been held in prison awaiting deportation.
stamped on his passport.
prison cell. JOHN SALMON reports.
Saced Rahman was thrown | normal: into prison on 14 June. He had gone lo Bradfond Town Hall for what he thought was an interview about an application he had made for LIK citizenship so cy can preously.
cells in Bradford Central police illegal immigrant. A couple of bours later handcuffed to Armicy prison.
When he arrived at the prison ne was immectater controntec with the regime of mindless витенетасу anu oven racsn that he was soon to accept us ON 2 August, Saeed Rahman walked out of Armley jail in Bradford. It was the end of what he has since described as 'a bad dream'. For six weeks Rahman had Apart from a two year gap he had lived in England for 11 years. In the end, the threat of expulsion was lifted and the Asian had 'indefinite leave to remain' But Saced Rahman was one of the lucky ones. He was one of the few who has survived and can now talk about the ordeal of facing deportation in a crowded 1 was called to sign for my. personal property, asked ques ions relevant to my detention and fingerprinted. I was told to sit in a room where there were other people going through the where I was Told to remove my clothes and then given a towel. I was told to wash myself and when I came back I was sued with prison clothin The trousers did not fil so 1 complained to one of reception officers who replied by telling me to sit down again.
I was taken to another room In the final article in our series on the anti-racist where I was given something 1o "After this 1 had to sign another form. I was called by bastard, what are you waring room where there were three Rahuman and another immicell 13 feet by seven feet. There were three bunks in the cell but as well as the two, there were six description of the conditions is We had to eat seated on our bunks. In fact conditions were so bad that if everyone stood on the floor space there was no room to move.
"If someone wanted to go and excrete in the plastic pan was lingered. In fact if was so bad that we didn't use the pan, There was a bell in the cell which was meant to summon the problem was that you ring the bell for hours before an officer came, It was sometimes Rahman's terrible and bad, 24 hours.
duty.
could prison ofiscers. Scene from last Sunday's demonstration in defence of Brick Eane you could clean the room. We were kept in these cells for 23 In his memary: hours a day. If the weather was What made the situation the bloc. worse was the attitude of the Rahman de scribed how be was frequently suhject to racist abuse. One happened. He have prison officer. incident in particular stood our There was a place in the prison known to everybody a this was where. thi prison officers look troublemakersto be beaten up.
One day afier being away sceing the assistant governor came back to find the cell door locked. Sol went to this prison officer and asked him if he and "Indian cunt" I went strangh: back to the assistant Gover nor's office but he was noc there. 1 talked to officer and told him what said I would to make fornial anolication in the mornine Alter going back to the cell 1 was approached by another The warder askod Rahman if he was going to report th incident. Rahman told bum h Then he hit me, saying. *You bastard, if you go down will face the National Bengali Convention NATIONAL convention held in Leicester on Sunday 15 attended by all the Bannia Deshi organisations in creuted national the Banglu Deshi community in all national and local meedines The committee will also he LORSHILOD policies. Furthermore it has the of organising all Bangl Deshi organisutions in the UK conference in London where a national council will he elected.
Fi meeting passed resolution condemning recent speeches by Margarel Thatcher and Enoch Powell, and the deaths in the East End were emotionally Tn attacks it WUS arused at the confereore thal the time was right for organised self-defence hy memhers of the Reports reached the conconscquences After being approached and threatened by another warde Rahman decided to drop the complaint.
Then, quite suddenly, the altitude of the prison authori ties changed. There was a large prison to demand Rahman's The whole attitude of the the cell I was in. Everything could col normally get 1 got when 1 asked. I got intimediate altension wlien I rang the bell.
The request the wardens had of Rahman was he should tell any visitors that he was being treated fairly.
FEne protests about Rah man's arrest — be is a well known militant in the loca labour movement - also wor his release, But there are at least 25 others facing deportation in Armles prison. Few ofthem are likely to be as fortunate as Saced Rahman who now says simply E's good to breath fresh air! ference which showed that fascists are attucking Bengali restaurants Conference aimed fo this hy all means possille and culled upon the British working class to helpin this.
HOUNSLOW Anti-Racialism *Fesrival Against Racialism', Seprenher 11am-11pm. Cranford Com munity School, High Street. Cranford. Films, rally, debate. RAR in evening.
BIRMINGHAM Anti Nazi League is organising a raily and the Nazis an Saturday September. assembles at Handsworth Park a: 12.30pm and will march to Victoria Square in the CiTy centre. Speakersat the rally will include Tom Litterick MP Paul Holborrow, and Tarig