FOR CITY COUNCIL AND METROPOLITAN UNIVERSITY MANAGEMENT
Vice President, National Union of Students, visits Oxford Road camp of Homeless People
“The actions of the council are ... violating the aims and beliefs of our [Labour] Party.”
“For too long we have sat in isolation and walked past individuals and now, as a result of austerity, people who would not bat an eyelid are beginning to stand in solidarity,” Piers Telemacque, 22, National Union of Students, Vice President.
“I am very angry with the way this government is behaving, and the way a Labour council looks just like a Tory council.” Anne Power, 83, Green Party member.
"The disgraceful government cuts damage us all at a time when the most vulnerable are further marginalised”. Maddy Kirkman, 23, National Union of Students, Disabled Students Officer.
“If people don’t stand up against these actions now, further human rights will be taken away.” Ben Mee, 35, Interpreter
“Homeless people are not dirt that needs clearing off our streets.“ Pauline Hammerton, 71, Mancunion Homeowner.
“No longer is this simply a matter of Homelessness but also, now, a question of Liberty.” Ben Taylor, Solicitor acting for Homeless Individuals.
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 of 3rd August that prohibited people from erecting tents “in connection with protests to the Claimants(MCC) homeless policy.” (Claim Number BO2MA238)
Yesterday morning (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.
Within hours, over sixty people had gathered in solidarity with the camp, including two National Executive Members of the National Union of Students who were meeting in the city. NUS Vice President, Piers Telemacque, aged 22, explained :
"We are shocked that, in this country, when people are trying out of a bad situation, you've got a Labour Council - who should be defending these people - sanctioning them . Clearly the Council are embarrassed about what is going on here. It shows a massive failing of the most vulnerable. For too long we have sat in isolation and walked past individuals and now, as a result of austerity, people who would not bat an eyelid are beginning to stand in solidarity.”
His view was further reinforced by the NUS’s National Disabled Student’s Officer, Maddy Kirkman, 23, who observed:
"The disgraceful government cuts damage us all at a time when the most vulnerable are further marginalised - we must all stand in solidarity to protect our human rights”.
And University of Manchester Education Officer and Labour Party member Michael Spence, 21, continued:
“The actions of the council are absolutely reprehensible and, as a Labour Party member, I feel that they are violating the aims and beliefs of our party. Students have an obligation to support the homeless.”
Another Michael, aged 25, who lives on the camp and who went into care for the first time when he was five, said:
“It’s good to know that there are people here who want to support you.”
The students and the homeless young people were joined by a wide range of Mancunian residents including homeowner, Pauline Hammer ton, 71, who came to the solidarity gathering because:
“I think homeless people have a right to be. They shouldn't be continuously moved on - homeless people are not dirt that needs clearing off our streets.”
Fellow Mancunion Richard Mee, 35, said his main reason for coming was that:
“The Government seems to be attacking human rights on many levels. For example, taking benefits away from those with mental health issues. If people don't stand up against these actions now further human rights will be taken away.”
Ameen Hadi, Salford Unison Treasurer, visited during the afternoon yesterday and described how:
“Salford City Unison is dismayed at the criminalisation of the homeless and the attempt to deny their human rights. People who are homeless should be offered support not threatened! We will continue to offer our support. Whether you are homeless in Manchester, Calais or Kos you have a right to be treated with dignity and respect. Anyone appalled by this should join us on the National March on the Tory Party Conference on Sunday 4th of October in Manchester.”
WTB Solicitor Ben Taylor, has been representing homeless people since the Council began its offensive in April, was at the Solidarity gathering:
"On Thursday 27th August 2015, Manchester City Council attended my office and served committal court papers on me. The Council have issued proceedings to commit to prison certain individuals for allegedly breaking the terms of the injunction order. All but one of those individuals have had no previous dealings in the court and were not previously named in the injunction order itself."
Ben went on:
"The application to commit to prison is listed to be heard on 30th September 2015 at 10.30am at Manchester County Court. The decision to even apply to court to commit these individuals to prison will be a surprise to many Mancunians. This is a very serious matter indeed. I expect the individuals to vigorously defend the application and I will assist in every way that I can. No longer is this simply a matter of homelessness but also, now, a question of liberty."
In the middle of the crowd, sat on a folding chair, Liverpudlian, Green Party member, and People’s Assembly supporter Anne Power, 83, who will be marching up Oxford Road in Multicultural Manchester on 4th October at the National Demonstration against Austerity and Racism, declared:
“I am very angry with the way this Government is behaving and the way a Labour council looks just like a Tory council.”
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.
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
So far, this video of the third, police enforced eviction, from St Ann's Square in Manchester on 14th August, has been uploaded over 40000 times: www.youtube.com/watch?v=62OEBPlgk54
A street homeless man was arrested in the Hulme area of the city at 1am on Saturday 15th August. A Magistrate subsequently dismissed the case against him: https://youtu.be/PHBvi_GrzYE
ENDS
For further information contact:
Dr Rhetta Moran: [email protected]/ 07776264646
Please keep your eye on www.rapar.org.uk for updates
Dr Rhetta Moran
RAPAR Matron
Friends Meeting House
6 Mount Street
Manchester
M2 5NS
England
T: 0044-161-834-8221
F: 0044-161-834-8221
M: 0044-777-626-4646
email: [email protected]
web: www.rapar.org.uk