Dear Supporter
In previous updates and articles I reported on the man who was seriously ill, who was taken to Doncaster Sheffield airport in an ambulance with the aim of deporting him on the long haul flight to Jamaica putting his life at risk as he was unfit to fly.
The link with this update provides a report on his situation and what he went through. In the end he was not deported, with his lawyers succeeding, minutes before he was to be put on the plane in stopping his deportation on medical grounds, but hewas driven all the way to the airfield, spending approximately 12 hours in the ambulance. The last time he went on a long flight he was in a coma for 2 weeks.
Last week he did an interview , with others booked on the flight and campaigners including myself on a special 2.5 hour show on Colourful Radio. You can listen to the podcast here;
https://www.colourfulradio.com/podcast/windrush
I also referred previously to the case of a partially blind man with no criminal convictions that the Home Office detained and wanted to deport on the charter flight . This man is still detained and on Monday he fell and injured himself. Despite being in excruciating pain, they have refused to take him to hospital.
I am asking for your support in signing the petition to get him the medical support he needs which I have reproduced below with a link. If you were to sign and share it, that would be greatly appreciated.
Lionel Shaw is a partially blind Jamaican man, 18 years in the Uk who was swept up in the Home Office's recent dragnet of Jamaican communities to fill their unjust charter flight on 11th February. Lionel has no criminal convictions yet he has been held in detention now for several weeks.
On Monday 24th Feb he slipped and fell to the ground, he describes being in agonising pain, his ankle swelling up and it has been getting worse , he also describes back pain. He is unable to walk to get to the intercom to call for help or to go to the toilet. HE has begged Mitie staff (who run Harmondsworth Detention centre) to send him to hospital but they have refused and when he called the ambulance himself in desperation he was told that Mitie would turn the ambulance away if they came.
He continues to be distressed and in excruciating pain.
This petition is calling on Mitie to take him to hospital as a matter of urgency and the UK Home Office to release Lionel immediately!
Many thanks for your ongoing support.
Kind Regards
Zita