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Protest the Home Office: International Migrants Day

December 18, 2014 @ 6:30 pm - 9:00 pm

National Union of Students (International Students Campaign), National Union of Students (Black Students Campaign), London Black Revolutionaries, National Campaign Against Fees and Cuts and DocsNotCops are co-organising a protest at Home Office on December 18 on UN International Migrants Day.

Migrants have been made the scapegoats of economic crisis and spending cuts of Britain. Migrants did not cause the economic recession and migrants did not slash welfare state. Instead, there have been a raft of researches from reputed institutions like UCL which demonstrate that there is a net economic benefit for the UK because of migration. However, with the rise of UKIP, major political parties including Labour have shifted to the right when it comes to immigration issues. This has impacted all immigrants – whether recent or 3rd generation immigrants, whether EU or non-EU immigrants. Islamophobia has been rife with blaming of Muslims in general.

With non-EU international students in net migration targets, the government is using all methods possible to discourage their stay in the UK. With the recent sponsorship revocation crisis of private colleges, more than 10,000 international students risk of being deported if they do not find another institution in a few months time.

David Cameron announced recently to cut benefits of EU immigrants, so much so, to “remove” them if they are unemployed in the UK for 6 months! This comes with the background of constant demonisation of eastern Europeans.

Non-EU international students will be forced to pay about £200 a year from next year to access NHS. This comes with the rhetoric that migrants have to “contribute” to Britain, when it is crystal clear that non-EU international students already contribute approximately £10 billion every year to British economy.

From December 1st, landlords in West Midlands region will be required by the government to ask for the identification of their tenants, many times involving the landlords keeping copies of their tenants’ passport, visa and even birth certificate. We fear this will involve racial and xenophobic profiling.

We are against all of the above practices which have made migrants suffer despite our contribution to the British society. Therefore, we are protesting at Home Office, the epitome of the enforcement of these practices. Please join us in our call for a fairer world to migrants on International Migrants Day, December 18. Also, hashtag for the day devised by the United Nations is : #IAmAMigrant .

(For non-EU international students who want to attend the protest – here is a legal briefing for you. We are against the system which attempts to curb international students’ right to protest. But please do check the briefing before deciding to come : https://www.facebook.com/notes/shreya-paudel/briefing-demos-and-international-students-prepared-by-green-black-cross/894717573871942 )

Venue

Home Office
2 Marsham Street, London, SW1P 4DF United Kingdom
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