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- Vigil in Honour of Deaths in Detention
14/11/2014
‘Alexandra’ from JRS-UK took part in
a vigil organised to honour the lives of asylum seekers who lost their lives
whilst in detention in the UK.
She describes why she was pleased to go along to support others.
I went to the
vigil to support everyone who has to seek asylum in the UK and everyone
in general who are in detention. For me, because I can’t go to the detention
centre to support them, I went to show that I am supporting them. I hope that
they close the detention because there is no right to hold people like this.
To show
everyone that we are together in this campaign, we did a circle, we had lights
and candles to remember those people who were in detention and lost their
lives. There were 5 people in the last 2 years who died.
I remember
the speech of the lady who told when she arrived in the UK there was
detention only of a few people, now there are many more. Someone that day also gave a testimony about
how he went through detention. If this person had not been in detention he
could have had a college degree by now. People explained their experience. One
shared how he was treated, the stress of being in detention, people telling him
to go back to his country and he did not know what would happen. And then there
was the MP who reminded us that we can make a difference through campaigning
and that, for example, ending children in detention. So yes, let’s end
indefinite detention!
From JRS we
were five taking part. In the audience I noticed around there was a good mix of
people: refugees, organisations, vicar from the church, Congo Support Group
came, local people from Hackney, volunteers from Citizens UK, people filming, the
Bishop from London Churches Refugee Group.
I felt very
good on the evening because there are some people who recognise that we are
first of all human beings, that there is no need for detention. It is stressful
to be an asylum seeker first of all, it is stressful to come to the UK, then
to find yourself again in detention… It is good that there are people who are
standing up to say that we should stop it. There are lots of people, many
voices, so we are a force for change. When I saw the flyer, I was excited to
hear that there is campaign to close detention, to put less people in stress.
But I also
feel angry. To keep someone in detention, when they are closed somewhere, they
suffer inside. When they are locked up, they are not doing the basic things they
are used to. They think a lot, they remember the trauma they went through back
home. It is not helping. They are isolated. At least at the Day Centre I can
come, I can chat to friends. In detention there is no change – it’s monotone.
The vigil was organised by Citizens UK, London
Churches Refugee Network, Detention Action and Detention Forum.
More information about the campaign
to end indefinite detention:
www.detentionaction.org.uk/timelimit
www.detentionaction.org.uk/timelimit
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