Conference highlight

Apart from my emergency motion, which was passed unanimously,this speech was one of my highlights of conference.



Here is the text of my Emergency Motion on the Yarlswood hunger strike, which is still continuing.

This conference notes the on going hunger strike at Yarlswood Detention Centre and the demands of the hunger strikers, including

*Access to appropriate medical treatment.
*an end the detention of children and their mothers, rape survivors and other torture victims,
*an end to the detention of physically, mentally sick people and pregnant women.
*an end to the separation of children from their mothers.

This conference is appalled at the way the hunger strikers have been treated, being locked outside without outdoor clothing, and in corridors without toilet facilities. Some women have been beaten by the guards.

This conference calls on for the immediate release of the Yarlswood 4 (Aminata Camara from Guinea, Sheree Wilson from Jamaica, Shellyann Stupart from Jamaica, Gladys Obiyan from Nigeria), who have been put in prison even though no charges have been made against them.

This Conference resolves to send a message of support to WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk and a copy of this motion to the Rt Hon Phil Woolas Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

Here is a little more background to this if you haven't seen it in the press.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were resident in Yarl's Wood IRC on Monday 8th Feb, when an absolute and unwarranted response to a peaceful hunger strike by Serco staff, led to eight hours of chaos. Many of the detainees were injured, Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, were removed from association and transferred to Bedford police station, where they remained overnight. They were then transferred to Colnbrook STHC, where they were this morning.

Gladys Obiyan, alleges that in the police station on Tuesday morning, when they were about to be moved, the police roughed her up.

At 01:15 this morning they were told they were being moved to prison, HMP Holloway and HMP Bronzefield, when they asked why they could not be returned to the detention estate, they were told there were no bed spaces available, this is blatantly untrue. women in Yarl's Wood this morning confirmed there were plenty of empty bed spaces.

All the women are deeply disturbed at the prospect of being put in prison.

None of the women have been charged with any offences or were in any way involved in any actions at Yarl's Wood that were other than peaceful.

UK citizens cannot be remanded to prison, except they have been brought before a judge and the judge orders it so.

Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, have not and will not be brought before a judge, they are being remanded to prison on the whim of Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State for Borders and Immigration.

What You Can do to Help:
The detained women are asking you to Email/fax/phone/write Phil Woolas MP, requesting that Aminata, Sheree, Shellyann, and Gladys, are returned to Yarl's Wood immediately or released into the community. Download model letter , which you can copy/amend/write your own version, there are no Home Office reference numbers available as the women were moved from Yarl's Wood, with out their belongings.

Rt. Hon Phil Woolas MP
Minister of State Borders and Immigration
3rd Floor, Peel Buildings, 2 Marsham St
London SW1 4DF
Telephone: 020 7035 0195
Fax: 0870 336 9034
Email: Privateoffice.external@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Emails: UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi.gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk

Please let the campaign know of faxes/emails sent:
WomenBehindTheWire@ncadc.org.uk

Why you should vote Green!

New video from Caroline Lucas-enjoy.

EMT at it again

East Midland Trains are continuing to upset and bully the people of Sheffield with their ridiculous tactics of denying people access to the bridge across the station. They seem determined to alienate as many people as possible.

Following article is on page 2 of tonight's Sheffield Star.


08 February 2010

By Nick Ward

FURIOUS campaigners have slammed railway bosses for stopping people without tickets crossing the Sheffield station footbridge.

The move, on Friday evening, comes just months after campaigners won their fight against an application to install ticket barriers to stop anyone without a ticket using the bridge.

Stagecoach, which owns East Midlands Trains, applied to install barriers to improve security and stop fare dodging but faced a massive protest when the plans were announced in 2008.

Sheffield Council's planning board rejected the scheme in November.

Protesters were angry the barriers would prevent residents from using the station footbridge as a route between the city centre and Norfolk Park.

Members of campaign group Residents Against Station Closure say they are furious after the bridge was closed to anyone without a ticket on Friday evening.

Protester Graham Wroe said: "The six members of a city planning board unanimously voted to reject the scheme after receiving nearly 1,250 objections - and slammed the station operator for pursuing the plans despite such overwhelming opposition.

"But now EMT are continuing to disrupt pedestrians journeys, forcing people to use the unlit and dangerous covered bridge which has no disabled access, or take an extremely long detour to get round.

"On some previous occasions when EMT have carried out ticket checks they have issued pedestrians with tickets to enable them to cross the bridge. On this occasion they failed to do this and forced everybody to walk round.

"We are calling a meeting of Residents Against Station Closure on Monday February 15 at 7pm at Victoria Methodist Church, Stafford Road, to discuss our response."

Fellow campaigner Mark Halsey has written to East Midlands Trains saying: "I wish to complain at being stopped on the footbridge at Sheffield station this evening.

