Posts Tagged ‘racism’
#RefugeesWelcome
“Refugees welcome” has been projected in giant letters across the iconic white cliffs of Dover, just before an alliance of racist far-right groups are due to hold anti-migration protests in the town of Dover. The projection was undertaken as a collaboration between campaign organisation Global Justice Now and guerrilla projectionists Feral X.
© Jess Hurd/Global Justice Now
Shot on commission for Global Justice Now – contact the press office for pictures.
Media Coverage:
Indy100 / Mashable.com / Mirror’s online / Daily Mail online / Express online / Sun online / BBC online / Independent / RT / Dover Express / Morning Star & Cover/ The Metro / Today USA
Mother’s Day – Giving Birth in the Calais Jungle
We spoke to Amir living with his wife Maryam and their three-month-old child Rosie, nicknamed ‘The Jungle Baby’, in a tiny caravan donated by a UK aid charity, on the southern side of the refugee camp in Calais known at the Jungle, the side due for eviction.
They had been in the camp seven months. They had fled Iran and tried to reach the UK, but after Amir suffered illnesses that led to time in hospital and Maryam becoming heavily pregnant they became stranded.
Amir was Muslim and Maryam a Christian. When asked what religion Rosie would be, Amir gestured up and down with his hand, cutting Rosie down the middle from head to toe, “She will be half and half,” he laughed.
When Rosie was born at the local hospital, Amir claimed the French authorities forced him to register for asylum in France, saying if he did not they would take his baby away and give her to another family.
“They said they would not let me take my baby back to the Jungle,” Amir said.
Amir claimed the authorities said his family would be helped and given a small room if he registered. Amir said the room was tiny, far too small for the three of them, but at least it was not the Jungle.
“We finished the asylum process, did the finger prints, then the government told us to go back and live in the Jungle,” Amir said.
Rosie was also hospitalised for 40 days, suffering Whooping Cough and had only recently recovered. Amir said without the help of the English volunteers in the camp, Rosie would have surely died.
We asked Maryam what they needed and she replied, “warm clothes for Rosie”.
With the eviction looming Amir said was unsure what they would do.
“As refugees where are we supposed to go?” he asked.
© Jason N. Parkinson / © Jess Hurd
Sunday Herald article on the eviction; “The Battle of Calais”
Images/video available to licence from; www.reportdigital.co.uk
Yarl’s Wood: Shut It Down
Protesters break down the fences surrounding Yarl’s Wood Immigration Detention Centre. Demanding Yarl’s Wood and all detention centres are closed down. Bedfordshire.
No Borders Eurostar Body Bags
Images available to licence from: www.reportdigital.co.uk
The Battle for Thanet – #UKIP
Nigel Farage, UKIP and their opposition out in Ramsgate on the last Saturday before the General Election.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Oxford Human Rights Festival
Myself and video journalist Jason N. Parkinson are honoured to have been asked to speak about our joint work at the 12th Oxford Human Rights Arts Festival this year.
We will be showing film and photographs, with Q&A at the Ultimate Picture Palace –
Tickets are available to book here for The Life and Work of a Video/Photojournalist on Wednesday 26th February 2014 6-8pm
I have also been commissioned by the Oxford Human Rights Arts Festival to exhibit photographs about the persecution of gypsies and travellers, an issue that I have documented for 20 years. The exhibition will run throughout the festival 24-28th February at the Old Fire Station.
The featured image is one from the exhibition – Police and bailiffs evict travellers and their supporters from Dale Farm, Basildon. Essex. © Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Gypsy Wedding Protest C4
Gypsies and travellers protest outside Channel 4 about the adverts publicising the Big Fat Gypsy Weddings documentary. They argue that the posters stigmatise, insult, degrade and stereotype the travelling community. A letter of complaint was delivered to C4 management. Organised by the London Gypsy and Traveller Unit. Westminster, London.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
See more photos here
Images available to license from www.reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm at Christmas
Religious figures of Mary and Jesus, with were damaged during the Dale Farm eviction.
Travellers report that the ground and water supply is contaminated, after Basildon council bailiffs bulldozed the site, removed the hardcore and built levees and trenches. Parents also claim that many of the children are becoming sick. Essex.
See slideshow of the post eviction site here
See eviction slideshow here
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm Eviction
It has been a real privilege to document the Dale farm community over the past few years and share the joy and the sorrow at family events, on the protests and barricades. I will cherish the generosity and warmth shown to me at times of great emotional upset.
I hope the long battle against this eviction will mark in history a turning point, an end to the casual racism and vicious discrimination against travellers, gypsies and their way of life.
See eviction slideshow here
Police and bailiffs move in to remove travellers and their supporters from Dale Farm, who build barricades and burn caravans to stop them. Basildon. Essex.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
See Dale Farm Children’s Barricade here
Happier times, see Dale Farm wedding blogs here and here
More archive images available to license from: www.reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm Children’s Barricade
Nice to see some of the images I took with the traveller children used at a Dale Farm press conference today on the eve of an eviction planned by Basildon Council. I asked all the children how they would like to face the bailiffs and these were the results:
See web gallery here
Joint project with Beverley Carpenter, who kindly printed the images.
Image from my 3 year archive of weddings, christenings and protests at Dale Farm here
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm
Rihanna dancing. Travellers from Dale Farm ahead of the planned eviction by Basildon Council. Essex.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm – High Court
Message left on a paper napkin outside the Royal Courts of Justice reads:
“No Ethnic Cleansing in Our Land”
Travellers from Dale Farm are supported by campaigning actress Vanessa Redgrave at the High Court as they lodge an eviction appeal against clearance of their site by Basildon Council. The Strand, London.
See slideshow here
For my 5 year archive of images from Dale Farm please visit www.reportdigital.co.uk
See traveller wedding blog posts here
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Dale Farm – Camp Constant
Traveller children blow bubbles in Camp Constant, the direct action camp supporting travellers against the eviction of Dale Farm, Basildon, Essex.
Images available to license from www.reportdigital.co.uk
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Tottenham Riots
Violence erupts in Tottenham after a protest demanding justice following a fatal police shooting. Riot police clashed with hundreds of demonstrators after Mark Duggan, 29, a father of four, was killed. North London.
© Jess Hurd/reportdigital.co.uk
Riot images from across London available to license from: www.reportdigital.co.uk
See slideshow here
Read No Refuge Between Bricks and Batons commissioned by the Dart Centre for Journalism and Trauma.
Listen to Reporting the Riots podcast from the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom.
See Jason N. Parkinson’s Guardian video’s here Tottenham video footage here and Hackney video footage here