Please note all tickets have now been booked. If you want to be on the waiting list, please register via Eventbrite link below (10 Feb 2015).
The Detention Forum invites you to an evening of thought-provoking ‘salon’ event.
What is immigration enforcement doing to us? Media, ‘Go Home’ vans and our lives
Friday 20 Feb 2015 6:00pm to 8:30pm, Amnesty International, 25 New Inn Yard, London EC2A 3EA
(Please note that we are also hosting #Time4aTimeLimit Strategy Day on the same day during the day)
The event is free but you need to book your place here.
Sans Papiers by Justine Roland-Cal (http://www.justinerolandcal.co.uk/)
A discourse of ‘hardworking’ migrants is often used to counter anti-immigration opinions. On the other hand, what is rarely discussed is the impact of a range of immigration enforcement measures on migrant communities and British citizens. This salon-style event brings together academics, activists, a journalist, a NGO worker and individuals affected by immigration enforcement to explore what it means to be living in immigration-obsessed Britain during this pre-election period. Please come and join in the conversation.
Speakers
Hannah Jones is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at the University of Warwick, and principal investigator on the Mapping Immigration Controversies research project (Project Twitter: @MICresearch) which explores the impacts on local communities and national debate of current publicity campaigns about migration by the UK Home Office. Hannah’s Twitter: @uncomfy
Kirsten Forkert is a researcher and activist based at Birmingham City University, and is also involved in the Mapping Immigration Controversies project (Project Twitter: @MICresearch). She also researches the cultural politics of austerity. Kirsten is a member of Birmingham Asylum and Refugee Action. Kirsten’s Twitter: @kforkert
Harley Miller is an Australian senior Systemic and Family Therapist who worked for the NHS for nearly 10 years until 14 months ago, dedicating herself to improving the lives of young people with mental health issues. When her marriage to an Italian national broke down, Harley followed the rules and notified Home Office of her change of circumstance. She was assured she could remain under the EU Free Movement laws and could later apply for Indefinite Leave to Remain. When the time came, however, Harley discovered a completely different reality. Her application was refused without right to appeal, she was deemed an overstayer and immediately lost her job. Her story has featured in a number of newspapers where she was dubbed as “the online pin-up for the shambolic state of the UK Border Agency”. After a long and expensive legal battle, Harley has won a small reprieve and can remain for a further 2.5 years. Harley’s Twitter: @HarleyM65
Aderonke Apata is a feminist, equality advocate and human right activist, Nigerian-born out and proud lesbian seeking asylum in the UK. She fled torture and the threat of death for being a lesbian in Nigeria, and has proved to be an unstoppable force in fighting for justice. She started the shutdown Yarl’s Wood campaign from inside Yarl’s Wood in 2012. In spite of terrible violence and human rights violations, she chose to stand up not only for herself, but for others who have experienced injustice and continue to challenge the government and legal system that penalises the many LGBT refugees seeking asylum in the UK. She has garnered almost 320,000 signatures online for her personal campaign to remain in the UK. Winner of the Positive Role Model for LGBT National Diversity Awards 2014 and number 41 on the 101 Rainbow list Most Influential LGBT people in UK. Aderonke’s Twitter: @rock4_ronnie
Ian Dunt is editor of Politics.co.uk and political editor of the Erotic Review. He also writes for other publications, including the Guardian and Index on Censorship. He appears regularly on the BBC, Sky, al-Jazeera, Channel 5 News and LBC. He writes primarily about immigration, prisons, civil liberties and free speech issues. Ian’s Twitter: @IanDunt
Ben du Preez is the Campaigns and Communications Officer at Detention Action, a national charity that supports people in immigration detention and campaigns for detention reform. Having previously co-ordinated survivor activism groups in advocating for their rights, he now runs Detention Action’s Freed Voices project, which works with individuals with direct experience of detention to speak out against the UK’s policy of indefinite detention. Detention Action’s Twitter: @DetentionAction
