We are delighted to be able to confirm the following panel for next Wednesdays #FirstWeds discussion.

Neltah Chadamoyo
Neltah is Public Engagement Officer for (and previous chair of) the Africa Centre. She has worked as Group Coordinator with Amnesty International Ireland Zimbabwe Group. She has researched how political parties in Ireland have engaged with migrants and experience of how (or not) migrants are represented in other social justice struggles such as Yes Equality campaign for same-sex marriage.

Lucky Khambule.
Lucky is a member of the Anti-Racism Network, and has worked within the Movement of Asylum Seekers Ireland. He is an activist in the ongoing struggle for the abolition of Direct Provision, a for-profit funded regime that continues to exemplify Irish state racism.

Razieh Nikoomanesh.
Razieh is originally from Iran and works with the Migrants Rights Center Ireland. She is a former Chairperson of the National Committee of UN Women Ireland.

Caoimhe Butterly.
Caoimhe has worked with community projects and social justice movements in Latin America and the Middle East for 14 years. She is a migrant justice ally and has spent the last year working with medical teams and solidarity structures with those on the move in Greece, the Balkans and Calais

The event will be hosted by Dr Gavan Titley
Gavan’s main area of research is primarily focused on the study of racisms in Europe.
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Increasingly some types of migration are a framed as a source of contention and instability. Migrants are themselves vilified, often threatened with violence and subjected to humiliating brutality of border regimes. People are subjected to political agreements between the EU and Turkey aimed exclusively at stopping people seeking refugee. It is an arrangement that many argue breaks international law.
Direct Provision remains a blight, described as state racism by those calling for its abolition. In the last few weeks, in the absence of any elected government, the Minister for Justice has pushed though laws to make arresting and deporting of migrants easier and more frequent.
Yet simultaneously we are seeing an upsurge and increased visibility in migrant solidarity activity. Informal yet well organised grassroots networks continue to respond to emergency needs Calais, Dunkirk and Greece. Self directed organising by asylum seekers living with the Direct Provision system. Formal organisations taking legal cases around exploitation of migrant workers in Ireland. Whilst the specific workings of each are different, they share a commonality based in collective solidarity, pushing back against inequality and injustices.