Extremists disrupt Newcastle asylum march

Jun 21 2009 by Phil Doherty, Sunday Sun

UGLY confrontations marred a city centre demonstration yesterday as far right extremists tried to hijack a pro-asylum seeker march.

Members of Tyneside Community Action for Refugees (TCAR) were holding a peaceful demonstration in Newcastle highlighting alleged poor conditions asylum seekers experience inside detention centres and protesting against dawn raids by immigration police.

As they made their way from Grainger Street, they were met by around 25 National Front supporters with banners and flags calling for all immigrants to be sent home.

When NF supporters tried to block the march route, police moved in and forced them to one side so the TCAR supporters could march on towards Grey’s Monument.

More police reinforcements arrived to keep the two sides apart and the NF contingent dispersed only to reappear at the Monument. Sam McGill, press liaison officer for TCAR, said: “We marched today to protest at the conditions asylum seekers are kept in Yarl’s Wood Detention Centre in Bedfordshire and others across the country and to show we are against racism.”

Yesterday’s march started at the Centre for Life and then made its way to the Central Station, along Grainger Street before heading down Market Street and then onto Grey Street and to the Monument.

Earlier in the day, right wing extremists attacked the TCAR stall as they were setting it up at the Monument.

Sam McGill added: “Everyone else was at the Centre for Life and around eight men appeared and ripped our banner down and tried to run off with it.

“We managed to get hold of the banner but they pushed us back until I was squashed against the Monument.”