Weekly Action and News 03/06/2022
Manchester Amnesty Weekly Actions and News
Please do these actions and make a difference
Action 1. Learn about Israel's apartheid against the Palestinians
Amnesty International has produced a thoroughly researched report concluding that Israel is enforcing a system of apartheid against Palestinians living under their effective control. You can learn more from Amnesty’s 15 minute explainer video available free online. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUGICfaULXA
There will be a talk and discussion on this subject at Manchester Amnesty’s meeting on 11 July. For more information, please contact Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
Action 2. Egypt. Life of jailed and beaten activist at risk
British national and activist for human rights in Egypt Alaa Abdel Fattah has been on hunger-strike since 2 April in protest of his unjust imprisonment, cruel detention conditions and denial of consular visits.In December 2021, an emergency court sentenced him and human rights lawyer Mohamed Baker to five and four years in prison, respectively, following a grossly unfair trial. They are prisoners of conscience, solely targeted for their activism, and should be immediately and unconditionally released. https://www.amnesty.org.uk/urgent-actions/life-jailed-and-beaten-activist-risk?utm_campaign=MEMA4486S_June_2022_UANetwork&utm_content=107713&utm_source=amnestyuk&utm_medium=email
The first edition of a new-look Manchester Amnesty Quarterly bulletin will be published during w/c 6th June, and will be emailed to you. Look out for it!
June is Refugee month and 20-26th June is Refugee week.
Our June monthly group meeting at 7pm on Monday 13th June will focus on the rights of refugees and we will be having a speaker from WAST (Women Seeking Asylum Together). All are welcome, including new members. More details and a joining link will be emailed to you next week.
The Refugee rights subgroup are planning three events which aim to reach members of the public with some messages about asylum and refugee rights. These events will take place in Didsbury on Sunday 19th June 2pm, in Chorlton on Saturday 2nd July, 2pm, and in town on Sunday 14th August, starting in St Peter’s square at 2pm (place and time TBC). In conjunction with the Craftivism group, we have made 100+ orange hearts with a QR code linking to information about refugees and Amnesty. These will be displayed and distributed at our events (and possibly at other places too). A longer article on the background to this will appear in the June quarterly bulletin. If you can come along for half an hour to support any of these events, it will be great to see you. Email alison.wearden@gmail.com.
Refugee week events in Manchester
Tuesday 14th June 1-2pm, Bridgewater Hall, M2 3WS. Harmonise Manchester will be facilitating a performance of amazing original and traditional music by 100+ school children to celebrate and welcome refugees. This is a free event, and you can register here https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/harmonise-manchester-tickets-325848600937.
Last November Manchester welcomed Little Amal, a 3.5-metre puppet of a ten-year-old refugee girl, as she ended a 8,000km journey walking from the Syrian/Turkish border, and raising awareness about refugees on her way. On Sunday 19 June you can see her again as she walks in the iconic Manchester Day Parade starting at 1pm on Deansgate, before travelling across the UK, marking World Refugee Week. More information here. https://manchesterday.co.uk/manchester-day/
Salford is going to become a City of Sanctuary. On 20th June (World Refugee Day) 9:30-3:30, at Buile Hill Park, Eccles Old Road, there will be an event for service managers/ frontline staff (council & voluntary sector) working in Salford to enable networking and discussion about how sanctuary seekers can best be supported. If you are eligible, you can register via this link https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/world-refugee-day-2022-salford-networking-event-tickets-327290383347 If any of our members intend to go to this event, please let us know by emailing alison.wearden@gmail.com
The People’s History Museum is holding a Refugee Week guided tour on Friday 24 June 2022, 11.00am to 12.00pm cost: £6 | £4 | FREE. The tour of PHM’s main galleries will discover the stories of those who have sought sanctuary in the UK, as well as looking at the injustices still faced by those who move to the UK.
You can book here. https://phm.org.uk/events_new/refugee-week-guided-tour/friday-24-june-2022-11-00am-12-00pm/
Volunteers needed!
MMU are holding an ‘Action for Sustainability Summer Festival on Friday June 17th and we have a stall featuring environmental Human Rights Defenders. The festival sounds really good with some top notch speakers and lots of activities. Booking details at : https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/action-for-sustainability-a-student-community-staff-mid-summer-festival-tickets-292368501057. We could really do with a few extra helpers. If you can spare a couple of hours anytime between 10am to 6pm, please get in touch with Anne Walker anne.walker9@ntlworld.com.
