Bristol MP to lead solidarity march for Zimbabwean asylum seekers in the City

bristol | protests | event notice Thursday August 28, 2008 15:54 by Forward Maisokwadzo - Bristol Zimbabwe Association Forwardm17 at yahoo dot co dot uk 079 19894 900

Stephen Williams, Bristol West Liberal Democrats MP will lead a group of protesters in the City Centre this Saturday 30 August, 11am – 1pm, urging ministers to stop deportations of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe but instead allow them to work until the environment back in Zimbabwe is conducive for many to return.

Campaigners say the government is putting lives at risk as it is evident that Robert Mugabe’s regime described by one of US President George W Bush’s top team as an “outpost of tyranny” continues to starve and beat opposition supporters.

Stephen Williams MP, will join Zimbabweans living in Bristol and their friends, church leaders and supporters. Other speakers will include Councillor Peter Hammond, Hebson Makuvise - MDC UK & Ireland Chief Representative; Pastor Edson Maburutse, Jehova Kingdom City; Jo Benefield, Bristol Defend Asylum Campaign; Morgan Tande, Chair, MC Bristol; Jameson Mashakada - MDC UK and Ireland Vice Chairman & Welfare Chief Officer, Elliot Pfebve - Former MDC Secretary for Education, Suzeet Kwenda - former chair MDC UK & Ireland women's wing; Father Richard Mackay, St Nicholas.

Organised by the Bristol Zimbabwe Association (BZA) - a community organisation representing Zimbabweans in Bristol; along with the Bristol branch of Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), Movement for Democratic Party Bristol branch, Bristol Defend Asylum Campaign and Zimbabwe Vigil Bristol Group, the protest will call for the government to allow many Zimbabweans who have waited in limbo for so long, the right to work and release those in detention centres.

“The clandestine removals carried out under the disguise of voluntary return policy to Zimbabwe reflects a changing political climate in Britain rather than any lessening in the merits of Zimbabwean asylum claims,” said Forward Maisokwadzo, BZA Chairperson.

The government says that there has been no change ‘in our opposition to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe’ and that it will work to ‘restore democracy so that All Zimbabweans can in time return safely to help build a prosperous and stable Zimbabwe.’ In the meantime, there are efforts to send many Zimbabweans back to an unstable Zimbabwe in a state of economic collapse and with continuing human rights abuses.

“What has changed since 2002 is not Zimbabwe but the British political climate. In 2002, Zimbabwe was much in the news because of the take-over of white-owned land.

“Even the Conservative Party supported the suspension of removals. Now Zimbabwe has dropped out of the news headlines. Few British politicians seem to care any longer about what happens to Black Zimbabweans,” he said.

He said: “But those of us and our friends who do care wish to register a strong protest against such double standards and call for the government to act swiftly in order to save lives of many Zimbabweans.”

A petition will be signed on the day and will be sent to the Prime Minister.

There are over 1000 Zimbabweans living in Bristol.