Edinburgh Anarchists

Life-saving Glasgow advice project The Unity Centre are holding a fundraising ceilidh in Edinburgh this Saturday (17th).

Hello! Once a year the amazing Ceilidh Collective people in Edinburgh hold a brilliant party for Unity in Edinburgh. Last year it raised almost £1000 for the centre and we took twenty people through from Glasgow to join the fun….   [A ‘Ceilidh (pronounced “Kay-Lee”) is a traditional Scottish social gathering with traditional music, dancing, and storytelling.]   It’s the time of year for another Ceilidh to raise money for the Unity Centre – This year the money will go towards buying a new minibus for the Centre . This year, the Ceilidh’s going to be on   Saturday 17th April At the Steiner School, 60 Spylaw Road, Edinburgh Here’s a map: http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&ie=UTF8&q=steiner+school+edinburgh&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=steiner+school&hnear=edinburgh&cid=0,0,11091512697169990379&ei=VWizS_j5DYn00gSP0dG4BA&ved=0CAgQnwIwAA&ll=55.933097,-3.222899&spn=0.011803,0.027595&z=15 £10 / £6 entrance fee and FREE for all asylum seekers   With music from the Robert Fish Band & friends with a fully licensced organic bar including snacks and juices and a chance to win a cool prize in Unity’s mega-raffle!

We’ll be running transport from Glasgow – Meet at 6pm in George Square but please book a place with the Unity Centre first

(The minibus will be free for asylum seekers but  £5 for everyone else)

An opportunity for people to get together to share info and ideas on the border regime and the growing movement against borders and for the freedom of movement for all!

10.30am til 6pm, plus evening social and music @ the Forest Café, 3 Bristo Place, Edinburgh, EH1 1EY

Migration has always been present in human history. Recently, European governments have been developing ever more rigid and forceful immigration control. This dayschool will explore this ‘Fortress Europe’, look at its effects on those who migrate, and explore concrete proposals for what we can do about it.

Workshops include
• Solidarity with asylum seekers – Stopping ‘dawn raids’ – the experience in Glasgow with Unity & community struggles in Scotland

• Migrant Workers – How we can support documented workers and those ‘sans-papiers’? With input from the Industrial Workers of the World.

• ‘Fortress Europe’ & the UK Border Regime – Info on the situation facing migrants in Calais and UK plans for ID cards.

• Destitution – How the UK government deliberately uses destitution as a weapon against asylum seeker families with info on ‘luncheon voucher exchange’ schemes and ‘Section 4’

• Environmental Refugees – Fleeing environmental degradation will soon be the number one reason for migration. How can we make the links, tackle the root causes and show solidarity?

• Migration Profiteers – BMI, Angel, G4S – What we can do about companies making a profit from other people’s misery?

With No Borders UK Info Tour 2009 – an exhibition of striking photographs from Calais by French photographer Julie Rebouillat, along with information displays on the European border regime and the forthcoming Calais No Border Camp, 23-29 June 09 (See Scotland Indymedia for more Tour events)

Plus updates and films on current struggles for freedom of movement and discussion about setting up a Scottish No Borders network.

No Borders is a network of groups and individuals resisting migration controls and the persecution, detention and exploitation of refugees and other migrants, and working for a world without borders.

Supported by:

• Unity Centre Glasgow
• Anarchist Federation
• No Borders.

At the Forest Cafe, Tuesday at 7pm, two films exploring migration issues, followed by a discussion. No Borders.

Full details at the Indymedia event calendar.

‘Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy’
Compelling documentary presenting three stories of immigrants who left their homes in Bolivia, Haiti, and the Philippines after global economic powers devastated their countries.

‘Outside of Europe’
Critical, short documentary examining the exclusionary nature of EU immigration and border policies. Throws light on human right issues that arise from the expansion of the European Unio, and shows footage of the 2007 Ukraine No Border Camp.

There’s a war for minds going on around this issue at the moment. Neo-Malthusians (they think there’s too many people) and straight-up xenophobes all want to use concern over climate change to attack immigrants and the poor (see comments here). So we see newspaper articles and conferences scaremongering about hordes of refugees heading to despoil the UK’s beautiful pristine land.

We have to be absolutely clear about this: climate change is an issue of consumption, not population. The rich pollute, the poor suffer. The discussion after these films could be a good place to think around how to get the No Borders position across in the face of powerful interests looking to scapegoat refugees to divert attention from their own crimes.