cardiff. At the time of writing he is at Rhymney Police station, though he may be moved to a immigration detention centre at any time. More information will appear on the No Borders blog when it's known.

This means we'll be making a much bigger noise at the picket TOMORROW AT 12 NOON outside the UK Border Agency Offices at 31 -33 Newport Road, Cardiff. These protests generally only last one hour so people can come along in their lunch-break from work / uni. Please come along and tell as many people as possible! If anyone can make any banners or signs in support of Babi that would be great.

background info on babi

[Zachor]

I concur that it is wrong of the UKBA to refuse this asylum application. Its pretty well documented about the adverse conditions facing LGBT people in Azerbaijan and similar countries.

Surely if the HRA can be used to allow scumbags like Abu Hamza etc to remain in the UK then why can't it be used to defend people like this man who are genuinely fleeing oppression. It is offensive and patronising to tell people in this situation to just move. to another part of their country or nail themselves into the closet.

[Col_Buendia]

Totally gutted that Babi's been snatched. Will be there tomorrow.

[Udo Erasmus]

Email from No Borders Wales

Whilst attending the Border Agency offices in Cardiff today for his weekly signing, Babi Badalov was detained and taken to Rumney Police station in Cardiff, while friends waited outside for him. He has removal directions for 20th September.

http://noborderswales.wordpress.com/...fe-in-cardiff/
For those not aware of his case, Babi Badalov has experienced persecution and abuse in Azerbaijan because of his homosexuality and his radical art, which has been critical of the government there. Despite wide support and Babi's great contribution to the arts in Wales, his claim was refused.

Before being detained today, Babi was in the process of collecting further evidence of his poor treatment in Azerbaijan and had been awaiting neurological and psychiatric assessments which his solicitor was arranging. This information was to be used as a basis for a fresh claim for asylum.

Please attend TODAY's picket of the Border Agency, 31-33 Newport Road, from 12 noon to protest at the Home Office's treatment of Babi and other migrants who seek a better life in the UK.

Write to the Home Office please! Use this model letter:
http://noborderswales.files.wordpres...ate-169081.doc

and post, fax, e-mail to:

Rt Hon Jacqui Smith MP
Secretary of State for the Home Department
3rd Floor Peel Buildings
2 Marsham Street
London
SW1P 4DF

-Fax: 020 8760 3132 (00 44 20 8760 3132 if you are faxing from outside UK)
-E-mail: jacqui.smith@homeoffice.gov.uk

Please help to keep to our friend Babi safe in Cardiff.

[Dic Penderyn]

Fuck, my workmate's called in sick so I won't be able to get out of work at lunchtime. Hope lots of other people can make it.

There has been plenty of coverage of this on the blogsphere (more would be good though, hint, hint ). Thought nothing in the news at all (as of yet anyway).

I've gotta say I'm really fucking angry, more that being someone I'm involved in campaigning for, Babi is a mate. I wasn't really involved in No Borders until I started hanging out with Babi. The UKBA are fucking scum.

[Udo Erasmus]

There has been plenty of coverage of this on the blogsphere (more would be good though, hint, hint ). Thought nothing in the news at all (as of yet anyway).

a little more blogosphere here

it is terrible news and very depressing

[Dic Penderyn]

Just heard on the phone that ITV Wales are filming the protest now, hopefully them covering it will mean some other news media pick up the story.

[Udo Erasmus]

Good news, unfortunately I couldn't get down there (taken too much time off work recently)

[lewislewis]

I was there! A surreal joint anarchist-Plaid demonstration.

Guy next to me: "It's the politicians we need to get rid off...oh, sorry!"

[Zachor]

I was there! A surreal joint anarchist-Plaid demonstration.

Guy next to me: "It's the politicians we need to get rid off...oh, sorry!"

Thats bad. I thought No Borders were doing well in getting wide spread support? Its worrying when such an important case like this just attracts the activists and usual suspects.

My first thought at your post is 'must try harder'.

FFS not only do those poor basstards claiming asylum have to face a kafkaesque asylum process, piss poor legal representatives and a hostile populace you now have to add piss poor support groups as well.

I thought NB was better organised than that.

[Udo Erasmus]

Bethan Jenkins AM
Plaid Cymru – The Party of Wales

Wednesday September 1 7 th 2008

EMBARGO: For immediate release

Plaid AM calls for Babi Badalov not to be deported

Plaid Cymru Assembly Member for South Wales West, Bethan Jenkins has today written to the Home Office to request that Babi Badalov, an asylum seeker from Azerbaijan is not deported. This is in light of Babi's recent detention in Cardiff, with removal directions given for the 20th of September. Babi, an artist from Azerbaijan has endured persecution due to his sexuality and the radical nature of his creative activities by the government in Azerbaijan, and his brother has threatened to kill him due to the fact that homosexuality is deemed unacceptable to many in the country.

