UK 'Government 'Breaching Human Rights of Asylum Seekers'

[EdwardTking]

"AOL 31 JULY 2003"

THE Government's get-tough policy on asylum seekers was dealt a hammer blow today as a court ruled that Britain had breached the human rights of three refugees.

In a test case in the High Court the three challenged the Government's new policy of clamping down on asylum seekers claiming state-funded food and shelter.

A senior judge ruled that a failure to offer them state help whilst they slept rough and begged amounted to a breach of their Article 3 rights under the European Convention on Human Rights not to be subjected to "inhuman and degrading treatment".

Human rights lawyers welcomed the decision, saying it would put an end to persons fleeing persecution being deprived of the basics of life - "a roof over their head and food to eat" - while their applications were processed.

Mr Justice Maurice Kay, sitting in London, said it was "not inevitable" that anyone refused asylum support would be able to rely on Article 3 as some "are more resilient or resourceful than others".

But the "degrading treatment" threshold had been reached in the cases of "S", a Somali; "D", an Ethiopian, and "T", a Chinese national, whose lawyers had described their treatment as "a mockery of human rights".

The cases concern the 2002 Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act, which introduced new regulations in January preventing people from claiming state assistance if they did not immediately apply for asylum on arrival, or as soon as reasonably practicable.

The regulations were part of the Government's bid to prevent the UK becoming a "soft touch" for so-called bogus asylum seekers and economic migrants."

 

[zippy]

Serves the government right for incorporating Human Rights laws into UK law. Why do we need an external organisation to determine our laws?

This legislation should be revoked and we could then pull out of the European Court of Human Rights as well.

 

[Doshin]

Serves the government right for incorporating Human Rights laws into UK law. Why do we need an external organisation to determine our laws?

*sigh* It's people like you that have led to assylum seekers being so poorly treated in the first place. Contary to popular opinion assylum seekers don't have it easy when they enter Britain, and they don't have it easy even if they do get an official British passport. At least EU law is preventing the British government from bowing to popular opinion which would lead to huge human right's abuses. How would you feel if you escaped persecution and torture only to be refused basic necessities?

 

[Nad]

The problem is that Labour are trying to appease the far right on asylum. Thus they claim to be "getting tough" and treating asylum seekers worse and worse. I think it's shocking. We should not be pandering to racists on asylum, asylum seekers should be treated humanely until their case can be judged. The problem, of course, is that some asylum seekers are bogus and it is undoubtedly difficult to separate the genuine cases from the false. I think it is better, however, to be "too lenient" rather than "too harsh".

Unfortunately, asylum has become a stigma in the UK and asylum seekers have become a scapegoat for the dregs of society to vent their frustration on. IMO, the government should take the moral stance rather than the discriminatory stance that it is taking.

 

[ComradeDavo]

The UK governments policy on asylum seekers is appaling. As far as I am concerned, Asylum seekers are welome here. Seeing how this country had been exploiting the world and it's people for many a year, the least is could do is let poor people with nothing come to the country and make a decent life for themselves. Asylum seekers should be given more help so that they can get decent jobs and have a decent life, rather than be victimised by the fascists and the right wing.

 

[Kentonio]

Oh here we go again... anyone who raises legitimate concerns about asylum seekers are branded a fascist. *yawn*

Ok guys how about you answer me this.. In an age when many British citizens are living desperately short of money, struggling to afford exorbitant rents, benefits cut, students on the poverty line, working people being faced with no prospect of a decent pension due to the money being stolen from the pension funds by the government etc etc, yet anyone who comes to our country despite having never paid a penny to the exchequer has the right to immediate housing, benefits etc etc.

Have you ever heard the phase 'economic migrant'? Or do you seriously just believe this is a myth made up by the fascist, right wing?

If someone is genuinely a refugee from persecution then they certainly should be fed and housed, preferably in a facility especially created for the purpose. Once their application for residancy is approved they should then stay in the facility until they complete a course in our language, laws and customs to help them integrate into society. But no, that wont happen because its apparently against 'Human Rights'. I was frankly sickened when they scrapped food vouchers to asylum seekers because they were 'degrading', forgive me for my ignorance but to my mind saving someone from torture and murder and providing them with food and shelter is about as far from 'degrading' as you can get.

Polls have shown time and time again that the current situation is violently opposed by a large majority of British people, well guess what, we are suppose to be living in a democracy.