Other events
This Sunday, 5th June, 11am-4pm, Bud Garden Centre, Omer Drive, Levenshulme, M19 2JN. In conjunction with Levenshulme Open Gardens, Bud Garden centre are hosting an event in aid of Freedom from Torture. All welcome. https://www.freedomfromtorture.org/UK-centres/our-north-west-centre-in-manchester
Wednesday, June 8th at 18:00 BST, online, the Campaign Against the Arms Trade (CAAT), and the Omega Foundation (a Manchester based NGO researching the manufacture, trade, and use of military, security, and policing weapons and equipment) will be launching a joint project on Arms Fairs. The launch will showcase a data depository which has been compiled by these two organisations, and which is accessible to all. The event is free, and you can register here. https://caat.org.uk/events/arms-fairs-uncovered/
June 8th-12th, The Manchester Histories Festival programme on the History of Climate Change has many events which will be of interest, ranging from talks, panel discussions, music, poetry and even a cookery session. See the full programme here https://manchesterhistories.co.uk/our-festival/manchester-histories-festival-2022/
14th June, 18:30-20:00 BST, AIUK, online, panel discussion entitled “Israel’s apartheid against Palestine: How to dismantle this injustice.” You can read more about the event and register to attend here. Places are limited. https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/israels-apartheid-against-palestinians-how-to-dismantle-this-injustice-tickets-340117168607?aff=ebdssbdestsearch
18th June, 1-5pm, Manchester Central Library. Trailblazers! Women of Greater Manchester is the group promoting commemoration of other women in Greater Manchester who were on the list for the Womanchester statue. The link is now live to the free event on 18 June, including the first Margaret Ashton Memorial Lecture to be given by Kate Green MP:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/trailblazers-women-of-greater-manchester-tickets-334673215597
Save the date!
The UAE subgroup are planning to hold an event in Manchester on 17th July, the date on which Dr Mohammed Al-Roken is due for release from his ten year sentence in the UAE. This event may be held jointly with the Liverpool Amnesty group, in parallel with an event in London. More details to follow in due course.
Friday 29th – Sunday 31st July, there will be a Big Ride for Palestine. This is a bike ride from Derby to Stoke to Manchester, followed by a ride around Manchester (3 rides on 3 days), to raise show support and solidarity with the people of Palestine and to raise funds for the Middle East Children’s Alliance, a charity which supports children traumatised by living under the occupation. If you are interested in taking part in any or all of the rides, you need to book your place by 24th June. Please also let Mike Reed know as we may be able to get together a Manchester Amnesty contingent. mikewreed101@gmail.com More details available here.
https://www.thebigride4palestine.com/big-ride-summer-2022
Manchester Amnesty Subgroups and other work
If you would like to join any of our subgroups, please contact the current convenors for joining details.
UAE – Kathryn Fletcher, bussk@btinternet.com. next meeting TBA, Zoom
Anti-racism – Hazel Errey, hazelerrey@gmail.com, next meeting Monday 27th June, 6.30pm, Zoom
Refugees – Alison Wearden, alison.wearden@gmail.com, next meeting Monday 6th June, 7pm, Zoom
HR in UK – Matthew Sherwood, m.j.sherwood@outlook.com, next meeting TBA, Zoom
Craftivism - Kathryn Fletcher bussk@btinternet.com. next meeting TBA
Other areas of work are led by:
Crisis and Tactical Afghanistan, Myanmar, Syria, Ukraine, Yemen Rebecca Shaw, r.h.shaw.7@gmail.com
Europe/ Turkey, Fatih Segmen, fsegmen@yahoo.com
Israel's Apartheid Against Palestinians Mike Reed mikewreed101@gmail.com
Good news
UK refugee rights
While the government has announced that it is intending to send the first group of refugees to Rwanda on June 14th, there are ongoing legal cases to try to prevent this, and Care for Calais announced on May 29th that the first person who had been detained with a view to sending him to Rwanda had in fact been released. You can read more here https://care4calais.org/news/first-rwanda-detainee-released/
Spain
On May 26, 2022, Parliament passed the Comprehensive Guarantee Law on Sexual Freedom, which focuses on preventing and protecting women from sexual violence and states that a sexual relationship without consent is rape. The “only yes means yes” law will not require victims of sexual assault to provide evidence of sexual violence or physical resistance. Watch this youtube video https://www.youtube.com/shorts/14YmWuy-osw
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