Contact BMI and register your disapproval at their role in deporting people back to places they do not wish to go back to, for whatever the reason this may be. Urge BMI to follow the other airlines who have taken an ethical stance and who refuse to carry out any more deportations.In the meantime, The Independent reports that "an important part of the Government's immigration policy has suffered a serious blow after a leading airline announced it would no longer carry failed asylum-seekers who were being forcibly removed from the United Kingdom."
On the 20th October let’s hit BMI with everything we’ve got! Then let’s do this on the 20th of every month until BMI see sense.
XL Airways, which has a fleet of 24 aircraft, said it was opposed to the policy because it had "sympathy for all dispossessed people in the world".
Last week, The Independent revealed that hundreds of failed asylum-seekers have claimed they have suffered physical and racial abuse during the removal process at the hands of private security guards. [...]
"Our chief executive [Phillip Wyatt] had made it quite clear to all concerned that we will not be operating any further flights of this nature ... We are not neutral on the issue and have sympathy for all dispossessed persons in the world, hence our stance."
A spokesman for the airline told The Independent the Government had been informed of its decision. Other airlines are now expected to make their own objections public.
It is not known how many airlines have contracted to carry failed asylum-seekers but it is estimated that the Government pays out several million pounds each year. Emma Ginn, of the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns, said last night: "It's time airlines rethink what they are doing. Shareholders and customers will be horrified by the reality of what happens to deportees taken for these flights."
The Borders and Immigration Agency, the government body that has responsibility for forced removals, has refused to disclose details, requested under the Freedom of Information Act, about deportation flights. The agency said: "If we were to disclose the information you have requested, this would prejudice the number of airlines willing to contract with the agency on charter operations and could drive up the cost of such operations. In addition, the release of information could damage commercially those airlines who offer this service."
British Airways and Virgin, who were contacted by The Independent, said their aircraft had been used for the purposes of escorted deportations as they were under a legal obligation to return failed asylum-seekers. A Virgin spokesperson said: "That is a matter for the Home Office, who makes immigration policy. We are simply not qualified to make those decisions."
British Airways refused to say how many removals it carried out each year, but said it adopted a policy of permitting one escorted or two unescorted removals per flight : "It is UK law and we comply with it – it's like asking whether we are happy paying income tax."
But a Home Office spokesman said the Borders and Immigration Agency only contracted with airlines willing to operate removal flights. He added: "The agency uses agents/brokers to arrange both charter and scheduled removals. Airline captains have the right to refuse carriage of a passenger and will do so if they feel appropriate for security or commercial reasons."
All photos - by Unzipped: Gay Armenia
Veteran gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell and actor Sir Ian McKellen. Peter Tatchell marched carrying a poster ridiculing the Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. It featured a photo of Amhadinejad wearing blue eye shadow, red lipstick, a gold
earring and pink nail varnish. The placard was emblazoned with the words: "President of Iran. Murderer. Homophobe." Next to the President's tiny wagging finger was a mocking speech bubble with the words: "My penis is this big."
For the first time in history, LGBT representatives from all three armed forces - Navy, Army and Airforce, were out parading in their full dress uniforms. Metropolitan Police and Fire Brigade were out there too.
Older LGBT community
LGBT Muslims
The presence of transgender community was particularly strong this year.
Amnesty International supporters staged 'Eurovision Pride Contest' at the London Gay Pride parade, awarding symbolic 'nul points' to countries with poor gay rights record.
Stonewall's campaign Education for All and Boycott Heinz featured prominently during the march.
Manworthy...
Colourful
A handful of protesters (Christian fundamentalists). Very sad people, indeed!
Rainbow flag over the St Martin-in-the-Fields church. What a sight, eh?! 
Absolut vodka known for its gay-friendly ads, turned rainbow for the occasion, Soho, London.
What better way to respond to Heinz's ridiculous decision to pull an innocuous ad containing a male-on-male kiss on the cheek?
While Heinz's decision to withdraw the ad might have been seen by them as an easy way to palm off 200 fundamentalist Christian complainants, it seems to have been made under the quaint impression that it will cause no offence to Britain's 3.6 million lesbian and gay consumers. Or any of their friends, or families, or colleagues, 13,000 of whom have signed the online petition complaining about the decision.
Above all, Heinz's prim retraction seems to have been made without any thought for the damage that might be done to its business. Supporters of Stonewall have been professing a sudden fondness for Branston baked beans, Baxters soups, Buitoni spaghetti, Jardines tomato ketchup and Hellmann's mayonnaise!
*source: Stonewall Ebulletin
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