Raul denied medical attention and visitors but still determined to fight. Nine ways you can help.

‘I really appreciate all of the support and hopefully soon I will be back in the Toon. I’m positive that everything is going to be alright – losing is not an option – we are going to continue to fight them. The support I am getting is giving me courage and massive hope. I know there are a lot of soldiers out there fighting for me. Most of the people don’t know me but they are willing to fight for me, I salute them.’ Raul Ally

Raul has been on hunger strike since Wednesday 10th April – from the first day he was put back into immigration detention. The only time a doctor has examined Raul was on Wednesday 17th April. Raul said ‘when the doctor saw me he told me to stop the hunger strike. I told him that I’m not here to eat.  I got food at home that is cooked everyday.’  The healthcare workers in the immigration prison work for UKBA. The racist doctor signed Raul off saying he was fit to fly – to be deported. This was after Raul had been on hunger strike for a week. He is now in his thirteenth day of hunger strike, his blood sugar levels are very low at 2.9 mmol/l. He is in desperate need of proper medical attention by independent doctors in a hospital – by people who do not carry out the bidding of UKBA and lie about a person’s health in order for them to be deported. He needs to be seen not only because of his hunger strike but also because of the injuries he incurred at the hands of private security firm Tascor when they violently dragged Raul to the plane, choking and handcuffing him, leaving him with cuts to his hands and arms, his hands numb and his legs soar and bruised. He has received no treatment for this.

On Sunday 21st April a friend of Raul’s tried to visit him at the prison, because of the hunger strike the nurses said Raul was too weak to go to the visiting room but UKBA would not allow his friend to come to the room, where hunger-strikers are held, to see him. In their eyes he is fit to be deported but not fit enough to see a friendly face and get emotional support. This is another breach of Raul’s human rights and needs to be challenged. There are another three men on this unit, one of whom has been on hunger strike for 20 days. Sadly Raul’s is not an isolated incident but occurs frequently within ‘democratic’ and ‘civilised’ Britain, with one person being deported every 8 minutes and subject to racist oppression at the hands of the Home Office and UKBA and the private companies they hire to carry out their dirty work.

  

Raul has been receiving messages of solidarity from all over the country: Glasgow, Dundee, Newcastle, Manchester, Liverpool, London…

He said ‘I really appreciate all of the support and hopefully soon I will be back in the Toon. I’m positive that everything is going to be alright – losing is not an option – we are going to continue to fight them. The support I am getting is giving me courage and massive hope. I know there are a lot of soldiers out there fighting for me. Most of the people don’t know me but they are willing to fight for me, I salute them.’

Nine ways you can help:

1. Come to the protest: Kick a football at immigration prisons! Free! Free! Raul Ally!

Wednesday 24^th April, 4pm 
Grey’s Monument, Newcastle upon Tyne

Children welcome

We are protesting in solidarity with his struggle to get him free and stop any future deportation.

Raul is a big Newcastle United fan and has played for lots of local teams. Most recently he played in midfield for Gatheshead FC youth team before being snatched by UKBA, and has also played for Gateshead Redheugh, Ashington FC and Stocksfield.

Come to the protest where we will have a five-a-side goal set-up, footballs, a PA system for music and speeches and pictures of Raul.

His team mates will be coming to support him - wear football shirts, kick a football at immigration prisons and speak-out against racism!

2. Please continue to contact Colnbrook to demand he is seen by an external doctor and complain that he is being denied the right to see visitors:

You will need to quote Raul's Home Office reference number A1359895 and his detainee number 6139202 as they may have him in the system under a different name

Tel: 020 86075200

Then press option 1

Then press 310 (healthcare) Or 354 (UKBA staff in Colnbrook)

Fax: 020 87597996

3. Call Medical Justice who will take a complaint regarding the health of a refugee. 

Tel: 02075617498

4. Write letters of support to Raul

(Raul Ally, Home Office ref: A1359895)
Colnbrook immigration removal centre
Colnbrook Bypass
Harmondsworth
West Drayton
Middlesex
UB7 0FX

5. Contact Theresa May to urge her to use her powers as Home Secretary to release Raul, stop any future deportation and give him indefinite leave to remain.

Constituency phone number: 0118 934 5433

Twitter: @ukhomeoffice

Email: mayt@parliament.uk
UKBApublicenquiries@UKBA.gsi. gov.uk
CITTO@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
Privateoffice.external@ homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk
pscorrespondence@cabinet- office.gsi.gov.uk

Fax: 0207 0354745

6. Contact the immigration minister Mark Harper

Constituency Office: 01594 823 482

Westminster Office: 020 7219 5056

Email: mark.harper.mp@parliament.uk

7. Contact your MPs and councillors. Ask them to formally support the campaign, send us a quote and get them to put pressure on the Home Secretary. Even if they are not based in the northeast anything they can do will be helpful. For a list of all MPs see: http://www.theyworkforyou.com/ Please let us know what response you get: tynesidecarn@yahoo.co.uk, 07858346276

8. Mention the story below when speaking to the people above about Raul’s campaign. Colnbrook already has blood on its hands.

From the Guardian 14 April: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2013/apr/14/asylum-seeker-death-investigated Asylum seeker death investigated by Home Office amid healthcare concerns. By Eric Allison

Khalid Shahzad, 52, died alone on train hours after release from Colnbrook removal centre after being deemed unfit for detention. The Home Office has launched an investigation into the case of an asylum seeker who died within hours of being discharged from an immigration removal centre (IRC) where he had been held for three months.

9. Contact national press and local press to urge them to cover the story

National Newspapers
The Daily Mirror

Phone:         0800 282 591

    Email:        mirrornews@mirror.co.uk
The Guardian

Phone:         020 3353 2000

    Email:         national@guardian.co.uk
The Observer

Phone:        (same as for The Guardian)

    Email:         news@observer.co.uk
The Independent

Phone:         020 7005 2000

    Email:        newseditor@independent.co.uk
The Telegraph

Phone:         020 7931 2000

    Email:        dtnews@telegraph.co.uk    stnews@telegraph.co.uk
Metro

Phone:         020 3615 0600

    Email:        news.london@ukmetro.co.uk