Hunger-Strike Day 8: Still ‘starved of information’

by Sharon Thu Apr 21, 2005 04:12

This is horrific. What is the medical assessment of these brave people?

by simon Thu Apr 21, 2005 11:41

Get real! If they are genuine refugee asylum seekers they have nothing to fear but if they're freeloaders-let them starve!

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:25

"if they are genuine they have nothing to fear". Thank you simon for that uninformed nonsense. It shows that you know nothing at all about the asylum system in Ireland. If "genuine asylum seekers have nothing to fear" could you please explain why the people who were recently deported are in hiding in Nigeria fearing death if they are caught. Then you could explain how the hunger strikers received death threats yesterday saying that "when you are deported to Nigeria we will kill you" or indeed why many of the hunger strikers say that they would rather die then go back to Nigeria. Perhaps then you could explain the case of a Somalian women who contacted us a few days ago, who has recently been served with a deportation order, or do you view Somalia as a safe country?. I could go on through the thousands of other cases but i wont waste my time until you inform yourself better.

by - Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:32

please read this article and pay attention to the map of European places of detention for migrants in the second comment.

The minister for justice attempts to ignore this ethical and moral pan-european problem by blaming the campaigns on manipulation by other groups.
Please print the map and information and distribute it, and make it clear to all, that this is not so.
In addition remember that the non-Irish prison population hovers around 22%.
The minister says there is no "fortress Ireland", can he argue there is no "fortress Europe"? Photocopy the definition of the places of detention and put them under the map. Include the link and the © Migreurop 2004 & it will be cool. Send these fact sheets to all worker representation groups who are involved in the care, incarceration, and processing of fellow men and women.

http://www.indymedia.ie/newswire.php?story_id=69199

by Sean. Thu Apr 21, 2005 12:46

Mark ,

I am totally confused,

Why are these people on strike?

Are they asylum seekers, refugees, legal or illegal immigrants?

Who is supporting their stay?

Are they looking for residency? Have they satisfied the criteria for residency?

What is the current condition of these people?

Why the news blackout?

by in the country Thu Apr 21, 2005 13:04

see what i mean, don't stop there!

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 13:11

Many of these people are parents of Irish children, others are asylum seekers. They have applications in under the IBC scheme and others are on humanitarian. As for the news blackout a lot of the newspapers have been covering it, as have the radio stations. TV3 covered it aswell. There was a demo outside the Dail with all the media there, including RTE, however a new Pope was elected and that got all the media coverage. As for who supports them, as more coverage gets out the numbers of supporters grow. We are inundated with calls and emails offering support and help. Currently the men are becoming very weak, but they are determined, they deserve all our support. Anyone wishing to offer support can contact Residents Against Racism on 087 7974622 or 087 6662060 or email residentsagainstracism@eircom.net

by Sean Thu Apr 21, 2005 13:20

They are waiting for their applications to be processed, is this correct?

Shouldnt they be fast tracked?

I am still unclear as to the reason for the hunger strike. Is it the signing in provisions? Is it the speed of processing (they only arrived this year after all)?

What if their applications are refused?

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 13:24

The basis of applications being fast tracked is that these applicants come from safe countries. Nigeria is not a safe country. Residents Against Racism will be holding a press conference on this shortly, we will post up information about it as soon as we have all the details confirmed. You are more than welcome to come to the press conference. Any more info you want will have been posted previously, you can just scan through the previous threads and get all the information.

by Gerry Thu Apr 21, 2005 13:46 gerry.gerbil at gmail dot com

Racism, ignorance, and hatred of foreigners I can understand in the UK, with its imperialist history and it's long dishonourable tradition of xenophobia. That some Irish folk are as brain-dead and racist is staggering and incomprehensible. As the son of an Irish emigrant I experienced first-hand the racist bollox thrown at Irish people over here, and it's saddening that exactly the same racist shite - taking our jobs, scrounging off welfare, shagging our women, spreading diseases, being terrorists or terrorist sympathisers, committing crimes, etc - that was thrown at the Irish over here is being thrown by the Irish at incomers. When the Ra was active, we Micks were all "terrorists" and "Republican sympathisers", and today it's Muslim (and sometimes non-Muslim, because racists are often too thick to know the difference) immigrants who are "terrorists". Plus ca fucking change.

Unlike the Brits, though, you don't have the 'excuse' of an imperialist past and racist culture to 'justify' your racism - hell, the Republic is supposed to be constitutionally, historically and culturally anti-racist and anti-imperialist, because you know what it's like to suffer racism and imperialism from the Brits.

