Bystander Resources Against Border and State Policing
Border and state policing are everyday occurrences in many of our close and extended communities. These are a collection of helpful resources which can provide us with strategies to resist.
The UK has a history of state policing which targets and criminalises immigrant communities, and grassroots resistance against this policing. The police is systematically racist: particularly anti-black and islamophobic. Within the ‘hostile environment’, immigration raids and border policing, facilitated by institutions such as universities and health providers, have become increasingly common.
Border and state policing are everyday occurrences in many of our neighborhoods and affect our close and extended communities. As such, it is important that we know our rights and, as bystanders, that we have strategies to resist. The following is a collection of helpful resources gathered from expert organisations:
What to do if you see an immigration raid
Anti-raids Network put together this visual guide to intervening in immigration raids. You can print out the guide and distribute the phone numbers at the bottom of the leaflet. Go to the Anti-Raids network website for the written version and further resources.
A guide to rights during stop and search
Here is some information about the number of stop and searches that have happened to young people in London recently:
Go to the Y-Stop website for the written version of the guide to rights as well as for further resources. You can get the Y-stop app for your smartphone on Apple Store and Google Store.
A guide to rights during an arrest
Go here for the full version. If you are witnessing someone get arrested, it can be useful to inform the person of their rights. Watching or filming an arrest can also help ensure that the police follow appropriate procedures or help towards filing a complaint against the police if they acted violently or abusively during the arrest.
As state and border policing becomes increasingly institutionalised into our everyday lives, it’s more important than ever that we resist this process and scrutinise its practices. These organisations are also great points of contact if you want to volunteer your time and organise collectively!