Can this kind of thing really work?

flogen

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2006/05/15/story258764.html

Eight more Afghan asylum-seekers have joined a hunger strike by 33 of their countrymen that began at St Patrick's Cathedral in Dublin yesterday.

The original 33, who include a diabetic blind man, entered the cathedral at around midday yesterday, saying they would refuse food and water until they were allowed to stay in Ireland.

Forgetting the history of hunger strikes in Ireland, I'm not talking about this tactic in perticular, but the use of an extreme use of force, threat, personal torture, whatever you want to call it.

I always get the impression that, while perhaps creating public awareness, they are almost certain not to get their way; the Government of any country would be foolish to fold to this kind of action, they'd worry that every failed asylum seeker would do the same after it. It's similar to the Afghan plane hijackers in the UK, and the British Government have a point to some degree, people who get only some of the facts of the case (as you might living in Afghanistan) might assume that hijacking a plane will guarentee your stay in Europe.

Do you think the Government will respond, or just stand by the process, and if they do fold, how will it make them look?

(bear in mind that I haven't formed an opinion on the rights or wrongs of these cases; I don't know if the government were right or wrong to refuse asylum to them)

johnthesavage

The government is unlikely to enter any kind of negotiations or discussion, as to do so would encourage others to use the same tactic.

Whether or not we should be deporting people to countries like Afghanistan is another matter entirely of course.....

lostexpectation

well hunger strikes should only be used when somebodies life is danger, or they or detained indefinitly, support them in the hope you can get them off it by improving their situation



I don't care what you say the Refugee Tribunal is inept, they just ring up the UN and ask is Afghanistan safe... yep they says, ok then get the **** out. UN also retrospectly approved of the invasion of Aghanistan and Iraq.

for all the people who cheered on the invasion of Afghanistan as a stateless country in continous civil war harbouring terrorist they are going to turn around and say Afghanistan is a wonderful place. Well go on your holiers there then?

zuma

This will end up badly for the Afghans as McDowell wont give in while they slowly starve in a church.

Honestly though if the government gives in then it could create a bad precident for others to follow.

According to McDowell 20 churches in Belgium have had to deal with similar circumstances....what ended up happening....dont know!

Wertz

The Belgians caved.

As much as I hate McDowell, I have to agree with his stance on this...whether that same stance will be apparent if and when some of these guys start coming out on stretchers or in boxes, remains to be seen.

Personally I don't think Afghanistan is a suitable place for repatriation at the moment...especially when you look at the amount of African countries that werew considered too "dangerous" for refugees to be returned to...

Can McDowell really "do a Thatcher" on thse guys, with the amount of liberalist media pressure and the like that this story is going to attract? At least they're not out at Baldonnel trying to commandeer a plane...

seamus

While I don't believe that sending them back to Afghanistan is the right choice, caving most certainly isn't. We didn't invite them in, so we'll be ****ed if we're going to hold ourselves responsible for their suicides.

I could understand if they were at the end of their tethers, their applications had been refused and they were on the verge of deportation, but landing in a country and doing this immediately is just another side of the idiot extremist coin.

Parsley

seamus wrote:

I could understand if they were at the end of their tethers, their applications had been refused and they were on the verge of deportation, but landing in a country and doing this immediately is just another side of the idiot extremist coin.

Their protest is in fact against the imminent deportation of several of their number.

seamus

I've retracted that last comment so

None of the reports I've seen make it clear what action they've taken thus far.

Hogmeister B

seamus wrote:

I've retracted that last comment so

Fair enough.

McDowell has refused to even talk to them. Pragmatic as always, our Michael.

darkman2

zuma wrote:

This will end up badly for the Afghans as McDowell wont give in while they slowly starve in a church.

Honestly though if the government gives in then it could create a bad precident for others to follow.

According to McDowell 20 churches in Belgium have had to deal with similar circumstances....what ended up happening....dont know!

McDowell mentioned the Belgians and said 'we don t do buisness that way and we wont do buisness that way'. GO ON THE MAC!:D