Zimbabweans facing removal from Britain to Zimbabwe held an inspiring protest event outside the Home Office on January 29.
Zimbabweans and their supporters loudly proclaimed their intention to fight to stay in Britain, and demanded the reinstatement of the suspension on the forced removal of "failed asylum seekers" announced by the Home Office before Christmas.
The Home Office has already deported many Zimbabweans, even though it is known that they are all handed straight over to the police at the airport.
Tony Benn, Jeremy Corbyn, Lindsey German (Respect) and Jean Lambert MEP (Green Party) were amongst those who spoke in support of the ZimbabweansThe Zimbabweans' clear determination to organise and campaign openly will play a vital part in their ability to resist deportation and in strengthening the fightback against racism in Britain.
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LABOUR'S against B CUANTANAMC
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concentration comp SHAME OF NEW Belmarsh and Guantanamo both make a mockery of the notion that Bush and Blair are fighting for freedom or democracy RELENTLESS ONSLAUGHT ON
On the contrary public alienation, in particular of the Muslim community, has escalated. In one example, the Muslim Safety Forum walked out of it's monthly meetings with the Metropolitan police over the arrest of the Guantanamo detainees on their arrival here.
Massoud Shadjareh said, "It is astonishing that these people have been held illegally and tortured for three years and now they are going to be arrested again.
"What sort of message does that send to the Muslim community? We just cannot accept individuals being abused in this way just to feed the fears of others. These people are innocent - there is no evidence against them."
And Jaffer Clarke, jointdeputy leader of the Muslim Parliament said, "there is virtually no future for our Muslim community in our interface with the police".
How far things have moved is shown by the fact that the
of released Guantanamo detainees last year was not met with such outrage.
The views of these moderates undoubtedly ref-lect the communities they represent and underline the pressure the state has been under.
So the government is trying to recoup its position by announcing the new powers. The proposed "control orders", like the powers they replace will be based on secret evidence that "suspects" will not be able to see or challenge. those people are a "threat" unlike the targeting of a handful of anonymous individuals with less time in the country to put down roots.
In particular the proposed extension of control orders to cover friends, relatives and acquaintances - designed to isolate by witchunting and terror - can only inflame the protests.
Bob Marshall-Andrews MP has described the proposals as "the most substantial extension of the state's executive powers over the citizens for 300 years".
Mainstream politicians and judges have made direct comparison with apartheid South Africa and Burma.
The security establishment has immediately split over the proposals. George Churchill-