arch/ive/ief (2000 - 2005)

Our prayers were nearly drowned out by the sound of lorries as about 20 of us gathered on Tuesday night in memory of the 58 Chinese people discovered dead at Dover docks. We met near the lorry park, not far from the place where they were discovered. Our chaplain was surrounded by cameras and microphones – perhaps a sign that a ‘human' response to the tragedy is more newsworthy than we thought. In our brief service we recalled the fact that the victims as fellow humans were entitled to the same dignity and consideration that we ourselves would expect. The reading from the international charter of human rights was right for the occasion. In our time together I reflected on the injustice of the world economic order which makes people so desparate to put their lives in the hands of racketeers. I learned that the bodies of the victims have been stored in a refrigerator normally used for meat – perhaps the ultimate humiliation for people already marginalised and excluded.

We now turn our minds to helping to ensure that these victims can be buried with dignity according to their cultural traditions. It is the least that we as part of the ‘host' community can do in these tragic circumstances.

Ben Bano
Chair – Asylum Seekers Support Group (Deal)

See Mayday US site for full citation. WSJ calls for relaxation of British asylum policy, in a searing indictment from the most eloquent platform of capitalism.