May/June 2004

May 1st, 2004

The March meeting at St Mary’s College Hull was most successful. We were entertained and encouraged by the students’ presentations and by the subsequent discussion. We must hope that they can sustain their concerns for the issues of justice and peace and find support in their parishes for these concerns.

EDITORIAL The March meeting at St Mary’s College Hull was most successful. We were entertained and encouraged by the students’ presentations and by the subsequent discussion. We must hope that they can sustain their concerns for the issues of justice and peace and find support in their parishes for these concerns.

Kate Ward who works at the Stockton Drop-In Centre and Carol Cross of Teesside CAP – Teesside CAP being joint sponsors with the Commission of the May Conference – remind us of the reality of life for those seeking asylum. The Refugee Council commissioned a report “Hungry and Homeless” which can be downloaded from their website: www.refugeecouncil.org.uk

The never-ending cycle of violence in the Holy Land is heart-breaking. Suicide bombing leads to state assassinations and it all adds to the suffering of innocent people. Jean Vanier, the founder of L’Arche, suggests a way to break the cycle.

The on-going issues of the treatment of those who come seeking refuge and asylum, of those in serious debt and yet again, the ever-growing prison population also feature in this issue. Please consider writing to your MPs and MEPs. They do take notice of letters and it helps to counter the prejudices of much of government policy.

The Peace Pilgrimage replaces our annual Quiet Day. Please come and join us. You will be very welcome.

Chris Dove Note: the views expressed in this newsletter do not necessarily coincide with those of the Commission.

Reality of life for refugees

Despite media myths to the contrary a recent all-party MPs’ inquiry concluded that Britain is not a ‘soft touch’ for asylum seekers: most who came were fleeing conflict rather than poverty.

Neither is Britain a ‘refugee magnet’. We take less than 2% of the world’s refugees, and within the EU, the UK ranks 10th in terms of asylum applications in relation to overall population.

People seeking asylum here cannot claim mainstream benefits – only very basic support. A single adult has to survive on £38.96 a week, 30% below the poverty line. A study by Oxfam and the Refugee Council shows 85% experience hunger, 95% cannot afford clothing and shoes and 80% are not able to maintain good health. (The BMA has stated that far from importing disease, their health is often damaged by coming to Britain and living on the breadline.)

Claims by paranoid tabloids, BNP and others that they are given enviable housing and new furnishings are untrue. Accommodation in ‘hard-to-let’ areas furnished with basic used household equipment is provided initially, and if permanent residence is granted they are moved to similar unfurnished property.

Many who come are professional people, (90%speaking one other language and 65%, at least two, in addition to their first); but they are not permitted to work until after refugee status has been granted. Very often they have shortage skills; indeed a Home Office study showed, ‘Migrants are not a burden on the UK taxpayers – in 99/00 they made a net fiscal contribution of approximately £2.5 billion, worth 1p on income tax’. Kate Ward Stockton Refugee Drop-In Centre

The following is an extract from a letter sent to David Blunkett by an asylum seeker who wishes to remain anonymous. Now, having exhausted he process and without support of any kind, her situation is similar to that of many others who are desperate not to be deported.

My husband died during the reign of Mugabe under very suspicious circumstances, and he is still in

power, therefore no one can guarantee my safe return. My sister was mistaken for me and was beaten up. These are people who do not reason but have “degrees of violence” to quote Mugabe, to whom they are accountable.

I am now taking medication for high blood pressure and this is due to the stress brought about by this whole issue. I am not a young person. My elder son who is a British citizen is now receiving treatment because of stress. According to our culture and also it is natural for him to be protective of his mother. My request to you would be to be given permission to fend for myself pending the return to normalcy in Zimbabwe. I am sure this is not too much to ask. As it is, the way I am surviving at the moment is not much different from those people in Zimbabwe who are starving and in bondage except that I am safe from physical harm. I am not a free person because this is physiological and psychological torture I am enduring by being denied my basic human rights.

From Carol Cross Teesside CAP

Asylum & Immigration Bill

The government has backed down on Clause 10 of the Asylum & Immigration Bill currently under scrutiny, which would have ended the right of judicial appeal against Asylum decisions. The Lord Chief Justice had called this clause “fundamentally in conflict with the rule of law.”

