Ethiopians in Norway start protest again at Oslo cathedral

by yeEthiopiaforums

Around 20 Ethiopian asylum seekers protesting against the Norwegian immigration authority’s decision to send them home have returned to Oslo Cathedral for a new protest, following their occupation of the church and hunger strikes in February.

The protestors set up a large white tent directly beside the entrance to the cathedral early in the morning of Wednesday 27 April. Their return came after police action yesterday during which the authorities moved 53 Ethiopian asylum seekers out of transitional asylum centers at Refstad and Torshov in the capital, during which three arrests were made.

A group of Ethiopian asylum seekers have set up a large white tent outside Oslo Cathedral to protest the Norwegian government's decision to send them home

A group of Ethiopian asylum seekers have set up a large white tent outside Oslo Cathedral to protest the Norwegian government's decision to send them home

Barricades, police dogs and helicopters
32 of the thrown-out refugees managed to find their way back into the building and barricaded themselves into a room, but were thrown out again by police using dogs and helicopters. While Guri Norstrøm of the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet, UDI) described the removal in newspaper Aftenposten as “non-dramatic,” with the protestors leaving voluntarily, the asylum seekers themselves claimed that they were put in handcuffs and handled forcefully. They also said that police had dropped them off in a number of places around Oslo, including places with little access to public transport. The police themselves would not comment on this.

The Ethiopians then moved on to Oslo Cathedral. Their numbers were greater at the beginning of the night, but a number of pregnant women and children found places to stay with friends. Police have confirmed that they are aware of the situation and have visited the site.

Related Posts:

  • Ethiopians in Norway gave up church refuge
  • Norway official Siv Jensen will throw Ethiopians out of the cathedral
  • A spokesperson from UDI, Per Engan-Skeie, told news agency NTB that they “had no other alternative than to ask the police to move them” because they “need the transit centers for asylum seekers that have recently come to the country.” UDI also confirmed that the group had been offered places in other asylum centers in Norway, which they had refused. The Ethiopians were originally only supposed to stay in the transit center for a week but this was lengthened in order to allow them to meet with UDI and others including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

    ‘We have no power’
    The protestors, most of whom have been in Norway for at least five years, originally occupied the church in February and undertook hunger strikers in protest at the fact that they did not feel that they had received individual treatment by UDI, and that they had simply been collectively evaluated. They fear that they could come to harm if they return to Ethiopia because the government has accused them of being members of the political opposition, or because they are related to those involved in opposition politics. The entire group has received final rejections for their applications but cannot be sent back as Norway lacks an agreement with the Ethiopian state on return. Since the new year, they have reportedly been without work permits or tax documents.

    READ MORE on Newsinenglish.no

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    1 comment

    Amir Siraj April 28, 2011 - 1:29 pm

    There is no way to be sent home. The problem is they are assigned to different camps out of Oslo. This is done in order to stress them and make them think of returnig to home country volunterly.

    Reply

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