Mass deportation removes 25 Nigerians in dark of night

dublin | racism & migration related issues | news report Thursday April 30, 2009 03:02 by Residents Against Racism rar.info at yahoo dot ie

25 Nigerians were deported from Ireland late tonight on a charter flight bound for Lagos, part of a mass deportation planned jointly between the British and Irish authorities. Anti-deportation activists in Dublin, London and Cardiff staged protests during the day.

Protesters outside the Garda National Immigration Bureau in Dublin

Following a number of successful anti-deportation campaigns, the Irish and British governments are increasing resorting to the use of charter flights to deport those refused asylum, carefully shielding their actions from the public gaze. British activists with the Stop Deportation Network report that this week alone, similar flights have also departed the country to Afghanistan and Cameroon, with another to Iraqi Kurdistan scheduled next week.

For Ireland, the latest deportation to Nigeria represents the second mass deportation of 2009. Yet immigration authorities did not have it all their own way. At least one father of an Irish-born child fights on after securing a last-minute injunction to prevent his deportation and overall numbers detained for removal during the day are believed to be below those originally targeted.

Residents Against Racism is still collating information on those aboard today's flight and will post any further significant information which may become available.

More on the London protest at the Nigerian Embassy
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/428904.html

Nigerian man being led away for deportation