At the moment, the emphasis of asylum policy is so heavily on making life difficult for asylum seekers – visa restrictions, limitations on access to legal advice, refusing asylum seekers support if they don’t apply soon enough, inflexible rules designed to make applying for asylum as difficult as possible – that we are in danger of ducking our international responsibilities.

The real cause of problems with the system is the poor quality of initial decisions. In 2003 alone, over 16,000 refusals of asylum were found to have been flawed. That is the reason why so many cases are taken to appeal.

We still need to press for removal of Clause 7…..

Ending a Chain 0f Violence

Peace is not a stasis; it is not the absence of violence: where there is isolation, separation and indifference between peoples, conflict can break out at any time. Nor is it simply civility and respect for the law, in which the walls of separation remain firm. Peace, rather, is the counter-dynamic to competition, rivalry and the clash of strengths. Peace can only come, when the chain of violence is broken and the weaker members of society are fully welcomed, loved and respected. It is the conversion undergone by the Good Samaritan, who was first moved by generosity, then by compassion, then by amazement and joy. Something must have happened when the man woke up and saw he had been saved by an enemy, and says “You’re my brother!”

Source: Jean Vanier The Tablet 20 March

Peace-making versus “just war”

Sir Michael Quinlan’s article in The Tablet suggesting we need a new ethic of war – a “refined just war theory” brought two replies:

1. Maybe we Christians should be more noted for exploring not an ethic of war but the discipline of peace-making and the challenges of reconciliation and forgiveness. Even an updated “just war” theory is ultimately supportive of militarism and war. Fr Owen Hardwicke. Peace & Justice Centre Wrexham.

2. Until we invest as much in peace-making as we do in the military and weaponry, we will always go down the path of violence. The estimate of 11,000 – 16,000 Iraqis dead, and the silence of the US and UK governments on these figures, should not surprise us. It always strikes me how cheap are considered the lives of so-called enemies. Instead of “just war” principles, how about “just peace” principles, and more investment in non-violent conflict resolution strategies and training?

Eileen Richardson. Malvern. Source: The Letters page of The Tablet 10 April

Time Bombs

Fourteen year-old-Teng was working in the fields when his hoe hit something hard. It exploded and he was blinded in both eyes and most of his left hand was blown away.

Teng was the victim of one of the 350 million bomblets dropped in Laos, Vietnam and Cambodia by the US Air Force during the Vietnam War more than 30 years ago.

Despite the fact that cluster bombs leave a legacy as lethal as landmines, they are not covered by international law and there are no specific controls on their use.

Cluster bombs are an inaccurate weapon scattering up to 200 bomblets over an area the size of a football field. Under the Geneva Convention cluster bombs should never be used in built-up civilian areas. But Coalition forces used cluster munitions in many populated areas in Iraq in March and April 2003, including Baghdad, Basra, Hillah, Kirkuk, Mosul and Nasiriyah.

There is also a high failure rate amongst the bomblets. Between 5% and 30% of bomblets fail to explode on impact and effectively turn into anti-personnel landmines. They go on killing and maiming long after the conflict is over, preventing people from returning to their homes and working their land.

According to the British group Landmine Action, at least one million cluster bombs were dropped in Iraq by Coalition forces. A failure rate of even 5% will have left a minimum of 50,000 unexploded time bombs threatening people’s lives and livelihoods.

The anti-landmine campaign eventually resulted in the Ottawa accord, by which 141 countries have agreed to ban the use, production or trade in anti-personnel landmines. Public pressure could lead to cluster bombs being included under this ban. Please write to your MP. Source: Landmine Action

Did you know?

Only 2% of the UK MoD budget is spent on conflict prevention.

The US spends three times as much each year on pet food as on treating HIV/AIDS.

The price of one tank would provide classrooms for 30,000 children.

If Africa exports raw coca to the European Union it faces a tariff of just 0.5%. If it turns the coca into chocolate, the tariff is 30.6%.

