Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! No. 1, November/December 1979
Sarah Kusah
Mrs Sarah Kusah came to Britain from Sierra Leone in 1955. She married and her two children were born in this country. After marital difficulties the two children went back to Sierra Leone in 1964. The children returned to Britain in 1973, and Mrs Kusah followed them in 1974. She was told by a Home Office representative in Sierra Leone that she could return quicker if she came as a visitor and changed her status on arrival. On arrival the Home Office refused to change her status, and then ordered her deportation.
In February 1979 Labour Minister Brynmor John said that he was not prepared to defer execution of the deportation order even though the case was being considered by the European Court of Human Rights. The police were sent in.
‘A Scotland Yard spokesman said last night that police had gone to Mrs Kusah’s home at 6.30am yesterday to enforce the deportation order. The children had been taken to the police station … Damage to the property would be repaired.’ (Guardian 14.2.79).
The Patel Family
Mrs Manju Patel is a railway worker in Kent. She brought her three sons, Sanjesh (16 years old), Jayesh (13) and Diptesh (10) to Britain in March 1979. Since 1975 Mrs Patel had been supporting her children, who stayed with their grandparents in India. But the grandparents grew too old to look after the boys and Diptesh was seriously ill. Mrs Patel brought her children to Britain without the official entry certificates. According to immigration rules the proper certificates must be obtained by application to the British High Commission in the country of origin. The boys were due to be deported on August 7. The deportation was delayed, and delayed again for a few days. An Asian women’s group raised funds to allow Mrs Patel to accompany her children. Mrs Patel was only persuaded to return to India after the Home Office led her to understand that re-entry procedures would be speeded up for her children. The normal waiting period in Bombay is 8 months or more. The Patel family is now in Bombay, where immigration officials are deliberating over the case. They have sent a letter to the grandparents asking them to come to Bombay for an interview. Mrs Patel says:
‘The parents of my ex-husband are very old. My father-in-law doesn’t have very good health, and it is very far for them to come here. The village is about 500 miles away. They have very little money —enough for just eating, and very simple eating only.’ (Guardian 7.9. 79)
Mrs Patel is paying £6 a night to lodge her family and her money is running out. Having lured Mrs Patel out of the country with promises of a rapid return with her sons, the Home Office is now stating that Mrs Patel’s divorce is a ‘divorce of convenience’ in order to gain illegal entrance for the Patel children. They are using this as the excuse to keep the family out of Britain. Once again the British state is trying to brand immigrants as cheats and liars with its accusations of false fiancées, false sons, false fathers, marriages of convenience, and now divorces of convenience. The only falseness and the only convenience is in the British imperialist state’s excuses for its racist behaviour.
Abdul Azad
Abdul Azad was 12 when his mother and father brought him to England. He lived with them in Oldham. When he left school he got a job as a textile worker. In October 1978 the police came to the factory where he worked and told him that his mother had been found dead. Although it was obvious that Abdul was innocent of murder the police kept him imprisoned for ten days until they had made him sign a statement that he was an illegal immigrant. Only then did they let him meet his father and see a solicitor. Abdul was held for 12½ weeks in Risley Remand Centre. A strong defence campaign has forced the state to back down and withdraw the immediate threat of deportation for Abdul. The state used the case to widen its attack. The Abdul Azad Defence Committee states:
‘During the course of the investigation, the police have demanded to see the passports of hundreds of Bengalis and many Bengalis have complained of harassment, intimidation and police violence. The police have also hunted through official employment records only taking out those relating to Bengalis.’
The Mohammed Family
Afzal and Shemin Mohammed and their two young children are British citizens. They were married in Pakistan in 1971 and again in Leeds in 1975. Shemin has lived in the UK for 8 years, Afzal for 5 years. Shemin is again pregnant. Yet the Home Office claims that their marriage is not a real marriage and that Afzal should be deported. Last year Whitby magistrates acquitted Afzal of being an illegal immigrant. Despite this he has been required to report to the police daily for the last 10 months. He has been imprisoned, and for a time had to report to the police twice daily.
The latest Home Office claim is that Afzal is not the true father of at least one of his children. Shemin and Fazal have had to undergo blood and tissue tests to prove their family relationship. Three times they have travelled from Whitby to London to picket the Home Office. Support has been organised by AWAZ. 5,000 Whitby residents have signed a petition calling on the Home Office not to deport Afzal. The stress of the fight to keep the family together has made Shemin ill. She says that if Afzal is deported she will be forced to have an abortion as she will be unable to cope with another child on her own.
