‘Here to Stay: Tracing the histories of deportations resistance’ was held on February 9th 2019, as part of the End Deportations – World Without Borders series of teach ins. It provided a space to reflect on the long history of deportations resistance in the UK, and to think about we might pass on the knowledge from today’s organising. This page has recordings from the event and additional resources.
The Asian Youth Movement in Manchester
Nigel de Noronha gave an overview of the Tandana Collection, a large archive of material about the Asian Youth Movements (AYMs). Nigel was a member of the AYM in Manchester in the 1980s. Joined by Sita Balani who discussed her engagement with the AYMs, and how we might learn from their activism to counter the politics of respectability and anti-migrant racism within British Asian communities.
Community Archiving & The George Padmore Institute
Teju Adeluye of The George Padmore Institute presented some of the documents in their collection relating to anti-deportations organising, and explored community archiving as a resistance tactic within our movements.
Watch Tasting Freedom: https://vimeo.com/34956247
Film screening: ‘TASTING FREEDOM’ (50 minutes/1994/Director: Ken Fero)
‘Tasting Freedom’ documents the struggles of asylum seekers in Britain for recognition of their basic human rights and investigates abuses on asylum seekers in detention centres and prisons. The documentary closely follows the struggles of the detainees including hunger strikes, revolts and uprisings. They give first hand accounts of how they organised themselves during these protests and the measures used by the immigration service to suppress them. It is free to view on vimeo.
The film was followed by a discussion with Ken Fero, All African Women’s Group and Soas Detainee Support on hunger strikes and other forms of resistance tactics.