Commission contacts

Barbara Hungin Chair 01642 784398

Sr Mary Walmsley CJ Secretary 01904 464917

Nan Saeki Treasurer 01904 783621

Chris Dove Editor 01947 825043

email: dove.whitby@ukgateway.net

Letters to Editor: 22 Blackburns Yard Whitby YO22 4DS

website:www.ayton.info/middlesbroughjp

This newsletter is supplied free but it costs money to produce especially for those who have it posted to them. If you find it of value, perhaps you would consider sending a donation to the Treasurer: Nan Saeki 55 Moorgate York YO24 4HP. It would be very much appreciated.

Debt on our Doorstep 1

Tackling extortionate credit and loan sharks has to take place alongside other public policy initiatives that provide a) alternative access to affordable credit – such as a Credit Union, and b) an adequate level of income and grant assistance. Grant assistance is needed for essential household goods to prevent low-income households going into debt. Many low income households get into debt because unforeseen life events such as accidents, death, illness or a relationship breakdown mean they need extra money to get the through a difficult patch.

For low income borrowers there need to be alternative measures to obtain redress eg Trading Standards Depts.

People get deeper into debt because money lenders charge compound interest on any arrears that have accrued.

Debt on our Doorstep 2

As part of their response to the Government White Paper called “Fair, Clear and Competitive: The Consumer Credit Market in the 21st Century” DoD made these points:

a.. Without doubt legal but predatory and extortionate lending is an issue worthy of urgent attention.

b.. The most significant form of debt affecting parents of children living in “persistent and severe” poverty was mail order.

c.. Customers of mail order catalogues are often purchasing goods which have a high price and the high cost of credit is disguised by comparing the high initial purchase price with the apparent affordability of small weekly payments over a long term.

Source: Debt on our Doorstep

Prisons

England and Wales now jail more offenders than any other European country [at a rate of 141 per 100,000]. Proportionately, this is more people than are jailed in Libya, Burma and Turkey but less than the US, which at 701 per 100,000, has the world’s highest jail population rate. France imprisons 93 per 100,000 and Germany 98.

At the start of the year the English and Welsh prison population stood at 73,688, [74,543 by end Feb] 25,000 up over the past decade. Ten years ago there were 1,811 women in prison, by January that figure had risen to 4,307, an increase of 140% in a decade.

81 out of the 138 prisons are now officially overcrowded. Of those freed from prison, more than half re-offend within 2 years -the figure is more than 80% among young offenders.

Can Michael Howard still maintain that “Prison works”?

Peace Pilgrimage

On Saturday 10 July, instead of our usual Commission meeting, we are making a diocesan Pilgrimage of Peace, in which anyone who wishes is welcome to join. Groups, or individuals, will start from different points, such as York, Hull, Middlesbrough, Yarm, Egton Bridge and Whitby. Each group will choose different stopping places, perhaps a negative one, such as an area of environmental pollution, and a positive one such as the church at Lastingham. At these places there will be a time of prayer in whatever form seems appropriate and then we will all meet at St Hedda’s Presbytery in Egton Bridge between 3.30 and 4pm. where we will share our “liturgies” before enjoying tea and scones. So that we have some idea of numbers, please tell one of the Commission contacts. Anthea Dove

Prayer for the Peace of Jerusalem

May the justice of God

fall down like fire

and bring a home

for the Palestinian people.

May the mercy of God

Pour down like rain

And protect the Jewish people.

And may the beautiful eyes of a holy God who weeps for all his children

Bring the healing hope for his wounded ones, for the Jew and the Palestinian.

So pray for the peace, for the peace of Jerusalem.

The Amos Trust

postscript Graffiti seen on a wall in New York

I was HUNGRY and you formed a Debating society to discuss it

I was IMPRISONED and you just COMPLAINED about the crime rate

I was NAKED and you debated the morality of my appearance

I was SICK and you thanked God for your health

I was HOMELESS and you preached to me about the shelter of God’s love

YOU SEEM SO HOLY AND SO CLOSE TO GOD; BUT I’M STILL HUNGRY, LONELY, COLD AND IN PAIN.

DOES IT MATTER?

Source: The Tablet 13 March