This national demonstration is the 9th demonstration at Yarl's Wood, led by Movement for Justice (MFJ), bringing together detainees at the windows of Yarl's Wood (YW), with anti-racist fighters outside from all around the country. These actions are building a mass, independent, integrated, youth-led, civil-rights and immigrant-rights movement: a movement showing the way forward for the masses of poor, exploited, working class and oppressed of all races and national origins - a way we can win.

This is a crucial time for a mass Surround YW demo, putting the fight to end the scapegoating of immigrants front and centre. The future direction for Britain and Europe is not decided; the political and economic crisis is unresolved, and while governments betray communities with divide-and-rule policies, ordinary people from Africa and the Middle East are pushing through, opening borders in search of freedom: moving, to solve the problems of war and poverty created by the ruling imperialist elites. 

Brexit has heightened the racist scapegoating of immigrants and demonisation of Muslims: the result of years and years of politicians cynically blaming immigrants for the effects of their own policies and it has broken out into an upsurge of racist and xenophobic attacks. The point of the politician's attacks on immigrant communities is to make it easier to attack the welfare, healthcare, education and freedoms Britain proclaims - racism is key to austerity. As austerity sent hungry families to food banks, politicians offered them racism to eat. Racism and anti-Muslim bigotry are a weapon politicians use to divide the poor and exploited from their most important allies; our movement has no use for either and must reject both.

Through struggle LGBT+ asylum seekers have expanded the right of asylum: defeating the Home Office's hypocrisy. Women escaping violence, rape and abuse are constantly figuring out ways to speak out that turn the tables and put the Home Office on public trial. Asylum seekers inside detention have been the most explosive force in fighting back by any means, defeating the Home Office 'Detained Fast Track' process designed to isolate and speed cases securing quickie refusals and deportations. Through resistance detention has become an unreliable, fraught means of control. The government have had to back down over the pregnant and those seeking asylum. Four detention centre's have been shut down; more can follow.

The paralysis that afflicts the traditional left, Labour Party and trade union leaderships faced with rising anti-immigrant racism does not hold back youth who continue to march out and shut down roads to rally against police and state brutality, nor thousands of refugees risking everything who've fled to Europe's shores. We know that rights and dignity are never given us without our demand and our struggle.

The poor and working classes rooted in Britain need the dynamism and determination of those coming to Europe's shores. It is up to the black, Asian, immigrant communities and youth, to lead - with and without papers: speaking the plain truth and organising an integrated movement that confronts racism while fighting for everyone's basic rights and dignity. We can fight back, inspire people, build an independent movement, win, and set a new course for the UK and Europe.  JOIN MOVEMENT FOR JUSTICE!

What you can do & stuff we need....

NO to Fortress Britain and NO to Fortress Europe..