"Mr Blunkett should consid- FLEASE DONT er the radical option of declaring an amnesty. He should give all asylum-seekers currently here the right to remain, and start again."
wrote the independent newspaper on
162002, in response to the news that the current dispersal programme had been suspended to the Sunderland area
Defend asylum and immigration rights right Patrol Independent's call refers to all current asylum seekers -have rather than categorising
them in any way. That is its strength. Of course what would actually be achieved through any campaign depend on the balance of forces. A partial amnesty might at some stage be offered and campaigners would then have to evaluate whether this involved acceptable compromises from their point of view.
But there are strong arguments for going down this road. As David Bunkett himseif has been forced to point out in giving evidence to the Commons Select TAN Committee, there is no chance that the government can meet its own targets for removals. The reality is that the system is falling apart
This therefore is a good time to make a move as the appearance of the Independent article suggests
We want to take the political initiative rather than always react to what the government is meting out
We want to fight for full rights for all those who are made illegal by asylum and immigration laws and prac tice. At the minute we tend to focus on asylum seekers but in fact significant numbers of those without lega status or rights are overstayimmigration officials. experiences from other countres.
There is, in any case, an increasing need to work towards Europe-wide demands and co-ordinations as, despite many differences, Fortress Europe increasingly would shapes the context in which we are all working.
Hopefully, the European Social Forum in Florence will be an important focus for deepening such exchanges