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feature
 Saturday July 23, 2005 02:35 by Editorial Group - Indymedia Ireland
 Nigerian Campaigners Awaiting Fast Track Deportations To Speak Out
A group of female Nigerian asylum seekers who are all living in a direct provision hostel on Lower Gardiner Street will next Tuesday hold a joint meeting which they initiated with help from Residents Against Racism in the ATGWU hall in Dublin. In a significant first for this country, the meeting will be addressed exclusively by Nigerians seeking asylum and campaigning for fairer treatment for asylum seekers in Ireland. The speakers include FGM campaigners, womens rights campaigners, anti corruption campaigners and other political activists and they hope to communicate the reality of living in modern Nigeria.
RECENT INDYMEDIA IRELAND STORIES ON THIS ISSUE "If the Irish people had even the remotest idea of the nonsense that lies behind a huge amount of these bogus claims, the patience of a lot of people would be tried very hard. I would much prefer to have a system where I could have an interview at the airport, find out the cock-and-bull stories and [put them] on the next flight, but unfortunately the UN Convention requires me to go through due process in respect of all of these claims." Michael McDowell: Rte News 18th May 2005 The time for tip-toeing around the Irish Government is over. I'm afraid we have a 'Bogus Minister of Justice' - he talks about 'Bogus Asylum Seekers' all the time - we must confront him and Bertie Ahern, who after all keeps him in the job. And it verges, in Michael McDowell's case, on incitement to racial hatred. He talks of 'Cock and Bull Stories,' he says if not for the United Nation's Human Rights rules he'd be out at the airport to send them back immediately. [....] We are entering a new phase of Anti-Racism activism in Ireland - it's got to be confrontational. If you play things by the book and keep your head down you are almost certain to be deported. You have got to make noise about it....' Rosanna Flynn 16th June 2005 "The High Court has ruled that the constitutional rights of asylum seekers have been breached by the failure of the Refugee Appeals Tribunal (RAT) to grant their lawyers access to its previous decisions. Mr Justice John McMenamim said the fact the tribunal does not publish its decisions "is unique in the common law jurisdictions".He believed such a position "cannot accord with the principles of natural and constitutional justice, fairness of procedure or equality of arms having regard to the importance and significance of the issues to the applicants which fall to be determined in this quasi judicial process." Ireland.com 7th July 2005 These women, some of whom have publicly protested in the recent past about their treatment at the hands of the Garda National Immigration Bureau and the Department of Justice, have been informed in the very recent past that they must sign on from now on at their hostel daily. They believe that they are being lined up at present for a fast track deportation procedure and believe the whole secretive deportation regime in Ireland is unfairly loaded against female asylum seekers from Nigeria. They intend to use the public meeting to highlight the rampant opression of women in Nigeria and the inhumane practices that take place there as a result of this. They also want to highlight how unsafe and generally insecure everyday life in the country is at present. Some women who will be present are survivors of female genital mutilation. They do not want their daughters to go through the same experience they had to go through. Some of the women's daughters have died because of FGM and they will speak about this as well as generally highlighting the complete absence of women's rights in Nigeria. Recently one of these women told an Indymedia Ireland contributor: "My name is *****. I am a native of Modakeke in Osun state. My experience with my in-laws since 2002 was traumatic and agonising. I was cajoled into bringing my late daughter for circumcision. I could not oppose as a woman my voice was not to be heard and my opinion was insignificant. I have given birth to five children – three boys and two girls. I lost my first daughter ***** when she was five years in 2002 to excessive bleeding. I fled from Nigeria because my wicked in-laws demanded that I bring my only remaining daughter for the same circumcision that killed her sister. We cannot be safe if we are forced back. I cannot afford to lose my daughter – I am existing because of my children." |
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Comments (20 of 20)
Jump To Comment: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20Well done.
I know there was a do (I don't know from what African country(ies)) in the community centre in Laurel Lodge, Castleknock, last night.
There was African music etc.
This is an example of the multiculturalism the country should have more of.
Maybe when some of us become more au fait with other countries cultures they will start to 'rediscover' their own culture.
We have have our own Irish culture, although parts of the English language media (e.g the English tabloids) may think that we don't.
Ádh mór a chairde.
I am glad to see this link in the article:
http://www.state.gov/g/wi/rls/rep/crfgm/10106.htm
It details the efforts of tens of thousands of Nigerians to eliminate FGM and details their limited success in trying to change a cultural (as opposed to political) practice.
No doubt the Nigerians at the forthcoming meeting will set out their stalls as to how they plan to assist that effort.
