Dude. Think AHEAD.

Well done for going.

Then some MP (didn’t catch his name) whipped the crowd up with a number of slogans, and a reasonable description of why Hicham’s case was so disturbing: why it was worth demonstrating. What I found most positive was that were a large number of students there 150-200 at my guess (and my guess is rubbish it could’ve been more)– impressive for a campus that is shamefully apathetic when it comes to politics given the miserable rain, and the fact we’re in the exam period.

We then went on a silent walk thru campus, and the whole thing was rounded off with a phone call to Hicham relayed through another student. Hicham thanked us all for our support and told us to keep doing what we could, all to several rounds of loud applause and cheers.

The more I think about this the more it disturbs me: I mean that you could be locked up for 6 days for downloading something that is on Amazon — and that the government can then move to deport someone without clear and open legal proceedings just to tidy things up, to Algeria of all places. And this is all especially scary if you have brown skin and a funny Muslim name. Truly this is no time for apathy.

As I said, I’m not supporting or excusing the actions of the law enforcement agencies here. I’ve known many, many people like Yezza – nominally Jordanian or Nigerian or Thai or whatever, but by the time they’ve spent half their lives in the UK education system they are thoroughly assimilated and settled here, and it’s a bitter blow when their education comes to an end and in effect they are told “here’s your PhD, now fuck off back to wherever you come from”. I have every sympathy, and I think there should be a very low bar to such people being able to stay here permanently and gain citizenship.

But I can’t help feeling that there’s smoke being blown around from both directions.

There is no excuse for fast-tracking or denying clear and above board process in this case – the only reason for that can be to avoid awkward questions. At the very least people need to demand transparency in the case and insist that a proper hearing take place.

The deportation should be halted and justice openly seen to be done or else this will exercise a chilling effect in universities. Researching political Islam or helping a researcher? Better make sure you’re white and cant be deported any further than Saffron Walden.

An article in the Guardian, which the Free Hicham Yezza blog links to, makes it quite clear that the immigration offences with which Yezza was charged are unrelated to the original arrest:

They were released uncharged six days later but Yezza, who is Algerian, was immediately rearrested on unrelated immigration charges and now faces deportation.

I’m not saying that his deportation is justified because I don’t know enough about it, but I’d be wary of campaigning on the basis that he’s being deported because he was arrested for terrorism, given that all the sources tend to suggest that he was just unlucky that in being arrested his visa came under closer scrutiny than it otherwise would have.

He wasn’t researching terrorism – he is/was an engineering student (may still be registered as studying for a PhD, maybe not), who has been working recently as a secretary in the school of modern languages. I can see why someone finding an Al Qaeda training manual on such a person’s computer might be suspicious.

“Confusion over his visa documentation” is a phrase which is popping up all over the place. Confusion about what? Not his eligibility to work full-time in the UK, possibly?

I’m open to correction if anyone can uncover the regulation which says if you’re arrested you can be deported, but my suspicion (especially given that he was already applying for permanent leave to remain in the UK) is that the investigation uncovered the fact that he has been working on a student visa and is not doing much if anything in the way of studying, and that’s the reason for deportation. Which doesn’t make the behaviour of the police or immigration service any more excusable, but is a more plausible story than the one currently being told.

I doubt he will receive much support from the MSM as they will be inclined to believe that as a muslim, he must have been up to something.