| OCTOBER 2022 NEWSLETTER Welcome to this edition of SNN newsletter where we are covering a number of items that will be of interest to everyone involved in migrant and refugee solidarity work. The first article reports the People’s Assembly against deaths at borders attended by representatives of Status Now in Brussells. More than 200 people from several countries took part in the conference and a demonstration in defence of migrants’ rights was organized outside the European Parliament. Our second article is dedicated to Friends of Status Now and its first online meeting. Finally we update on SNN plan for an away weekend strategy event and welcome our new signatories Bridging Change and Waling Waling. |
| European campaigns for regularisation confer and protest in Brussels Over two hundred people representing migrant and refugee rights organisations met in Brussels over the weekend September 30 – 2nd October to reinvigorate their collaboration across European networks. The years of the Covid pandemic have had their impact on human rights activism in this area, which depends on people meeting face-to-face and finding ways to get beyond the national differences that distort transnational solidarity. But as the gathering got underway it was clear that participants were able to report on an upturn in their work, from across Spain, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Greece as well as the UK, who all at strong representation in the discussion. Spanish activists in particularly provided a vital element with a large contingent who had arrived as a part of a People’s March delegation which had started out in a large caravan departing from the rural regions of Andalusia, where a large migrant labour force tends to the crops of the agribusiness multinationals. The supporters of Via Campesina brought the perspective of these farm workers firmly into focus with a call not only to recognise their rights to decent work and pay but also for a transition to policy based on food sovereignty as opposed to the production of commodities for export. Covid shifts opinion Delegates from Belgian explained how the experiences of the Covid pandemic had forced a reluctant change of their country’s view of migration, with many coming to see the contribution of migrants as a factor which allowed society to continue to function through the long periods of lockdown. Despite this, right wing, anti-immigrant viewpoints remain entrenched in the ministries which is leading to policies that are increasingly recognised as irrational and against the fundamental interests of the mass of the population. The continuing incidence of deaths at borders and on sea crossings to Europe provided the backdrop to discussions about the militarisation of controls at frontiers. Policy emanating from the EU had facilitated this development as policymakers in Brussels had abandoned the idea that human rights underpinned the common approach to border management. There was much criticism of the work of FRONTEX – the EU border force which has assumed responsibility to patrolling Europe’s borders. In addition, the notorious incident as the Melilla-Morocco border on 24 June which led to the deaths of 37 in a assault by Moroccan border police which crushed people against the Spanish enclave’s 6 metre high fences, was condemned by conference participants. Status Now The UK delegation consisted of supporters of the Status Now Network and the UK-based domestic workers organisation, Waling Waling. Activists from the latter explained how far the British government was from providing a secure immigration status for a group of workers who are at high risk of exploitation and abuse at the hands of their employers. The domestic workers visa, created in 1997 for the specific purpose of allowing domestic workers experiencing poor conditions of employment to leave their jobs and seek alternative work in the same sector, with a right to permanent settlement being acquired after five years. This security of status had been withdrawn in 2012 as a part of the coalition government’s hostile environment measures, returning migrant workers employed in private high households back to a situation of endemic high risk. The Status Now representative explained the wider situation in the UK, with migrants continuing to live at high risk of destitution and denial of health and other crucial services because of policies which deny access to social security and public services and creates obstacles to their full integration onto the labour force on equal terms with citizen workers. He argued that this was having the perverse effect of making immigration policy incoherent and was producing frequent crises of the way the regulations were enforced, most famously shown in the Windrush generation scandal. Solidarity demonstration In addition to the information exchanges provided during the discussion sessions delegates took time out to demonstrate solidarity with migrants and refugees on the streets of Brussels. On the Saturday afternoon they staged a protest on the Place du Luxembourg outside the European Parliament building which was joined by many Brussels residents to make a crowd of close to a thousand people. The voices of migrant people were prominent on the platform and the lively event mixed spoken word with the display of banners proclaiming solidarity with the sound of salsa drummers providing the musical backdrop. As well as rebuilding links that had been disrupted by the Covid pandemic the conference gave participants the opportunity to plan practical activities for the future. It was resolved to work with human rights defenders across the North African region to build a session of the Permanent People’s Tribunal on Violations of the Rights of Migrants, with the target set for a public hearing to take place in Tunis in November 2023. Progress on this project will be reported here in the period ahead. The website for the Brussels conference can be viewed at https://rights.nodeaths.eu/en/. To see more about the organisers of the conference – Transnational Migrant Platform-Europe, go to https://transnationalmigrantplatform.net/events/ |
| Friends of Status Now meeting Friends of Status Now is a space for individuals, and particularly for undocumented people who are the most attacked by the hostile environment, to fight together for indefinite leave to remain for people who are undocumented, destitute, and those in the legal process. We are aiming to improve the involvement of this group in our campaign and ensure that they have a leading role in it. A Friends of Status Now meeting chaired by Status Now co-chair Loraine Masiya Mponela took place online on 28th September to present our work and discuss how old and new Friends of Status Now can help to develop it in many different ways. Large part of the discussion was focused on the Status Now’s project to organise a People’s Tribunal on Migration Justice, on which we are currently working. Don Flynn presented the project and explained that the Tribunal organising group is preparing a draft of the indictment of government immigration policy that we hope to make circulate soon to people who are interested. Once a version has been agreed the next step will be to reach out to groups across the country to ask for their evidence and testimony which supports the indictment’s charges. He invited people to get involved in the project, discussing it in the