That is the point isn't it?
It would be nice to think so rather than be left with a sneaking suspicion that this is a self serving excercise designed to conjure a case for the unwarranted sustenance of illegal immigrants who have unsucessfully masqueraded as politcal refugees/anti-corruption crusaders/anti FGM activists etc.
"a cultural (as opposed to political)"
I wonder how many irish in the past left this island due to 'cultural' reasons?
Due to the repressive church or other reasons?
(I wonder how many irish in the past left this island due to 'cultural' reasons)
Difficult question.
An easier one might be, I wonder how many Irish in the past left this island due to 'cultural' reasons and claimed political asylum/persecution.
Want to hazard a guess?
leave or starve remember.
http://www.residentsagainstracism.org
Photo of a Fax recently sent to NEAR-FM
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_circumcision
Nigeria: There is no federal law banning the practice of FGC in Nigeria. Opponents of these practices rely on Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that states "no person shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment" as the basis for banning the practice nationwide. A member of the House of Representatives has drafted a bill, not yet in committee, to outlaw this practice.
Supporters of Nigerian asylum seeker Olukunle Elukanlo are renewing their campaign to keep the student in Ireland.
In March of this year Minister Michael McDowell revoked a deportation order and allowed Kunle to return to Ireland to sit his Leaving Cert.
Now he is facing deportation again and a final decision will be made on his case in September.
His school friends and the local community in Palmerstown, West Dublin, are launching a new campaign - this time to get him full residency.
"the cultural is political
by wondering out loud Sunday, Jul 24 2005, 3:47pm
"a cultural (as opposed to political)"
I wonder how many irish in the past left this island due to 'cultural' reasons?
Due to the repressive church or other reasons?"
_____________________________________
Oh yes, that is well documented.
where?
joyce is one example amongst very many who fled cruel catholocism. pregnant women left so they wouldn't be put to work as slave labour in laundries and permanently separated forcefully from their kids by primarily the church
he was given refuge in bad times. some of them were too.
same old - labour activists - the well educated poor , small independent businessmen serving immigrant communities- intellectuals - pregnant women - musicians - barbers - the cast out - the on the run - the gypsies
in ireland yesterday a traveller who was already beaten and already shot and running away was shot in the back and killed and the guy who did it got off on a manslaughter charge
none of that on the telly - only monsters inc
in joyce's time the monsters mostly used to be in your head and out in the dark or on the radio or in your face
now they're all on the tv
I fail to see how you can make a comparison between those fleeing FGM and James Joyce. If anything, the latter's excuses for leaving Ireland would fall into the "cock and bull stories" that the good Minister refers to. He was hardly "oppressed" by the Catholic Church. His decision to leave was voluntary. Artistic grounds are not reasons for leaving unless someone's going to murder you. Ulysses was NEVER banned in Ireland and Joyce later said:
"The Irish are the most intelligent, most spiritual, and most civilized people in Europe."
The Magdalene Laundries is a disgraceful episode, I agree. However, none of them applied for political asylum which is what we are talking about here. In addition, the solution to this problem was to change the regime - why not promote that in Nigeria?
Furthermore, you fail to examine the repressive, secretive, closeted nature of Irish Catholicism - the roots of that can be easily traced to years of English oppression. Catholic priests were hunted down and killed, and many were forced to change their religion or starve. I much better reason for leaving - if you had the resources... of which many did not.
(in ireland yesterday a traveller who was already beaten and already shot and running away was shot in the back and killed and the guy who did it got off on a manslaughter charge)
GOT OFF with manslaughter?????
I really had not pegged you as a member of the "hang em and flog em" brigade,
Lord only knows what you might propose for asylum seekers that make spurious and manufacturered claims.
At the core of this activism is the issue of equality.
An all - Ireland approach is necessary as both the Dublin and London governments are happy to crank up anti-immigrant passion to hide their political and economic ineptitude and corruption.
The Irish have a unique place in the history of anti-racism / anti-white power and despite the political racism of McDowell , there is a strong anti-racist tradition in Ireland.
The "english disease" of racism must be seen as going against the moral, political culture of irish society.
The activism of anti-racists on this island goes to the core of identifying the imported values of british colonialism.
A system with meaningful oversight so the correctness or humanity of the categorisation categorisation of a vast majority of claims under emotive titles like 'spurious' and 'manufactured' can be objectively established
Remember the tribunal Decider who said 'I never let one of them in'? Is that fair?
Ní aineolas go claonchiníochas.
An leigheas = eolas.
