You all took action to prevent Edy’s deportation; thousands signed petitions, wrote letters & articles, blogged, demonstrated and spread the word. His case became famous – a cause for people fighting to reverse the racism, homophobia and hypocrisy of an immigration system that has been prepared to deport so many to pain and death. Edy was talked about across Europe and the U.S. Everyone who has played a role in fighting this case has helped secure this huge victory, for Edy, for immigrant rights, and for the LGBT movement, and we celebrate that.
Edy’s case proves that if we can generalise the lessons we can win more seemingly impossible cases, shift public opinion in a more anti-government pro-asylum seeker direction, and expose the insanity of trying to justify sealing off Britain’s borders and the irrationality of its domestic and foreign policies regarding the neo-colonial world.
From the start, despite all the difficulties Edy had in being able to stand up for himself, he believed he could win because he was a member of MFJ, an organisation that would work out how to secure victory for him. Edy said this repeatedly. Membership in MFJ meant that Edy did not have to be an individual ‘super-hero’ or ‘groundbreaking plaintiff’ in a legal case or an experienced political leader, free from illusions in the legal system to win, he just needed to be a part of an organisation that had a correct political method. Just having a network of people to talk to meant Eddy never felt isolated and could maintain his swagger.
Never Give in. Never Be Silenced!
Movement for Justice (MFJ), BAMN’s sister group in Britain, is a group of people that will not quit. All immigration agencies rely on silent compliance to succeed. Do not give them silence!
