Jean Lambert, London’s Green Party MEP, has welcomed news of the successful end to the occupation of SOAS by students and activists in support of cleaning staff arrested last week.
Students and activists occupied the School of Oriental and African Studies in Bloomsbury after a dawn raid by immigration officers last Friday [12 June], when nine cleaning staff were arrested and six removed from the UK.
The circumstances of the raid were highly controversial. [1]
On Monday [15 June] students occupied the Principal’s office in the university and they were threatened with a court injunction the following day. However, after several rounds of negotiation, they called an end to the occupation yesterday [Wednesday] after securing agreement to their demands from SOAS management.
Jean Lambert MEP, along with the London Federation of Green Parties, has been actively supporting this campaign since news of the raid emerged on Friday. [2] Today, she said:
“This is brilliant news. Just days ago we were appalled at the disgraceful behaviour of immigration officers in the corridors of SOAS. These students and activists took a dedicated and principled stand in those same corridors, and within a week they have won a victory which stands as a significant milestone in the campaigns for the London Living Wage and the amnesty for irregular migrants. This victory comes as a study out this week found that an earned amnesty for migrants would bring £3 billion to the UK economy. We know the humanitarian arguments for an amnesty; let’s hope this economic aspect will further strengthen the case. [3]”
SOAS management have agreed to five key demands from campaigners, including a commitment to write to the Home Secretary requesting exceptional leave to remain those still being detained and for those forced into hiding, and calling for the immediate return of those who were removed from the UK. The Governing Body will review the outsourcing of cleaning services at the university, and there will be an open discussion of last Friday’s events with all those involved. [4]
Two of the cleaners arrested on Friday, Marina Silva, who has claimed asylum, and Rosa de Perez, are still being held in Yarl’s Wood detention centre, and Marina faces imminent removal. She is 63 and in poor health. Campaigners are urging people to write immediately to Alan Johnson, the Home Secretary, on their behalf. [5]
Jean continued:
“I join the campaigners in urging people to continue to their efforts in support of Marina Silva and Rosa de Perez, and to write to the Home Secretary to ensure these hard-working, poorly paid and vulnerable women are allowed to continue their lives in the UK.
“We must also ensure that the management of SOAS honour the agreement, but I am heartened to hear that campaigners are confident that these events reached a constructive conclusion. It’s a sound achievement, and a positive step forward.”
SOAS Unison has organised a public meeting to celebrate and discuss future campaigning tomorrow, Friday 19 June at 6pm in the SOAS Junior Common Room. On Saturday, the Campaign Against Immigration Controls at SOAS will meet to discuss how to build the wider campaign for migrant workers, from 2pm to 5pm in room G50. [6]
ENDS
Notes to Editors
[1] See http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/news_detail.php?id=477 for more details of the raid on Friday.
[2] See http://www.jeanlambertmep.org.uk/news_detail.php?id=479.
[3] The report, Economic impact on the London and the UK economy of an earned regularisation of irregular migrants to the UK, was commissioned by the Mayor of London and carried out by the London School of Economics. For the full report, see http://www.london.gov.uk/mayor/economic_unit/docs/irregular-migrants-report.pdf.
[4] The full list of demands and a summary of the agreement between campaigners and SOAS management can be found at http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/joint-statement-from-soas-and-students.html.
[5] For a template letter to the Home Secretary, visit http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/2009/06/send-this-letter-to-home-office-now.html.
[6] For details of these meetings and news and updates on the campaign, visit http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/.