Priest harbours asylum seekers facing deportation
-21/09/06
A parish priest in Scotland
Priest harbours asylum seekers facing deportation
-21/09/06
A parish priest in Scotland is holding out against immigration officials and sheltering asylum seekers who should have been deported last night.
The couple, who have lived in the UK for two and a half years, sought refuge in the parish house of St Patrick’s Church in Anderston, after being told yesterday morning to attend Glasgow airport in the evening for deportation.
Masih, 49 and Christine Raymond, 45, have lived in Glasgow for 18 months.
The parish priest, Fr Gerry Nugent, offered them his own quarters and assured them that they would be given shelter and support until the threat of extradition was lifted. Fr Nugent said: “I have spent many an hour with this gentle couple and I have listened to their dreadful story. Because of the horror that they have faced, I have tried to offer them support.
“They are terrified, isolated and abandoned.With my heart and soul, I have no choice but to offer them protection.”
As the two Christian asylum-seekers from Pakistan sought refuge the Archbishop of Glasgow made a last-minute appeal to halt their deportation.
Archbishop Mario Conti faxed the appeal to John Reid, the Home Secretary, asking that the deportation of Masih and Christine Raymon, be halted. He said they fear that if sent back to their home country, they will face torture, persecution and possible death because of their religious beliefs.
In a statement, the couple said: “We have no choice but to take sanctuary in St Patrick’s Church. Going back to be persecuted, tortured or even murdered in Pakistan is not an option.” They insist that even before leaving Pakistan, they were physically abused for their beliefs.
Archbishop Conti has offered his full support to the priest’s stance, saying: “It is morally unjustifiable to return people to a country where they have been persecuted and are very likely to face further persecution.
“I will offer the Raymond family the full support of the archdiocese in their plight.”
The Home Office has insisted that the couple would be safe in Pakistan, and the country’s consulate has given the couple further reassurances.
Later yesterday, Fr Nugent said police had told him that no further action would be taken overnight. He said: “I have had the police in, they contacted immigration and immigration officials have said the Raymonds can go back to their home tonight.”
He said he would be taking the couple to see the Labour MP Mohammed Sawar today. Fr Nugent said he had received messages of support from churches across the country and that many people had visited the church in Glasgow’s William Street with food and other gifts.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said that just because the couple had missed their flight did not mean they would be automatically detained, but they would be asked to meet immigration officials.
She said: “We will only enforce return to areas assessed as sufficiently stable, where we are satisfied that the individual concerned will not be at risk.”
This is not the first time that a parish priest has taken such action.
A Catholic priest said two years ago he was prepared to go to prison to stop an asylum seeker being returned to Rwanda.
Father McKay risked jail and would not allow police and immigration officials to enter the church when they came to detain Josette Ishimwe.
Priest harbours asylum seekers facing deportation
-21/09/06
A parish priest in Scotland is holding out against immigration officials and sheltering asylum seekers who should have been deported last night.
The couple, who have lived in the UK for two and a half years, sought refuge in the parish house of St Patrick’s Church in Anderston, after being told yesterday morning to attend Glasgow airport in the evening for deportation.
Masih, 49 and Christine Raymond, 45, have lived in Glasgow for 18 months.
The parish priest, Fr Gerry Nugent, offered them his own quarters and assured them that they would be given shelter and support until the threat of extradition was lifted. Fr Nugent said: “I have spent many an hour with this gentle couple and I have listened to their dreadful story. Because of the horror that they have faced, I have tried to offer them support.
“They are terrified, isolated and abandoned.With my heart and soul, I have no choice but to offer them protection.”
As the two Christian asylum-seekers from Pakistan sought refuge the Archbishop of Glasgow made a last-minute appeal to halt their deportation.
Archbishop Mario Conti faxed the appeal to John Reid, the Home Secretary, asking that the deportation of Masih and Christine Raymon, be halted. He said they fear that if sent back to their home country, they will face torture, persecution and possible death because of their religious beliefs.
In a statement, the couple said: “We have no choice but to take sanctuary in St Patrick’s Church. Going back to be persecuted, tortured or even murdered in Pakistan is not an option.” They insist that even before leaving Pakistan, they were physically abused for their beliefs.
Archbishop Conti has offered his full support to the priest’s stance, saying: “It is morally unjustifiable to return people to a country where they have been persecuted and are very likely to face further persecution.
“I will offer the Raymond family the full support of the archdiocese in their plight.”
The Home Office has insisted that the couple would be safe in Pakistan, and the country’s consulate has given the couple further reassurances.
Later yesterday, Fr Nugent said police had told him that no further action would be taken overnight. He said: “I have had the police in, they contacted immigration and immigration officials have said the Raymonds can go back to their home tonight.”
He said he would be taking the couple to see the Labour MP Mohammed Sawar today. Fr Nugent said he had received messages of support from churches across the country and that many people had visited the church in Glasgow’s William Street with food and other gifts.
A spokeswoman for the Home Office said that just because the couple had missed their flight did not mean they would be automatically detained, but they would be asked to meet immigration officials.
She said: “We will only enforce return to areas assessed as sufficiently stable, where we are satisfied that the individual concerned will not be at risk.”
This is not the first time that a parish priest has taken such action.
A Catholic priest said two years ago he was prepared to go to prison to stop an asylum seeker being returned to Rwanda.
Father McKay risked jail and would not allow police and immigration officials to enter the church when they came to detain Josette Ishimwe.