Sleep Out

Last night I slept in George Square in the heart of Glasgow city center. This was an event / protest as part of the Still Human Still Here campaign which seeks to raise awareness of the issues of destitution of refused asylum sekers, and ultimately bring change to legislation. The Glasgow event had been organized by Positive Action in Housing.

I arrived just after 9pm, just as the speeches were drawing to a close in the small marquee they had erected. There must have been about 100 people in the tent, a good mix of activists, asylum seekers and general punters. I knew no-one and being rather shy just hung around on the edge of things. Two other people who were there and did not know anyone else quickly spotted me as being in a similar situation to themselves and befriended me - Thank you. The rest of the evening was filled with chatting about each others involvement with the whole asylum issue, talking to asylum seekers who were there and activists who are working at the sharp end in lobbying MP's and MSP's and helping with legal cases.

Lynn popped along briefly to show support - she could not sleep out due to other commitments - but the support she has shown to families we know who have been taken into detention or who fear a dawn raid adequately demonstrates her commitment to these issues. Stuart arrived sleeping bag in hand about midnight. By this time I was helping someone who had an art class at Glasgow Women's Library prepare materials for this. The rest of the night was spent in conversation of trying to grab a little sleep, which due to the light pollution and noise of the square (the buildings seemed to bounce back all the noise to the area which we were occupying).

At 4:35am, which I think was officially sunrise, a few words of thanks were said by the organizers and we all went our separate ways.

So what does an event / protest like this accomplish? I think it works on many levels. For those who are daily helping, supporting, speaking, advocating for asylum seekers then the presence at the sleep out of people like me who are less involved with these issues is an encouragement - there are other people who care, who think what you are doing is valuable and great. For the asylum seekers and for those who have been made destitute then our sleeping out is a small act of solidarity, an action that says 'you are not forgotten, that we don't all support the systems of our government ...we care about your plight ...we are sorry for how you have been and are being treated'.

Events / protests like this also raise awareness and dispel myths. Is it coincidence that the BBC web site today carries this story? I think not. It also challenges our own indifference to suffering and injustice - by participating in this the memory of the event, the inspiration by meeting so many other caring people speaks out to me when I am tempted to behave selfishly, or in an uncaring matter. It also brings the issue onto my friends agenda. When asked how my week has been, how can I not talk about sleeping in George Square as an act of solidarity with those who have been made destitute? If each person that was there tells seven friends what they did, and those friends then tell a further three then over 2,000 people will have been made aware of an issue that before they had not given much or any thought to.

Small things matter, especially when lots of others are doing small things. In the noise of our daily lives, in the competition for worthy news items a still small voice speaks, a still small voice is heard.

Comments

[lynn]

thanks for this post Brodie.

I think you're right that your presence was important. Someone challenged me the other day that thinking globally and acting locally has power.

And now that I reflect on that; Jesus himself typified that; siding with the marginalised in small gatherings out on the streets and bringing to them a kingdom with world-changing power.

If there were only about 100 people taking part - where were the thousands of asylum seekers in Glasgow. Were they lying about in their free furnished flats, watching their free television sets and enjoying all their other free handouts.

[brodie]

Dear Anon - on your comment as to where were the thousands of asylum seekers if only 100 people turned out to this event, here are my thoughts....
(1) I'm not sure how well this event was publicised. Certainly asylum seekers that I know knew nothing about it. So if you don't know an event is no it's hard to attend!
(2) it's hard to make and keep in contact with those asylum seekers who have been made destitute. Some did turn up at the event, along with some homeless Scottish people - both groups were made I think equally welcome.
(3) Many asylum seekers live in fear, and many come from countries where to protest as we did would mean a beating from the police or jail. I therefore can certainly understand a reluctance on their part to participate in an event that involved sleeping out in the central square of a city.
Absence of presence does not mean absence of concern!
As to your comments that asylum seekers lay about in their free furnished flats, watching their free televisions and other free handouts - you must simply be talking about an asylum system in a different country as this is not the experience of asylum seekers here. I know many asylums seekers - good honest hard working people, many highly educated, many now living in poverty - yet we will not let them work. It is not they who choose to do nothing; it is the system that forces them to have nothing to do.

[Stuart Blythe]

I was going to say that I agreed with Anon above that asylum seekers should be properly housed and not forced into destitution, be able to be employed, and have a freedom from fear to the extent that they could publicly express how they felt about things without discrimination - but oh - then I realised that they were not meaning that at all and rather prefer the present state of things.. I guess then we don't agree...and that I'm with Brodie

[Jamie O'Neill]

Hi Anon, I was actually responsible for the event and would like to clear a few things up for you. We had the sleep out in Glasgow to coincide with many other sleep outs occurring up and down the UK. We sent out information to our 12,000 contacts asking them to support the event. After 100 people agreed to take part, including Asylum seekers, church ministers, local residents, Actors, MSP's and other politicians, we felt there was no need to publicise the event any further. Partly because of resource issues and partly due to security issues as many other organisers in other cities had reported attacks and abuse towards the attendees. Luckily in Glasgow, that never happened.

There are over 1,100 families in Glasgow who have been refused by the Home Office. They are not all in immediate threat of destitution; however, many asylum seekers did attend the event and some even cooked food etc, to be handed out to destitute people (asylum seekers and indigenes Scots). The event was organised to highlight what’s happening in Scotland and since, ANON you are now talking about this issue have formed your own opinion, whether you agree with the campaign or not, that is one of the things I personally wanted out of the event; for people to at least know that this is happening.

Some had also raised money from sponsorship and this money will be used to feed people who have been made destitute and have no access to any fund, from anyone, not even homeless shelters.

Hope this helps and thanks for everyone who attended and/or showed support. Jamie

[lynn]

Thanks everyone for your contributions to this thread. Good to hear your views and comments.

The asylum seekers I know personally are terrified to step outside at night so I have no issue at all with vulnerable females staying home during the sleepout. Some of these humble, gracious and dignified women were subjected to horrific assaults in their country of origin.

Thanks Jamie, for your dignified response on behalf of PAIH and welcome to Still Small Voices.

[Brian (not real name)]

Anon, I was also an asylum seeker and I still remember that I dreeded the thought of going out to any demonstartion or public gathering because of the fear that I would become a target for the Home Office. It actually happened.

I'm not sure where you got your story about free furnished flats, free television, and other free handouts from but maybe you should try and live in one of those 'FREE' places and see how much you get compared to being allowed to do something and contribute.

By the way, do you honestly believe that the best thing to do to anyone who's been through so much torment as these people have been deserves to just sit or lie down idly everyday? Is that not a sure way of damaging these individuals mentally and ensuring that they are unable to contribute effectively to our society?

[Brodie]

Brian - thanks for your contribution, it's good to have someone who knows about these issues first hand make such a good comment.