 

[phoenix_night]

Originally posted by Kentonio
Oh here we go again... anyone who raises legitimate concerns about asylum seekers are branded a fascist. *yawn*

Exactly. This kind of attitude really annoys me and doesn't help anyone. Well said, Kentonio (inc. the rest of the post).

 

[ComradeDavo]

Originally posted by Kentonio
Oh here we go again... anyone who raises legitimate concerns about asylum seekers are branded a fascist. *yawn*

Ok guys how about you answer me this.. In an age when many British citizens are living desperately short of money, struggling to afford exorbitant rents, benefits cut, students on the poverty line, working people being faced with no prospect of a decent pension due to the money being stolen from the pension funds by the government etc etc, yet anyone who comes to our country despite having never paid a penny to the exchequer has the right to immediate housing, benefits etc etc.

Have you ever heard the phase 'economic migrant'? Or do you seriously just believe this is a myth made up by the fascist, right wing?

If someone is genuinely a refugee from persecution then they certainly should be fed and housed, preferably in a facility especially created for the purpose. Once their application for residancy is approved they should then stay in the facility until they complete a course in our language, laws and customs to help them integrate into society. But no, that wont happen because its apparently against 'Human Rights'. I was frankly sickened when they scrapped food vouchers to asylum seekers because they were 'degrading', forgive me for my ignorance but to my mind saving someone from torture and murder and providing them with food and shelter is about as far from 'degrading' as you can get.

Polls have shown time and time again that the current situation is violently opposed by a large majority of British people, well guess what, we are suppose to be living in a democracy.

I specifically said 'facsists' because they are the ones who are most vocal on the subject. Remember the race riots of a couple of years ago? And i said VICTIMISED!!!!!!!! raising concerns over the asylum is different from victimisng asylum seekers!!!!!!!! Before you go mouthing off how i was branding people fascists read what I actually typed!

And answer me this, you complain so much about asylum seekers being given money, well they only get about £8 a week (if I remember right) and for a government that had just spent millions bombing Iraq that's not exactlky big money!

And I know what the phrase economic migrant is, and it is usually said in context of when governments have actually invited migrants into the country to work, such as West Germany after world war 2.


And NO, we are not supposed to eb living in a democray. We liove ina constituional monarchy, which is actually pretty far from democracy as the Head Of States still has powers to influence the runnign of this country. And, in my opinion, it is the media thats runs this country, not the people.

 

[Simon Darkshade]

They call that inhumane? Tsk. Ye don't even lock them up in camps in the desert behind razor wire.

 

[Doshin]

Originally posted by Kentonio
In an age when many British citizens are living desperately short of money, struggling to afford exorbitant rents, benefits cut, students on the poverty line, working people being faced with no prospect of a decent pension due to the money being stolen from the pension funds by the government

Oh please. Anybody, and I mean anybody, in Britain can lead a decent life if they look after their finances properly. Students are not on the poverty line because although the debt is massive, it doesn't have to be paid back immediately. And since when has the government stolen money from pension funds? Most pension schemes that have collapsed were linked to stocks in some way. I hardly see what victimising assylum seekers will do to improve THAT situation...

Incidentally, are you a Mail reader?

 

[bobgote]

Originally posted by Simon Darkshade
They call that inhumane? Tsk. Ye don't even lock them up in camps in the desert behind razor wire.

too right. we've got it down to the point where they commit suicide in our detention camps. sure this may breach human rights, but (and here's the beauty of it) there's no more 'asylum seeker', that's one less we have to worry about!

to bring them to this point, it is VITAL to have enforced random beatings, and prevent contact with the outside world. keep that media away, they're only after an easy story. keep them far enough away and they'll forget about it all soon enough. Anyway, i'm sure that for a certain fee, Australia can "take care" of your immigrant problems. see, once again we can be a great disposal ground for your unwanted problems altho one point - you might want to see if any of them can play cricket - you should hold onto them.

 

[Kentonio]

Oh please. Anybody, and I mean anybody, in Britain can lead a decent life if they look after their finances properly. Students are not on the poverty line because although the debt is massive, it doesn't have to be paid back immediately. And since when has the government stolen money from pension funds? Most pension schemes that have collapsed were linked to stocks in some way. I hardly see what victimising assylum seekers will do to improve THAT situation...

I'd describe the tax of 5 billion on the pension funds to raise immediate cash for the government, while leaving the pension schemes unable to cope with the forthcoming payouts to be 'theft' personally.

