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02 September 2008
Bristol Respect a community pressure group in the UK took part in the August 30th demo organised by the Bristol Zimbabwe Association (BZA) - a community organisation representing Zimbabweans in Bristol.
Called in combination with the Bristol branch of Action for Southern Africa (ACTSA), Movement for Democratic Party Bristol branch, Bristol Defend Asylum Campaign and Zimbabwe Vigil Bristol Group, the protest called on the government to allow many Zimbabweans who have waited in limbo for so long, the right to work and release those in detention centres.
“The clandestine removals carried out under the disguise of voluntary return policy to Zimbabwe reflects a changing political climate in Britain rather than any lessening in the merits of Zimbabwean asylum claims,” said Forward Maisokwadzo, BZA Chairperson.
The government says that there has been no change ‘in our opposition to human rights abuses in Zimbabwe’ and that it will work to ‘restore democracy so that All Zimbabweans can in time return safely to help build a prosperous and stable Zimbabwe.’
In the meantime, there are efforts to send many Zimbabweans back to an unstable Zimbabwe in a state of economic collapse and with continuing human rights abuses.
“What has changed since 2002 is not Zimbabwe but the British political climate. In 2002, Zimbabwe was much in the news because of the take-over of white-owned land.
“Even the Conservative Party supported the suspension of removals. Now Zimbabwe has dropped out of the news headlines. Few British politicians seem to care any longer about what happens to Black Zimbabweans,” he said.
He said: “But those of us and our friends who do care wish to register a strong protest against such double standards and call for the government to act swiftly in order to save lives of many Zimbabweans.”
A petition was signed on the day and will be sent to the Prime Minister.
There are over 1000 Zimbabweans living in Bristol.
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