Unity Centre Glasgow

Bridget is a lovely, warm-hearted, woman from Nigeria who has lived in Scotland since 2004. With her three and a half year old daughter Osaivibie, Bridget has been in detention in Yarlswood detention centre since 12th May. They have been given Removal Directions for Monday 28th July on flight BA75 at 12.50 to Lagos, Nigeria from Heathrow. Please find more information about her case and details of how you can help her NOW here

On the side of the Unity Centre we have a window that is boarded up and covered by a shutter that we didn’t have the key for. Recently the centre was used to film part of an episode of Taggart (apparently Britain’s longest running detective show!) and STV generously paid for the shutter lock to be fixed so they could open it and add signs to the window.

We have decided to have a competition to see if we can get a mural painted on the window to cover the signs and to make the side of the centre much more attractive and eye-catching for people going past to sign at the Home Office.

And we thought we’d offer a prize of £25 for the best design!

(If you win you’ll also get that warm glow of inner satisfaction for helping a good cause!) we will supply all the materials for the mural as well.

So if you’re artistic and would like to enter we would like a mural design that reflects what we are trying to do in the Unity Centre as well as highlighting the principles of solidarity, internationalism and mutual aid. And if possible we’d like it to have something relevant for the local community as well. Remember the window is on the side of the street that people walk down on their way to the Home Office so we want something attractive and uplifting!

Send your design by email, or the post to us at the Unity Centre and we’ll decide the best mural design and announce the winner before the end of September!

The mural is for an area measuring 160 cm across and is 145 cm high and you are welcome to come and see where we want the mural to go.

Good News: Florence Okoye and little Winifred who had been in detention since 5th June were unexpectedly released from Yarlswood this afternoon just before she was about to apply for bail. Florence had managed to resist two attempts by the Home Office to forcibly return her to Nigeria.

Speaking from the train station a few minutes ago, Florence thanked everyone who had sent messages of support and said thank you to everyone for their help. We hope to see her in the Unity Centre on Friday!

Bad news: Phiona and Bradley were forcibly removed to Uganda last night. Four guards dragged her onto the plane and despite her best efforts they would not take her off. When the plane arrived at Entebbe she was detained by the Ugandan authorities for several houors and then released. Friends in Scotland are making arrangements to send her money and have been in contact with her.

 We had managed to find a new lawyer for Phiona after her Scottish lawyers had closed for the Glasgow Fair holiday weekend and the new lawyer had managed to make fresh representations about her treatement in Ugandan prisons provided by the Medical Foundation for Victims of Torture but the Home Office did not fax their rejection letter to the lawyer until one hour after the plane had taken off.

Phiona’s original case had been refused in the middle of last week but there had also been delays by the Home Office in sending information about this to the Scottish lawyers and they did not receive it in time to do anything before Phiona was detained.

What was extremely distressing was that about one hour and a half before the flight the guards told Phiona that her flight had been cancelled when she was on the phone to one of her supporters in Glasgow. A few minutes later when Phiona had calmed down they then told her that it had been a mistake and that she was going to be put on the plane after all. This was a particularly nasty trick to play on a young woman who had survived torture.

Phiona’s friends and supporters want to thank everyone who sent faxes and messages of support on her behalf. Thank you.

Phiona Lamosa and nine month old Bradley were detained when reporting at the Home Office at 9am on Friday morning.  They have been given Removal Directions for flight BA63 at 21.10 hours on Tuesday 22nd July from Heathrow.

Please come to the solidarity protest outside the Home Office at 11am on Monday  21st July

More information about how you can help this young family on our Urgent Action page: here

GOOD NEWS! Asad Gul and his family were released on bail and are living in safety in London with relatives. Thank you to everyone who came to the demonstration and sent messages of support for the family.

* * *Link to STV coverage of protest outside the Home Office