organisations/groups they are part of or as individuals, bringing their ideas and lived experience of the immigration system. Status Now aims to collect hundreds of evidence to support the indictment and plans to arrive to the final stage of the project with the public hearing of the Tribunal in autumn 2023. Several participants expressed their interest in the project and asked for further details. Not less interested was expressed in getting involved as volunteers in Status Now and receiving appropriate training to do the job. Mariam Yusuf and Susan Cueva presented the available roles , which are the following: Social Media Team The social media team would manage SNN’s Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts and any other social media we might decide to use. We intended to set targets to build up the audiences of these accounts and need the help of people interested in doing this work. Spokesperson Team The Spokesperson team will consist of people with lived experience of immigration precarity and who are confident in talking about this at public events and in interviews with the media. Regional Coordinator SNN has a team of regional coordinators currently operating in London, the North West and the Midlands. Their role is to establish contact with migrant and refugee support groups operating in their regions and inform them about our campaign for Status Now for All. This would include meeting local activists in person and, when invited, speaking at meetings of their groups. The immediate objective is to get more groups to affiliate to SNN and participate in our activities, including the work to build the People’s Tribunal. The invitation to play an active role in Status Now was further stressed by Anna Marsden. She invited people to join the Facebook group, if they hadn’t already done, and highlighted how the Friends of Status Now page is a safe space for everyone who wants to join it . The page has been thought as a space of community building where share experiences, exchange information and discuss the impact of the hostile environment on migrants’ lives and how to fight together, undocumented and documented migrants, for our rights. The meeting was well attended with participants actively contributing to the discussion, sharing their experiences and showing their willing to have their voices heard in the People’s Tribunal and as Status Now volunteers. Some have already declared their availability as volunteers, but we need more people and all the positions are still open. Anyone who wants to become a Status Now volunteer can contact us at info@statusnow4all.org and anyone who is interested in the People’s Tribunal project and wants to get involved in it can contact us at pt_wg@statusnow4all.org. We are planning to have other meetings of Friends of Status Now that will be announced on the Facebook page. |
| Status Now Network: Plans for an away weekend strategy event SNN is currently planning to hold a weekend discussion on its campaigning strategy for the period ahead. The core of the discussion will be consideration of where migrant rights movements have got with their fight against hostile environment policies and how the standpoint of people who have lived experience of these repressive measures can be placed at the forefront. The event will take place in January 2023. Our plans are still in development and we welcome the views of SNN supporters on what needs to go into this discussion. Spaces for attendance will be limited but anyone representing an organisation which has registered its support for SNN’s principles is eligible to attend. If you would like to offer your ideas on what needs to go into the discussion, or wish to register an interest in attending, please email us at info@statusnow |
| Welcome Bridging Change and Waling Waling We warmly welcome our new Status Now Network signatories that will contribute to the development of our campaign for Indefinite Leave to Remain. Bridging Change represents Black, Asian and minoritised ethnic communities in Brighton and Hove (but also work nationally in building alliances, community development, research and training).Waling Waling is a London based charity campaigning for the rights of migrant domestic workers. Join Status Now Network We are looking for volunteers to help develop our work on social media Fight the anti-refugee laws and stop deportation to Rwanda Sign and publicise the pledge to defend the rights of asylum seekers to find sanctuary in the UK. Hundreds of organisations (including Status Now) and numerous MPs have already signed it but we need to be more! |
| Upcoming events 15 October 11am-5pm, Institute of Education, 20 Bedford Way, WC1H 0AL, London and onlineStand up to Racism international conference The event will run as four consecutive sessions : 11am – 12.15pm: From BLM to Child Q & the killing of Chris Kaba… Resisting institutional racism 12.15 – 1.30pm: #StopRwanda opposing the racist hostile environment – all refugees welcome 2.15 – 3.30pm: Cost of Living crisis – unity & solidarity – don’t let the racists divide us 3.30 – 4.45pm: How do we stop the racist & fascist right – no to hate and division A representative of Status Now for All will be part of the speakers panel in the Stop Rwanda session. 15 October, King’s College, London New Circuits of Antiracism, Institute of Race Relations ‘ conference on racism, imperialism and new lines of resistance. 1 November 6-8pm. Migrant Voice, 200A Pentonville Road, London N1 9JP Migrant Voice Network meeting in London on the impact of cost of living on migrants, including undocumented migrants The meeting will be looking at the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on different groups of migrants, including asylum seekers, people with no access to public funds or other restrictions on their visas, and people paying large sums for their visas. London Assembly member Sakina Sheikh will join the meeting to speak about the Mayor of London’s cost of living hub and what help is available for migrants. A representative of Status Now for All will be part of the speakers panel. The meeting will lead to a series of recommendations for policy makers. If you would like to attend the event, please email ismail@migrantvoice.org. 10 November 3-8pm, Migrant Voice, 200A Pentonville Road, London N1 9JPMigrant Voice social media training: Media Lab in London You will have the chance to join training sessions with experts and professionals and receive practical advice on how to best use social media to raise awareness about important issues and make an impact. Trainers include Rafael Dos Santos, journalist, entrepreneur and media expert, and Elena Sánchez, filmmaker and director. Training will cover how to best use social media platforms, such as Instagram, and photography, video making and short texts to put your message across. You will receive training on how to develop your message and you can book one to one mentoring session with one of the trainers. If you would like to attend the event, please email ismail@migrantvoice.org. |
| Please have a look at the website and send us your stories if we have missed them. The website is one of our outfacing sources of information, alongside Facebook and Twitter. Amongst other information you will find new and updated posts, our statements and related Early Day Motions, the Faith Calling Card, information for local councils, Trades Unions and political organisations. |