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June 2023 Meeting + May Updates

Thank you to AMG for these updates. If you would prefer to read them as a PDF, you can do so here.

We warmly invite you to attend the next meeting of the AI Glasgow West Group. Please come and join in our lively and friendly discussions and help us make a positive difference to supporting Human Rights around the world.

This email includes:

  • Details of our forthcoming June 2023 meeting;
  • Excerpts from and a link to AIUK's most recent update for local AI groups;
  • Minutes of our local group meeting held last month; and
  • A note of all our local Group's meeting dates for 2023.

June 2023 Glasgow West AI Group Meeting

Thursday 8th June, Woodlands International Methodist Church, 7:30pm

The next Glasgow West Amnesty meeting takes place on Thursday 8 June 2023 at 7.30pm – 9pm in Woodlands International Church, Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6LW.

If the good weather continues, we are planning to meet at the church as usual, but walk 5mins to Kelvingrove Park to hold our meeting there.

Further details on Facebook: https://fb.me/e/24A3jSi3e

We would love to see you there on Thursday!

Our activities for the June meeting include:

  • Our activities to support and highlight Refugee Week 19th-25 June (including Dungavel Solidarity Gathering on Sunday 25 June);

  • Discussing LiftTheBan's “High Street Challenge” campaign. The aim of campaign is to overturn the ban on asylum seekers working whilst their claim is being considered; and

  • Undertaking letter writing in response to recent Urgent Actions alerts from AI.

Extract Of Local Groups' Updates From AIUK

Full details of AIUK's update for local groups can be viewed via this browser link.

This month's update from AIUK includes the following:

Refugee Week 2023

Refugee Week 2023 takes place on 19 – 25 June this year and the theme for 2023 is ‘Compassion'.

We know lots of you will be holding events and activities for Refugee Week, which is particularly poignant this year with the UK government's Immigration Bill. Now is a really important time to show support for refugee and migrant rights.

Immigration Bill updates

The government's latest immigration Bill has passed through the Commons and is currently being debated in the House of Lords. Despite widespread criticism, the government continues to push this cruel bill, using lies and sowing division in our communities.

Thanks to all the groups who wrote to their MPs, and to those who managed to secure a meeting. If you've had a response from your MP, please do let us know as it's important for us to keep track of how parliamentarians are responding to their constituents.

If you haven't already, please encourage your members to email Rishi Sunak directly calling him to stop this cruel bill.

Email Rishi Sunak now

Amnesty Summer Raffle

Enter the Amnesty Summer Raffle and grab your chance to feel like a winner! How would you spend £5,000? That's what's up for grabs when we draw the raffle in July.

Tickets cost just £2 and with every ticket you buy, you're speaking up for humanity.

Buy your raffle tickets online today for your chance to experience that winning feeling and you could help more people like unfairly imprisoned Yasaman Aryani & her mother Monireh Arabshahi walk free!

Protect the Protest Public Order Bill

After considerable opposition from Amnesty and many partners, the anti-protest Public Order Bill passed at the beginning of May – see our explainer blog about these new powers. The Public Order Act was quickly made law ahead of the Coronation, where these new powers were used by the police to arrest peaceful protesters. Our response was widely picked up across the media. After the weekend, Metropolitan Police expressed 'regret' over the arrest of anti-Monarchy group, Republic's CEO and five others before coronation.

You can read our analysis *here *for why the writing was on the wall for how these new powers would be used.

The police, members of the group Republic and Human Rights Barrister, Adam Wagner gave evidence to parliamentary enquiry about the arrests of protester. Here is a clip from the session, which highlights, amongst other things, the chilling effect of these new powers. 

Further information from AIUK

Full details of AIUK's update for local groups can be viewed via this browser link.

Updates From May 2023 Meeting

Amnesty International

Glasgow West Local Group

Meeting held on 11th May 2023

Present: Claire (Chair), Kirstie, Fatma, Neil, Mal, Sabrine

Apologies tendered: Jim, Christine, Silvia, Merle, Amjad, Andrew

Welcome

Claire welcomed everyone to the meeting, especially new member Fatma

Minutes of meeting held on 13 April 2023: The minutes of the previous meeting were agreed.

Financial Update

  • Petty cash: it was agreed that each meeting, Kirstie will bring £30 in cash in a container with paper for recording expenses, e.g. stamps/stationery/travel passes (see below).

  • There was a late donation to our Comedy Fundraiser on PayPal - we have a “healthy balance” in the bank!

Social Media/Website

Silvia shared the Iftar follow-up event

Other Updates

  • May Day event: a small turnout, but good to go and have Amnesty's presence at the rally.

  • Freedom From Torture event (27.04.23) - noone went

  • AIUK Campaign ‘Stop the Cruel Bill (Illegal Immigration Bill) - no updates

  • Meeting of Church hall users (13.05.23) – no extra points for Silvia to raise

Making our group more accessible/more diverse – ideas?

  • Travel Expenses: It was agreed that the group will provide travel expenses to those who require it (self-decided). 

    • @Silvia to add this to the social media meeting graphic to advertise.

  • Logistics of this: Kirstie will take a photo of the travel pass (bus/train ticket) and reimburse immediately; upload picture (anonymous, named with meeting date) to Gdrive for our records

  • Any other ideas welcome! Please share.

Upcoming Events

1. Muslim engagement on human rights roundtable

14.05.23 2.30pm the Ark

Purpose: solidarity with Muslim groups in context of supporting human rights

Mal and Claire to attend. Low turnout expected because of limited engagement post-iftar with attendees/Muslim Council of Scotland. 