Gias Uddin
Gias Uddin is an 18 year old from Liverpool who is imprisoned in Harmondsworth Detention Centre, threatened with deportation. Together with his mother, sister and four brothers Gias was accepted for entry in December 1975. They joined Gias’s father Mr Badshah Miah who has been legally resident since 1963. Last year immigration officials raided the restaurant where Gias was working. In another search, this time of his home, immigration officials found a letter bearing the name Salik Miah. Salik Miah is the name that Gias is known by in his village in Bangladesh. The Home Office claim that the letter casts doubt on Gias’s identity, and that this is grounds for deportation.
Gias spent 4 weeks in Risley Remand Centre before being released ‘pending further investigations’. In July he was detained again and arrangements made for his deportation. The Gias Uddin Action Committee states:
‘At the moment Gias is being held in Harmondsworth while the Home Secretary reconsiders his case. So far Gias has spent almost 12 weeks in detention — 8 of them in Risley. NO EVIDENCE HAS BEEN LAID BEFORE A COURT OF LAW, HE HAS NOT BEEN CHARGED WITH ANY CRIMINAL OFFENCE, HE HAS NO RIGHT OF APPEAL BEFORE HE IS RETURNED TO BANGLADESH.’
Detention in Harmondsworth
Mr Choudhary, a revenue officer from Pakistan, was recently held for ten days in Harmondsworth Detention Centre at Heathrow. His ‘crime’? Coming to Britain for a holiday to visit his relatives in Nottingham and Oldham. After his release he agreed to be interviewed by ‘Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!’ The following account is based on that interview, recorded on 6 September 1979.
‘Outside the British Embassy in Pakistan there is a big sign saying “NO VISAS REQUIRED FOR TOURISTS TO BRITAIN”. When I came to the airport I was kept hanging on all day and they kept putting silly questions to me all the time. They kept asking me whether I was married and these kinds of question … After many hours they said “OK, we refuse you entry”.’
That was on 4 August. Mr Choudhary was then transferred to Harmondsworth without being allowed to contact either his relatives or a solicitor.
Once inside, he was subjected to racist abuse along with the other detainees — half of whom were Asian. Although it was the religious time of Ramadan, no facilities were provided for prayer or fasting. In fact detainees are denied all privacy during the day. They are kicked out of their bedroom-cells at 9 am. The cells are then locked until 9 pm. There is nothing to do in those twelve hours except sit on a chair in the main area and wait. And the regulations are imposed with the severity and inhumanity to be expected of British imperialism:-
’I saw a man, a very old man, over sixty years old. He was very sick on the plane. He spent 12 hours in the plane and 12 hours sitting in a chair at Immigration. He came down four hours earlier than opening time, at 5 o’clock. He told how long he had been travelling and that he was sick, and requested to be allowed to go on to bed. Please, would they open the door. They said no.’
After three days Mr Choudhary was told he would be put on a plane back to Pakistan. However, thanks to the ceaseless efforts of his relatives this was prevented, and he was eventually released on 13 August. After the ‘welcome’ accorded him by British imperialism, its immigration officers and security guards, Mr Choudhary said:
‘When I was in Pakistan I thought that there were a few people, a few racists in this country. But when I arrived at the airport I felt that the Government itself was involved in racism.’
FIGHT RACISM! DEFEND SOUTHALL
PUBLIC MEETINGS
As part of its campaign to build political, practical and financial support for the victims of the British state’s racist attack on Southall, the RCG is holding the following meetings:
BRISTOL Thursday 1 November 7.30pm Baptist Mills Community Centre, Horley Road, Bristol
LONDON Wednesday 7 November 7.30pm St Matthews Meeting Place, Brixton.
MANCHESTER ThurSday 8 November 7.30 Birley High School Chichester Rd, Moss Side, Manchester.
LEEDS Wednesday 14 November 7.30pm Leeds Trades Club, Saville Mount, Chapeltown Leeds
SHEFFIELD Wednesday 7 November 7.30pm Brungreave Vestry Hall, Burngreave Rd, Sheffield 3
All tickets 20p. On door — 30p
