“Sunday’s March is an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with the homeless in Manchester, in Calais... wherever they are!”
- Directions hearing 30th September, 10.30am, Manchester County Court, 1 Bridge St W, Manchester M60 9DJ
- Homeless Tents on main route of National TUC 4th October demonstration against Austerity and Racism
The first hearing of Manchester City Council’s application to commit homeless individuals to prison has been listed to be heard on 30th September 2015 at 10.30am at Manchester County Court.
Unlike the last hearing in September, the matter has to be heard before a Circuit Judge (a higher ranking judge than the District Judge who granted the injunction order in the first place).Manchester City Council has agreed that the trial cannot proceed on that day and that the hearing on the 30th should be used as a directions hearing only. This hearing will occur just before the National TUC Demonstration against Austerity and Racism that will take place in Multicultural Manchester on 4th October.
That march will pass the site of the latest physical confrontation when Bailliffs, acting under City Council instructions that had been backed up by the courts and the management of Manchester Metropolitan University - and condemned by the University’s Union UCU (http://www.salfordstar.com/article.asp?id=2927) - attempted to break up one of the camps on Oxford Road that has become known as The Ark. In fact,
the homeless peoples’ tents are now pitched up at the fence under the Mancunian Way, on both sides of Oxford Road, where British Citizens live on the street alongside Eastern Europeans.
RAPAR chair, Manjeet Kaur is seeking asylum from Afghanistan and has successfully fought against being made homeless in Manchester herself (http://www.rapar.org.uk/manjeet-must-stay-in-the-uk.html). RAPAR will be part of a national Stand Up To Racism delegation to Calais on 17th October (http://www.standuptoracism.org.uk/) and Manjeet says:
“The homeless people in tents in Manchester are, like the homeless people in tents in Calais, fighting for the right to live with dignity and respect. Sunday’s March is an opportunity to demonstrate solidarity with the homeless in Manchester, in Calais... wherever they are! We must Stand up To Racism.”
The homeless trial is likely to be heard in about 6 weeks time and will take two days of court time. Four Defendants are represented and have been granted Legal Aid. One of the lawyers acting for two of the Defendants, Ben Taylor of WBT solicitors, says:
“The clients intend to defend the proceedings and they will vigorously dispute the Council’s application in every aspect. This is a very serious matter as it could result in the seven defendants being committed to prison for any period up to two years.”
RAPAR’S call of 18th August 2015 for the Council to disclose what housing stock they actually have remains unanswered. Further, at this time, the instructions under which council workers are being directed to operate and who is issuing them remains unknown.
ENDS
Background
The order that District Judge Matharu of Manchester’s Civil Justice courts approved on Friday 31st July 2015 forbids people from “erecting and/or occupying tents or other movable temporary forms of accommodation for the purposes of or in connection with protests or similar events arising from or connected with the Claimant’s [Manchester City Council’s] homeless policy on land”, within a specified area of the city “without the Claimant’s consent or the consent of the lawful occupier of the land.”
The order goes on to define what is NOT INCLUDED AS MOVEABLE TEMPORARY FORMS OF ACCOMMODATION i.e. ACCORDING TO THE ORDER, ANYONE IS ALLOWED TO SLEEP IN THE CITY IF WE USE:
a. Sleeping bags / blankets
b. Cardboard boxes
c. Benches
d. Doorways
e. Bus shelters
f. Hostel accommodation
g. Overnight charity accommodation
(Claim Number BO2MA238)
Manchester City Council’s (MCC) latest court application aims to commit people in Manchester to prison for protesting about the housing crisis that is effecting every major city in the country. They want the courts to enforce the injunction order.
On Friday 29th August, having been informed by the City Council that they “consider the camp on the Land to be a continuation of protests against MCC’s homeless policy... since 19 April 2015”, Manchester Metropolitan University(MMU) issued a Notice to “All Persons occupying the tents on land...adjacent to Oxford Road underneath the Mancunian Way in the City of Manchester” telling them “leave the Land (HM Land Registry Title No GM688237) forthwith” or MMU will “commence court proceedings”. This document, dated 27th August 2015, is signed by Addelshaw Goddard LLP on behalf of MMU.
For further information contact: Dr Rhetta Moran: [email protected]/ 07776264646
Please keep your eye on www.rapar.org.uk for updates