News

Around the Wall – Bend it like Bethlehem

Posted by on Jan 29, 2019 in Tours/Tournaments | 0 comments

A film made by Blue from Republica IFC about the Easton Cowgirls second football tour of the West Bank is now available to watch online here.

This documentary film follows a group of women footballers from the UK and Germany on the football trip of a lifetime to Palestine. 
Whether playing organised matches in West Bank refugee camps or informal kick-arounds on the rock-strewn pitches of hill-top villages of South Hebron, football is the common language as cultural barriers are crossed and new friendships established. 
The film’s poignant testimonies highlight cultural issues surrounding local women’s participation in sport as well as the struggle to remain steadfast on their homelands.

Support the Stansted 15

Posted by on Dec 14, 2018 in Community News, Events News | 0 comments

Come and show your support for the Stansted 15 and your anger at the immigration regime

Tuesday 18th December, 18.00 at the Fountains

CACKK’s silly xmas party

Posted by on Dec 14, 2018 in Diary, Events News | 0 comments

CACKK’s SILLY XMAS PARTY

22nd December 2-4pm

Bring the kids long to the back room of The Plough for…

*Party Games!
*Prizes!
*Dancing!

……………oh yes and Santa is visiting too!

Just bring a gift/ gifts for Santa’s sack (under £3 and ideally wrapped) and some snacks to share if you can. And your kids obvs! Dressing up strongly encouraged! get out your elf ears and your Christmas jumpers!

This party is in the afternoon – the Cowfolk Christmas party is later in the evening.

Join CACKK (Cowboys and Cowgirls Kids’ Klub) here for info on other Cackktastic events and to promote your kid/family-friendly events to other members of our lovely club.

Yallah! Yallah! film showing CANCELLED

Posted by on Dec 6, 2018 in Club News, Diary, Events News | 0 comments

*Due to circumstances outside of our control we’ve had to cancel this showing. We’ll try to arrange for a another time*
Easton Cowboys and Cowgirls in conjunction with the Palestine Museum & Cultural Centre are proud to be hosting a screening of a film commissioned by Palestinian FA vice president Susan Shalabi about the challenges facing footballers in Palestine. The director of the film will be available to conduct a Q & A after the film.
DOORS OPEN AT 18:30 WITH FILM STARTING AT 19:OO

 

fil, 27 Broad St, Bristol BS1 2HG
Yallah! Yallah! (75mins)
The film focuses on the story of seven characters, which are connected to the world of football in one way or another. Through their daily lives, we get to know their bond with the sport, their activities and the problems they have to face due to the occupation by Israel. Even though they are constantly affected by Israel’s subjugation of Palestine, they manage to survive and endure all sorts of issues in order to enjoy one of their biggest passions: football.
Producers: Fernando Romanazzo, Cristian Pirovano, Susan Shalabi, A. M. Hijjeh
Production companies: Aqueronte Producciones, Palestine Football Association (PFA)
Most important cast: Abed-Fatah Arar / Roberto Kettlun / Yosef Alazzah / Susan Shalabi / Nabeel Hrob / Mohammad Abu Sulaiman / Eyad Abu Garguood
Language: Arabic, Spanish with English subtitles
We will also be joined on the night by the Director, Fernando Romanazzo. Fernando was born in 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He studied Image and Sound Design at the University of Buenos Aires. Fernando has worked in Ludovico Productions and founded the production company Aqueronte Productions.
We will be asking for a £5 donation on the night. All proceeds are going towards covering costs for the Director and to the Museum.

We keep fighting

Posted by on Nov 28, 2018 in Community News | 0 comments

A couple of weeks ago I posted that Kenneth Macharia, a member of Bristol Bisons gay inclusive rugby team, had been sent to a detention centre awaiting deportation back to Kenya, where he could face up to 14 years in jail for being homosexual.

Following a huge campaign and lots of media attention, the Home Office announced that they would release Ken from the detention centre and stop his imminent deportation.

Well… Ken has still not be released, and today has been told again that he will be removed imminently. It seems the HO have waited for the media fuss to die down before changing their minds. Dicks.

See article in the Bristol Post here.