"This is despite the fact that Sheffield City Council, when you applied to install barriers, made it clear that while you are entitled to run a penalty fare scheme, this only applies to the platforms on which your trains operate and that you can at no time prevent pedestrians from using the footbridge over the station.

"I would like an explanation as to why your staff and company think that the civil law doesn't apply to them."

East Midlands Trains said the ticket checks were part of an ongoing plan to prevent people trying to travel without a ticket and have been carried out for a number of months at Sheffield station. These ticket checks are also carried out in other stations across the East Midlands Trains network.

Loads of good comments on the website
http://www.thestar.co.uk/headlines/Outrage-as-residents-hit-by.6051230.jp
and a very supportive editorial
Don't alienate Sheffield folk.
EAST Midlands Trains are right to be concerned over fare dodgers, who deprive the company of vital revenue which, in turn, threatens its role as employer to thousands of people. But it is not acceptable that their campaign to stop people travelling without a ticket should result in pedestrians being prevented from using a footbridge at Sheffield railway station, which is what happened the other evening when the rail company ..carried out a ticket check operation.
An application for ticket barriers at either end of the footbridge, in effect restricting its use only to train passengers, has already been thrown out by Sheffield City Council, which felt the apparatus was out of keeping with the character of the railway station.
In reality, though, this decision would have been driven equally by sympathy for the campaign against the loss of the footbridge to general use.
For the rail company to unilaterally close off a well used and much appreciated thoroughfare which not only links a major part of Sheffield with the city centre but also joins Hallam University with its bespoke tram stop, is to ignore the feelings of the public at large. The irony is that they no doubt sympathise with the company in its plight against fare dodgers.
We would appeal to them to find an alternative way to achieve their goal without alienating Sheffield people.

British Human Rights under threat

I was pleased to find this clip from an excellent panel at the Brighton Conference last year. It's a shame it doesn't include my question at the end about the way we treat asylum seekers in this country. Am now looking forward to going to London in February, the last Green conference before the General Election!

Greens can win!

Very encouraging article in today's Independent, showing that the Greens are now favourites to win Brighton Pavillion at the next General Election.

"The Green Party is on course to make a historic electoral breakthrough by winning the Labour-held seat of Brighton Pavilion at the forthcoming general election. A poll of voting intentions carried out by ICM Research shows that the Greens, who had their best-ever result in the constituency in 2005, hold an eight-point lead over their nearest rivals, the Conservatives, with the Greens on 35 per cent, the Tories on 27, Labour on 25 and the Liberal Democrats on 11 per cent."

Having worked hard to get the Green Party electable for 3 decades, I will be overjoyed to see Geen MP's in Westminster! Go for it Brighton!

Snow people against Climate Change!

How do I stop the pesky squirrel stealing the birds nuts?

Gaza and Veolia

I have just sent the following letter to Paul Scriven, leader of Sheffield City Council. It will be interesting to see the response...I will keep you informed.

Dear Mr Scriven,

Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip killed 1,300 people (http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=82769&sectionid=351020202). Israel has admitted that it illegally used white phosphorous during its assault and Professor Richard Falk said the Israeli Defence Force's actions 'warrant the characterisation of a crime against humanity’ (Guardian, 3.1.09, p.28). I am very pleased that the Lib Dem leader, Nick Clegg, has said that the Prime Minister 'must condemn unambiguously Israel's tactics' and 'halt Britain's arms exports to Israel'.

At a local level, I understand that the council has set up a cross-party working group to look into the conflict in Gaza and the broader issue of illegal occupation in Gaza and the West Bank. I encourage you to adopt a robust stance in condemnation of Israel's actions.

Veolia have a stake in the Jerusalem Light Rail Project (JLRT) which will link the city to illegal Israeli settlements 'such as Pisgat Ze'ev, French Hill, Neve Ya'akov and Gilo in occupied east Jerusalem. Once built, the rail system will help to cement Israel's hold on occupied east Jerusalem and tie the settlements even more firmly into the State of Israel.’ (From http://www.bigcampaign.org/index.php?page=veolia). Veolia state that ‘legal assessment has proved that this will involve no abusive expropriation’ and that a Veolia-commissioned opinion poll 'demonstrates that a large majority of the local Palestinian population support the project' (Jean-Dominique Mallet, CEO, Veolia Environmental Services UK). It therefore seems strange that the Palestinian Authority has taken Veolia to court in France, that Mahmoud Abbas asked the former French President to intervene in the matter and that Dutch bank ASN disinvested from Veolia over its part in the JLRT.

I am sure Sheffield's ratepayers would be horrified to learn that their taxes support a firm involved in contravening human rights and international law (Mr Mallet concedes that areas served by the JLRT 'are considered by the international community as "illegal settlements"'). I therefore urge you to insist Veolia disinvest from the project or face losing their contract in Sheffield.

Thank you very much for your time, I look forward to your reply,

Yours Sincerely

Graham Wroe