Is gá aithne níos fearr a chur ar eachtranaigh, idir lucht iarrtha oibre is lucht iarrtha tearmainn.
Tá sé in am do lucht tagtha isteach a rá i ndiaidh na ceiste: Cé sibh? Cad tá uaibh?
"Is mise x. I mo thírse, thárla seo is siúd. Níl neart agam air. Bhí orm teicheadh. Seo mo scéal. Ba mhaith liom fothain is cóir bídh is gléas beatha. "
Cuideomais leis an méad daoine is féidir linn ach lig dóibh iad a chur in aithne dúinn.
Fiú, mise, bím i bponc uaireanta. Tá scéal anseo i dtaobh bean éigin a theith a tírse de thoradh timpeallghearrtha bhanúla. Ach tamall ó shoin, fuair páiste lucht iarrtha tearmainn bás de thoradh timpeallghearrtha amscaí a fuair sé in Éireann. An mbíonn daoine ag teitheadh ó nósanna atá a thabhairt isteach in Éireann de chionn teacht an lucht iarrtha tearmainn?
The authority said race accounted for the largest number of the almost 400 complaints it received last year under the Employment Equality Act, followed by gender, disability and age.
Meanwhile, it said 35% of complaints under the Equal Status Act, which deals with the provision of goods and services, came from members of the Travelling community, followed by people with disabilities (25%) and racial minorities (12%).
http://irishexaminer.12hs.com/en_US/newsfeed/story.jhtml?s=54911615&r=2093&i=9409477
- - - - -
http://www.equality.ie/
Female Genital Mutilation & Nigerain Asylum Seekers in Dublin
TONIGHT!
Public Meeting on Nigeria
A public meeting on the reality of life in Nigeria. Speakers will include FGM campaigners, womens rights campaigners, anti corruption campaigners and other political activists.
All speakers at the meeting are Nigerians
Meeting starts at 7.30
Venue ATGWU hall, Abbey street
For more info contact 087 7974622 or 087 6662060
Genital mutilation a 'criminal offence'
October 07 2004
http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=133&si=1263669&issue_id=11511
Asylum seekers are to be told that anyone engaging in the practice of female circumcision, known as female genital mutilation (FGM) will face criminal prosecution, following moves by the Tanaiste and Minister for Health, Mary Harney.
She sought legal advice from the Attorney General's office on whether this procedure, which she described as a disturbing and "barbaric practice" constitutes a criminal offence.
[....]
The Attorney General's office told the Tanaiste that it is their strong opinion that "the act of performing FGM would constitute an offence" under Irish law.
According to the Tanaiste that advice clarifies the situation. Ms Harney said in a letter to the radio show, "Any person found to be performing FGM will be prosecuted." She warned that "people from countries where this practice occurs and who currently live here must respect our laws and customs."
She reiterated that it was her department's view, backed up now by the advice of the Attorney General, that FGM is an assault which causes serious harm to girls and women.
---- ----
'Nigeria: There is no federal law banning the practice of FGC in Nigeria. Opponents of these practices rely on Section 34(1)(a) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that states "no person shall be subjected to torture or inhuman or degrading treatment" as the basis for banning the practice nationwide. A member of the House of Representatives has drafted a bill, not yet in committee, to outlaw this practice.'
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Female_circumcision
---- ----
US State Dept
'Protection:
We are unaware of any support groups to protect an unwilling woman or girl against this practice.'
http://www.state.gov/g/wi/rls/rep/crfgm/10106.htm
----------
•••Public Meeting on Nigeria•••
A public meeting on the reality of life in Nigeria. Speakers will include FGM campaigners, womens rights campaigners, anti corruption campaigners and other political activists.
All speakers at the meeting are Nigerians
Meeting starts at 7.30
Venue ATGWU hall, Abbey street
For more info contact 087 7974622 or 087 6662060
Progressive Democrats HQ, Dublin
RAR Photo Op to bring attention to tonight's Public Meeting
got some media
and curious bystanders
has said that the IRA army council has changed.
How does he know these things?
Would that be intercept evidence?
Smells fishy to me.
I lived in an african country for many years and am disgusted by the amount of nigerians who seem to come here. They have a bad reputation, and Mcdowell is right about the cock and bull stories (this is mostly said by fellow africans).
I am glad the irish people are waking up and are not listening to the liberial facist who run these so called anti racist organisations.
When you live in other coutries you are expected to integrate. I would not like to see such practices such as arranged marrages, female circumcision, and fraud being allowed because it is their 'culture'.
regards
david