[Update 14.05.23: 2 members of the Muslim Council of Scotland attended, but the hall was locked and we agreed to postpone to a future time when more groups can attend. Claire agreed to share Amnesty meeting information with the Social Media Coordinator of MCS to encourage interested people to join.]

  • → @All to think of other ways to engage with more communities in Glasgow.

2. Erskine Anti-racist rally

21.05.23, at 11am at Muthu Hotel, Erskine, PA8 6AN

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/1407074523401469/

Transport: via Eventbrite

More info: “Join anti-racists in a show of unity against the fascists who are trying to bring hatred into Erskine. The so-called Patriotic Alternative/Homeland is trying to capitalise on the climate of fear, the cost-of-living crisis and the failure to properly fund Erskine's services to scapegoat refugees fleeing war and oppression. It is the UK Government's inhumane policy on refugees and its brutal asylum dispersal scheme, not the refugees, which should be the target of our anger.”

→@Anyone wanting to go - book transport through the eventbrite link/contact Claire for support.

3. June 4th vigil to commemorate 1989 Tiananmen Square protests

  • Agreed to join the Edinburgh event, not to hold a separate one in Glasgow

  • Edinburgh event: East Prince Street Garden EH2 2DG; 6-7pm, Sunday 4th June.

  • Facebook Link

  • Hosted by The Hong Kong Scots CIC & Scottish Hongkongers. They expect ~50-100 attendees. There will be speeches by groups including Tibetan, Uyghur, Chinese human rights lawyers in the UK, June 4th survivors, former Hong Kong Councillors. They are looking for speakers from INGOs and local organisations or councillors to have a speech about the human rights issues in China, Hong Kong and around the world. Amnesty Edinburgh may do this.

    • → If Glasgow members would like to give a speech, please contact Claire.

  • →@Anyone wanting to go people can go independently & meet there/confirm on Signal to go together.

4. Dungavel Solidarity Gathering

Sunday June 25th (during Refugee Week) at 1-2pm in the main car park

Inaccessible by public transport. Structure: 2 minute silence in solidarity with individuals detained in Dungavel, some brief speeches, hand in biscuits/cakes/cards into the centre as a gesture of solidarity.

→ We need a driver/2! - It was agreed we would confirm at the June meeting who can drive (Neil?!).

Other

1. End Israeli Apartheid - Message from Arthur (Ayr AIUK group)

  • Arthur can't come to our meetings because of a time clash BUT another member of the Ayr group - Marion MacPherson was in Palestine last year as part of a delegation from Amos Trust and can give a talk about her visit. - We could ask Marion to speak in July/future meeting - @Claire to liaise to see her availability.

  • Gary Ettle is the AIUK Country Coordinator for Israel / Palestine. Bulletin attached with suggested actions. → If anyone would like to lead on an action, please say.

  • There were many interesting events by the group Scotland Supports Palestine May 8th-May 15th: www.scotlandsupportspalestine.org.uk - they hope to make it a yearly event.

    • Claire & Sabrine to attend the Saturday Kelvingrove park rally (13.05.23)

[Update 13.05.23: attended with the Amnesty banner. Good to represent. Dr Adrees from the Muslim Council of Scotland spoke & highlighted Amnesty's work & the End Israeli Apartheid report.]

  • Arthur is the Chair of Scottish Friends of Palestine, a trade union-based group campaigning for Peace and Justice for the Palestinian people. Arthur would be happy to have a Zoom call with us at a convenient time. He is also in Glasgow every week - happy to meet for coffee.

*→ @*All please contact Claire if you would like her to link you up.

2. LiftTheBan's “High Street Challenge” campaign

Read the High Street Challenge booklet here.

The aim of campaign is to overturn ban on asylum seekers working whilst their claim is being considered.

@Fatma will follow up with her contacts and report back on LtB's current work/contacts in Glasgow so we can work with them.

3. June Refugee Week plans

  • we'll have our June meeting in the park and make it a Refugee Week celebration picnic. We can also make a donation to Refuweegee/other (to vote in June) & share a list of local Refugee-activist/support organisations to raise their profile.

Urgent Appeals

Thanks to Merle for these

Local Group Updates

[Local Group Update available via link was included with meeting notice]

  • Tuesday 16 May 2023, 6pm-8pm online Activism Assembly: The first in a new series of Activism Assemblies will be taking place in May, bringing AIUK supporters and activists together to discuss and co-design AIUK projects and programs. The first of these will be exploring how we meet as a national movement, particularly looking at the future of the activism events programme and our national gatherings. → to gather your feedback and work together to build an exciting future for our national gatherings.

  • Ongoing:

Next meeting

Thurs 8th June - in Kelvingrove Park - Picnic for Refugee Week!

  • Meet at Tigress & Cub statue: https://goo.gl/maps/PERr73HLcD3aLxq2A 

  • Closest underground station: Kelvingrove

  • Suggested parking: Woodlands Terrace

  • Please bring snacks/juice for yourself and one other (suggested vegetarian!)

2023 Meeting Dates

New Members very welcome!

The Group meets every 2 Thursday at 7.30pm - 9pm.

The meetings take place at Woodlands Methodist Church, 229 Woodlands Road, G3 6LW

For further information contact mail@glasgowwestamnesty.org.uk

  • Thursday 12 January 2023

  • Thursday 9 February 2023

  • Thursday 9th March 2023

  • Thursday 13th April 2023

  • Thursday 11th May 2023

  • Thursday 8th June 2023

  • Thursday 13th July 2023

  • Thursday 10th August 2023

  • Thursday 14th September 2023

  • Thursday 12th October 2023

  • Thursday 9th November 2023

  • Thursday 14th December 2023

BETTER TO LIGHT A CANDLE THAN CURSE THE DARKNESS

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