In addition, I received this e-mail from the Education Not For Sale mailing list
this morning which other people may be interested in forwarding.


Lizzie



Please send this email to the Director of SOAS at [log in to unmask] - it's really
important that you do so asap! Please also phone the UK Borders Agency of the
Home Office on 08706067766, and add that you have sent your email to the
Director.

"Dear Professor Webley,

I was shocked and appalled to hear about the events that took place on the
morning of Friday 12th June. The compliance of the University management in
facilitating the arrest of 9 cleaners by immigration police demonstrates the
unacceptable attitude of the University and their contractors (ISS) to the
cleaners who work on campus. The University could have warned them of the
coming raid, and refused access to the building. Instead, the University
facilitated the intimidation of the cleaners by allowing forty immigration
police to ambush them at work, in a University building. It then allowed the
workers to be detained in a University room. One worker was forced to fly
whilst 6 months pregnant, another was seriously ill. None of the detainees were
allowed access to personal belongings, legal and trade union representation,
and contact with their families and friends.

These workers have been active in campaigning for a London Living Wage. The use
of immigration law to intimidate union activists is absolutely unacceptable.

I urge you to meet the demands of the occupiers who are bravely making a stand
in support of the cleaners in a way that the University should have done in the
first place. First and foremost, I urge you to immediately do everything in
your power to secure the release of those detained and the return of those
deported. Please contact the Home Office to stop the imminent deportation of 2
workers currently held at Dover: these people may be deported in the next 24
hours, and it is incredibly urgent that pressure is exerted to stop this
happening.

Sincerely,




Quoting S Viner <[log in to unmask]>:

> forwarded message from Sheffield University Occupation:
> 
> Student and worker activists at the School of Oriental and African Studies
> (SOAS) in Central London have occupied the university's directorate block in
> protest at an immigration raid and potential deportation of 9 cleaning
> workers.
> 
> Their blog is online at http://freesoascleaners.blogspot.com/, and their
> Facebook group is at
> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=89511288639&ref=mf.
> Please use these sites to find out more information and for details of how
> to
> send messages of support/solidarity.
>