Mariama N, a lesbian from the Gambia, faces a new threat of deportation after she has twice stopped attempts to send her back to anti-gay persecution.
On 24 July Mariama stood her ground, refused to get on the Royal Air Maroc plane at Heathrow, resisted all the threats of the guards, challenged them on the policy and injustice they were implementing, and rejected their warnings of what would happen to her ‘next time’. Another flight on 13 August was cancelled. Now Mariama has been given ‘removal directions’ for Tuesday 3 September, 9.15am on Monarch Airlines flight ZB5394 from Gatwick.
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Please take action to call on Monarch Airlines to refuse the flight – Tell them not to collude in sending Mariama back to persecution:
Call centre: 0871 940 5040 (open at weekends)Holiday centre: 0871 423 8568 (open at weekends)
Monarch chartered flights dept is 08712 252 555
The Monarch Group Head Office: 0871 2250 250
Email their press office: [email protected]
Chairman is Ian Rawlinson
Managing Director is Kevin George
Phone/Email the Home Office:
Quote Home Office references: Mariama S1447771/002
There is no justification in returning someone whose life is at stake, on the flimsy claim that they didn’t do enough to ‘prove’ they are gay in Home Office eyes.
Home Secretary Theresa May: [email protected] Fax: 020 7219 1145
Immigration Minister: [email protected]
And copy to the following Home Office & UKBA addresses:
What the hell, UK?
Although I find it interesting that she was able to resist deportation at all. I haven’t seen any actual details of how that works since I saw something of a legal fight in a Yarl’s Wood documentary some time ago.
This is the same UK government that recently threatened to withhold aid to The Gambia, among other african countries, unless they repeal antigay laws? And the President of The Gambia publicly threatens to behead gays. So it’s not like the UK government doesn’t know.
i suspect they were able to resist it previously because the company who provides the escorts G4S have had to be alot more carful since several people they’ve been escorting have ended up dying in their care recently. the UK border agency and by extension the home office to have been been in the spotlight aswel recently after being accused by many groups (and I belive at least 1 or 2 MP’s) of being institutionally racist and homophobic (not very good considering their roles) but for gay people specifically they insist on someone proving they are somehow :S short of making some sort of porn film i have no idea how someone is supposed to prove it, hell up until a lil while back they were still telling people they would be in no danger if they simply hid their sexual orientation when they went back home 🙁
Sailor1031: What usually happens, in my experience of the UKBA, is that they simply point-blank refuse to believe that an asylum-seeker is telling the truth about being LGBT. Often due to ignorance and prejudice on the part of decision-makers. And immigration tribunal judges, who hear appeals against UKBA decisions, are often just as bad. It’s a systemic problem. The system is broken.
emailed them yesterday, thanks to Walton posting about it earlier (thank you, Walton).
Done, also contacted my MP again, for while we disagree on quite a few issues, the shameful handling of immigration and refugees is something we do agree on.