As for students its not the debt that they face that im talking about its the fact that they are loaned 3900 pounds a year to live on which is the full extent of their income (more if you live in London but higher bills ofc). I think if you look at the official poverty figure you will find that students fall beneath this.

Incidentally, are you a Mail reader?

Nope im a Telegraph reader, you should try it sometime, it may be more of a struggle than your usual Daily Mirror but you might find it enlightening.

I specifically said 'facsists' because they are the ones who are most vocal on the subject. Remember the race riots of a couple of years ago? And i said VICTIMISED!!!!!!!! raising concerns over the asylum is different from victimisng asylum seekers!!!!!!!! Before you go mouthing off how i was branding people fascists read what I actually typed!

Well Davo, you actually typed..

The UK governments policy on asylum seekers is appaling. As far as I am concerned, Asylum seekers are welome here. Seeing how this country had been exploiting the world and it's people for many a year, the least is could do is let poor people with nothing come to the country and make a decent life for themselves. Asylum seekers should be given more help so that they can get decent jobs and have a decent life, rather than be victimised by the fascists and the right wing.

Now to me that suggests that you are happily condemning your own country for past historical misdemeanors which you feel necessitate us somehow having to make amends by being a soft touch for anyone from the third world who wants to come here. My apologies if you are open to raising concern on these matters. As for the race riots why exactly do you think they happened in the first place? It was our weak asylum system that allowed those vicious little thugs to drum up so much race tension in the first place.

Incidentally we DO live in a democracy, thats why you get that nice peice of paper come through the door with the little boxes for you to tick, can you actually tell me the last time our head of state actually used the ancient powers to overrule our elected parliment? It would mean the immediate end of the monarchy for goodness sake..

And, in my opinion, it is the media thats runs this country, not the people.

You wont hear me arguing with that..

 

[ComradeDavo]

I was rasing the point that the BNP and ceratin papers *cough*dailymail*cough* are fascist in the way that they talk about asylum seekers. I was saying that as well as the government policy being appaling, that asylum seekers are also victimised by these groups.

As far as my country goes, I have no love for it.

 

[Kentonio]

Papers such as the Mail feed on peoples worrys and fears, one of which is currently asylum seekers, unfortunately we do have a problem, if we didnt they would have nothing to exaggerate and fuel.

It is a shame you have no love for our country, despite the mess it is in there is a lot to be proud of in our history and even occasionally our present.

 

[bobgote]

Originally posted by ComradeDavo
As far as my country goes, I have no love for it.

No seriously, see if any of them are good at cricket. A good cricket team is a source of national pride. You would soon find love for your country.

 

[Doshin]

Nope im a Telegraph reader, you should try it sometime, it may be more of a struggle than your usual Daily Mirror but you might find it enlightening.

I prefer the Times myself... but whatever floats your boat

Incidentally we DO live in a democracy, thats why you get that nice peice of paper come through the door with the little boxes for you to tick, can you actually tell me the last time our head of state actually used the ancient powers to overrule our elected parliment? It would mean the immediate end of the monarchy for goodness sake..

Democracy is a powerful thing but if every issue was voted on in accordance with popular opinion then the country would either collapse or end up abusing hundreds of minority groups- assylum seekers being one of them. HIGNFY pointed this out on another issue- "73% of Sun readers claim they don't understand the issues surrounding the new European constitution. 92% demand a referrendum on the issue" . My point is very few people understand what a sh*t life assylum seekers face when they come here... and its very easy to shift your minor grievances about 'high' taxes or low pensions onto the numbers of people coming into our country.

 

[sw99]

I think a very important question that has to be asked is, why is britain the most popular destination in europe for asylum seekers?

Are france, germany, italy, spain, netherlands, denmark etc etc etc harsher in their asylum laws? Not that I know of..

My thoughts are that it is because of the english language.. they see it as a better bet than learning german? There may be other reasons to choose the UK as your preferred destination.. but it does beg the question, why hop over half of europe, all prosperous countries, with much nicer weather... and head straight to the UK? They see the english language as the most economically viable choice.

I'm fairly liberal in my view of asylum seekers, if they are genuinely in risk of death or persecution in their own country then they are entitled to protection in the uk, however i do think it smacks of hypocrisy that they then head to the european court of human rights to essentially sue the uk goverment for not providing enough, when it surely would be better than what they would have been getting in their homeland. Because after all they left because they feared for their lifes. Didn't they?

 

[Kentonio]

Amen.