Speaking from her office in Neath today, Ms Jenkins said:

" I met Babi when I spoke at an event to display his art in Bute Street Art Centre, Cardiff earlier this year. He has contributed so much to the community here in Wales, and I have therefore written to Jacqui Smith MP at the Home Office to appeal against his now imminent deportation. If he is forced to return to Azerbaijan, he faces an unhappy and unstable future, with his own family threatening to kill him due to his sexuality'.

Bethan Jenkins added:

'We must support asylum seekers such as Babi, and there is an obligation on the Westminster government to defend those people who face persecution in their respective countries. Wales has welcomed Babi with open arms, and it is deeply frustrating that the National Assembly for Wales does not have the powers to overturn decisions to deport asylum seekers who are clearly in danger.'

' I have helped with the cases of many asylum seekers in my region, and throughout Wales. I intend to raise this issue with the First Minister at the National Assembly to encourage him to liaise with his Westminster colleagues on this urgent matter.'


ENDS

[lewislewis]

Thats bad. I thought No Borders were doing well in getting wide spread support? Its worrying when such an important case like this just attracts the activists and usual suspects.

My first thought at your post is 'must try harder'.

FFS not only do those poor basstards claiming asylum have to face a kafkaesque asylum process, piss poor legal representatives and a hostile populace you now have to add piss poor support groups as well.

I thought NB was better organised than that.

It wasn't a problem, he was polite- I saw his point to be honest. We could do without the Westminster ones at least.

There were lots of cars beeping in support as they went past.

[Zachor]

It wasn't a problem, he was polite- I saw his point to be honest. We could do without the Westminster ones at least.

I think some westminster ones we could well do without as well. Fair do's if he was polite about it. It just screamed to me that it was just the usual suspects and that NB wasn't getting the support for the detainee. I'm assuming that all the proper stuffs being done and that he has decent legal rep as I know that piss poor lawyers cause people who are genuinely in danger to be deported.

There were lots of cars beeping in support as they went past.

Good sign. I shudder to think what the response would be in some areas though.

Slightly off topic have you come across this org who may be useful http://www.biduk.org/
Doing good work intercepting people who are about to be deported.

[lewislewis]

I think some westminster ones we could well do without as well. Fair do's if he was polite about it. It just screamed to me that it was just the usual suspects and that NB wasn't getting the support for the detainee. I'm assuming that all the proper stuffs being done and that he has decent legal rep as I know that piss poor lawyers cause people who are genuinely in danger to be deported.


Good sign. I shudder to think what the response would be in some areas though.

Slightly off topic have you come across this org who may be useful http://www.biduk.org/
Doing good work intercepting people who are about to be deported.

We were welcomed! Even though we are political types.

I don't think any other parties or AMs would be seen with anarchists though.

[penderyn2000]

A couple of pics and report of the picket at www.radicalsocialist.org.

[llantwit]

We were welcomed! Even though we are political types.

Yeah... we're actually political types, too, y'know.

I don't think any other parties or AMs would be seen with anarchists though.

Not strictly true. Plaid have been great working with No Borders, and have prolly done the most of all the big parties. But Babi's campaign has had some support from the Lib Dems and Labour, too. Rodney Berman, the Cardiff Council leader and Jenny Willot the Lib Dem MP have publicly supported him. From Labour, there's been Chris Bryant the Rhondda MP and a few others.

[llantwit]

Thats bad. I thought No Borders were doing well in getting wide spread support? Its worrying when such an important case like this just attracts the activists and usual suspects.
My first thought at your post is 'must try harder'.
[snip]
I thought NB was better organised than that.

Zachor: I think you jumped the gun a bit here.

I'm sure I'm a bit touchy and emotional today anyway, what with a good mate being banged up for no good reason and trying every trick in the book to make sure he doesn't get deported, but keyboard warrior stuff like that based on one post on a BB is a bit difficult to swallow, to be honest.

For the record, No Borders has a lot of anarchist support, and it's organised and run along libertarian principles, but we work with everyone who's progressive and who'll pitch in with our campaigns. We've worked with plenty of other types (loads of migrants irrespective of politics (of course), religious peeps, NGOs, major parties, the socialist parties, ethnic groups, community groups, etc, etc).

