On 27th March, twenty five people came together to support Aman Ali, as he began his campaign to remain in Britain.
Burngreave resident, Aman, recently had a £95,000 hospital bill dropped following support from friends and coverage in the Messenger.
Aman fled to England from Afghanistan in 2002, after his family were killed. His asylum claim was refused, he was left destitute and had to work illegally. In 2007, while repairing a roof, he fell and broke his back. After 6 months in hospital he was left with a huge bill and little or no support.
After appealing to the hospital’s Chief Executive, the bill was dropped. Aman now has the support of his MP, Richard Caborn, in making a new claim to the Home Office for leave to remain. The Home Office, however, have been slow to respond, leaving Aman in limbo, where many of the crucial support services are out of reach.
Speaking at his first campaign meeting at the New Roots Café on Spital Hill, Aman said, “I can’t get physio or the support I need. I can’t go anywhere; I’m not entitled to anything. I can’t even go to college proper. I want to do something about it now!”
Many people who attended the meeting had been involved in supporting other asylum seekers in the Burngreave area and in other parts of the country. There were huge concerns as government policy and Home Office decisions and tactics have taken a turn for the worse in recent months. There were particular concerns for Iraqi Kurds, following news of 50 Iraqis recently deported from a detention camp in Middlesex. And the case of a Ghanaian woman deported from Cardiff suffering with terminal cancer, who died a short time after being deported.
The meeting was determined not to allow Aman to be deported. A petition has been started and Aman’s story has been documented for a new production by the Banner Theatre, due to tour the country in the summer. Generous support has already been shown through Burngreave Ashram, where £390 has been collected to buy Aman a wheelchair, to replace the dilapidated one issued by the NHS.
Updates and further information will be in the Community section of the Messenger website.
Links
Anger as 50 Iraqi refugees are sent back (Guardian website)
Archbishop on visa humiliation (BBC website)