But if appeals to anti-racism and fellow feeling don't work, how about plain self-interest. Who's going to pay your feckin' pensions when you're old? Who's going to do all the jobs that you turn your noses up at? Who's going to repopulate the country to its pre-famine levels? Not the Irish, that's for sure.

Gerry

by Sean Thu Apr 21, 2005 14:26

I have looked at the other threads but still no answers to some of my questions.

Are they on hunger strike because their applications are being processed by the fast track?

What difference is there in the final decision on asylum?

Either someone is a refugee - or they are not - surely.

Are they on hunger strike because they want to manipulate the decision making process before even waiting for a determination?

Still no mention of the strike in the Irish Times today either.

Why?

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 14:35

There has been articles on the hunger strike in the times. Go through their archives. If you want to see hard copies of media coverage you can see them at the Residents Against Racism stall this saturday between 12.30 and 2 o'clock at the Bank of Ireland on College green. Search through the previous threads on this site and the information you are looking for is there. I would post the links but i haven't time.

Sean, your writing style seems very familiar now, you wouldn't have posted here previously under two different names?

by Sean Thu Apr 21, 2005 14:43

If you do not want to answer the questions, fair enough.

My suspicions about the real reasons for this so called hunger strike are validated.

by trollwatcher Thu Apr 21, 2005 14:46

No, they are not validated, seainin.

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 14:55

The information is there. Why you aren't bothered to look it up is bizzare. Why you have changed your name again? it just shows you for having no transparency. It also shows up you for being completely obsessed. Having been forced to abandon posting under your previous two names, you now use a different name. I will restate what i have said to you again and again and again. The information is there, look it up educate yourself better. Stop wasting people's time.

by Sean Thu Apr 21, 2005 17:00

Mark, it would certainly help me "educate myself better" (whatever that means), if you explained your position.

by Mark Grehan Thu Apr 21, 2005 17:05

Please refer to my previous thread. If you have problems reading ask someone you live with.

by Sean Thu Apr 21, 2005 17:16

But your previous thread contains an interview where we are told (amongst the dodgy manifesto) that these people are being housed and fed, (for free) with a requirement to follow a few conditions that are legally sound, until claims are processed.

So why the hunger strike?

by Brick wall Thu Apr 21, 2005 17:26

Others don't and are merely racist or ignorant.

by some questions Thu Apr 21, 2005 22:14

sean,

really this case depends on your attitude to immigration and the ability of the irish authorities to assess cases of genuine torture / fear etc.

if you support open borders ie anyone can come here then you should support these men.

if you dont support open borders but support the geneva convention then you should support the rights of those men who are making asylum applications to have their cases for asylum heard properly and quickly,

being left in limbo while the authorities take months to assess cases just leaves people in limbo so fast processing in itself isn't a problem if cases are heard properly, thats a big if.

those who are claiming rights of residence due to irish born children who were here before the ministers last policy move will have a good chance of staying, people are already getting papers to stay from this process.

those who are appealing to stay due to being parents of irish born children but who arrived after the latest policy was announced will, i imagine, find it difficulty to explain this as a coincidence and would probably be better off claiming asylum.

anyway as i said it depends on what you support around immigration, open borders for all, eu access plus work permit system and asylum for those fearing their lives etc which involves a belief in the states ability to judge cases fairly or no immigaration etc.

i support an open border policy and recognise that irelands asylum seekers consist of both economic migrants and those in fear of their lives and have no problem with economic migrants using the asylum process to get around our immigration policy, you may feel different.

by jumoke folawe Sun May 29, 2005 00:34

ANYONE THAT THINK NIGERIA IS SAFE SHOULD GO THERE FOR HIS OR HER SUMMER BREAK.
PLEASE GO TO THE FOLLOWING RESORT AREAS
AJEGUNLE(LAGOS)
OSHODI
MUSHIN
IYANA IPAJA
MAROKO
OJUELEGBA
IWO ROAD(IBADAN)
SANGO(OGUN STATE)ETC
I BELIEVE NO ONE CAN LEAVE THEIR PLACE OF COMFORT AND DECIDE TO COME AND LIVE IN THE HOSTEL OR WHERE YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW ANYONE
IT IS NOT EASY TO JUST DECIDE TO LEAVE THE SHORE OF YOUR FATHERS LAND IF THERE IS NOTHING RUNNING AFTER YOU.