By the way Zachor - you seem pretty clued up about this stuff - we're a shoe-string operation with no resources and just a few commited activists... fancy coming along and getting involved?

[llantwit]

I'm assuming that all the proper stuffs being done and that he has decent legal rep as I know that piss poor lawyers cause people who are genuinely in danger to be deported.

He's got one of the best solicitors that he could have at this point - very good firm, very experienced in this kind of case, and very well-resourced. We helped Babi change a few months back after his last legal rep coasted through his case not doing anything and refusing to communicate with him at all.

Slightly off topic have you come across this org who may be useful http://www.biduk.org/
Doing good work intercepting people who are about to be deported.

BID are great. One of the other people we're working with from Cardiff, Jean Pierre, is being helped by them at the moment as he tries to get out of that hell-hole Campsfield.

[llantwit]

I was there! A surreal joint anarchist-Plaid demonstration.

I wish I'd known you were there, mate. Would've introduced myself (I was the tall one with floppy hair and glasses handing out a lot of leaflets).

[llantwit]

At the moment one thing that everyone can do (as well as writing to the home office, signing the petition, etc - details here) is e-mail, telephone, semaphore, etc your MP and ask them to write to Jacqui Smith urging her to delay the deportation to allow the evidence for Babi's fresh asylum claim to be gathered. This process was well underway when Babi was snatched, and has now been interrupted. More info on this will be posted on the South Wales No Borders blog later tonight.

[Col_Buendia]

Thats bad. I thought No Borders were doing well in getting wide spread support? Its worrying when such an important case like this just attracts the activists and usual suspects.

That's pretty wide of the mark, Z. As Llantwit said, it's hard to be polite when it's a mate who has been snatched from under your gaze (I had an email off Babi about an hour and a half before he was lifted, letting me know about his upcoming art exhibition that he was getting excited about), but your comments seem well out of place. No Borders got over 40 people onto the streets at approximately 12hours notice to protest outside the Borders Agency. There were people of many different political stripes, and trying to stereotype them as "the usual suspects" ain't helpful. If you're Cardiff based, why not pitch in with the campaign, you seem to care enough about it?

[Udo Erasmus]

As Col_Buendia says, over 40 people at very short notice on a weekday is very impressive and shows the level of support Babi has in Cardiff. 2 friends of mine who only checked their emails after the protest had happened and said they would have been there.

Re. Llantwit's post, I have just emailed my MP who is Jenny Willot, but if anyone has a more direct contact details it might be useful.

http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-9021.html

[Udo Erasmus]

I got an automated reply from J Willot MP at the LibDem conference, but it suggested ringing her constituency office on 02920 668 558 if it was an urgent matter, which it evidently is.

[llantwit]

If people have the time please e-mail your MP about this.
Babi's had an indication they want to remove him on the weekend - but an enquiry to the Home Office from an MP can significantly delay a deportation.
We all need to pressure our MPs to look into this!
Here's what I wrote to my MP if people want to use it as a template (also Jenny Willot btw):

Dear XXXX XXXX, b,
It has been brought to my attention that you might be able to aid the struggle of your constituent artist and asylum seeker Babi Badalov to be granted leave to stay in the country (HO ref: B1234623).
Babi has been working with his solicitor to gather evidence for a full and fresh claim for asylum to be lodged. As you may know, he was detained by the UKBA on tuesday, and is now in Campsfield detention centre, and this process has been interrupted.
Babi, his solicitor, and his supporters feel that the Home Office need to hear his case based on new evidence (psychiatric and neurological assesments yet to be carried out, and new witness statements from people who saw first-hand the abuse Babi suffered in Azerbaijan).
Please could you write to the Home Office appealing for babi to have more time to submit the claim he has been working on. It would be a terrible shame for us, the people of the UK, to send back another asylum seeker to an unknown fate without having heard the full details of his case.
Yours sincerely,

[Zachor]

That's pretty wide of the mark, Z. As Llantwit said, it's hard to be polite when it's a mate who has been snatched from under your gaze (I had an email off Babi about an hour and a half before he was lifted, letting me know about his upcoming art exhibition that he was getting excited about), but your comments seem well out of place. No Borders got over 40 people onto the streets at approximately 12hours notice to protest outside the Borders Agency. There were people of many different political stripes, and trying to stereotype them as "the usual suspects" ain't helpful. If you're Cardiff based, why not pitch in with the campaign, you seem to care enough about it?

Fair point. I'm not Cardiff based but I'll do what I can. Is there anything that I can distribute around the religious orgs in my are that work with refugees in London?