I can’t imagine the kind of stress this is putting on Ken, whose mum lives in the UK. Please help the campaign to keep Ken here:

1) Share away on social media: #KeepKenHome @bisonsrfc @KikiSocials @lgsmigrantsbristol @lgsmigrants

2) Rope in any media contacts

3) Sign the petition:  www.change.org/p/stop-the-deportation-of-ken-macharia

4) Donate to help pay for his legal fees:  https://chuffed.org/project/fight-kens-deportation…

5 Email/tweet/generally pester the home office and home sec Sajid Javid: public.enquiries@homeoffice.gsi.gov.uk / sajid.javid.mp@parliament.uk / sj@sajidjavid.com / https://twitter.com/sajidjavid

Hopefully this kind of campaign will show the gov that we’re not having their ‘hostile environment’ and general treatment of human beings looking for a better, safer life.

‘Tous ensemble’ footy tournament

Posted by on Nov 22, 2018 in Diary, Events News, Tours/Tournaments | 0 comments

Co-hosted by Royal Zeezicht FC and Lunatics FC in the Berendrechts Woods at the Ponderosa.

All Cowfolk welcome.

Contact Nico @ Lunatics.

Stop the deportation of Ken Macharia

Posted by on Nov 19, 2018 in Community News | 4 comments

Calling all Cowfolk! Do all you can to help stop the deportation of fellow sports lover Ken Macharia, member of Bristol Bisons RFC, to Kenya – where he faces persecution, violence and imprisonment for being gay. Sign the petition, write to whoever matters, share the hell out of this. We did it before, we can do it again!

While you may not think petitions do anything, in this case they do help, as the home office deals with cases that are receiving a lot of public/media attention differently (sadly).

Link to the petition: www.change.org/p/stop-the-deportation-of-ken-macharia

Article in the Guardian: www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/nov/19/bristol-rugby-players-fight-to-prevent-gay-teammates-deportation

Article on the BBC: www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-bristol-46263550

Here’s what Bristol Bisons have to say about Ken:

 

Ken has lived in the UK since 2009, and has worked in the UK through his work visa. In 2015, Ken joined Bristol Bisons RFC, a gay and inclusive rugby team.

Ken is an integral part of our rugby family at Bristol Bisons RFC. His commitment to the ethos of rugby and to our team is second to none. He is an important part of our community, and regularly attends our matches across the country as our match photographer, and has also undertaken training to be our first aid medic. This is very typical of Ken’s nature – always wanting to help, and always being concerned for the well-being of other people.

Ken is a quiet, kind, and caring person and he is one of the most loved people at our rugby club. Our team would not be the same without his warm character.

Deporting a good, hard-working, gay man to a country where homophobic violence and imprisonment is rife is immoral and unjust, and should be stopped.

Easton Cowboys 45s first home game!

Posted by on Nov 17, 2018 in Diary, Team News | 1 comment

Come and support the 45s in their first ever home game tomorrow (Sunday) 10:30am at Rose Green, followed by the obligatory trip to HQ.

Cowgirls are proudly donning their rainbow laces

Posted by on Nov 9, 2018 in Team News | 0 comments

The Cowgirl’s next Bristol Women’s Football Casual League fixture is Sat 17th Nov and all the teams will be proudly wearing rainbow laces in support of LGBTQ+ people in sport and beyond! As always, rowdy supporters are very welcome. All games are at Bristol Brunel Academy. The Legendairies are playing at 10:15am and Mooyakas are playing at 1:15pm.

 

 

 

Thursday’s protest on Chelsea Road

Posted by on Oct 28, 2018 in Community News | 2 comments

NO ‘HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT’ IN EASTON!

A wee update and bit of info on the spontaneous protest on Chelsea Road on Thursday at which a fair few of us were repping (props to Bobby for the alert).

For anyone who doesn’t know – about 20-30 officers (very indelicately) raided the mini-mart at about 11pm, traumatising the owner Akhtar and his 5-year old son and dragging a guy who had been staying with them out by the wrists. Neighbours quickly parked cars to stop the van taking him away and Easton mobilised to block both ends of the road, at which point the cop cars and vans arrived. The cops reckon there was 100 protesters but I reckon it was more like 200 and the shop owner thinks more like 300. We represented in true Easton style with nuff bants and respect without backing down. It all ended at about 4:30am after the local Imam and councillor Afzal Shah sorted a solicitor for the guy and said they would coordinate support for him. No one was arrested and the guy was taken to a detention centre.

The Post gives Akhtar’s account of the night and the Cable give a bit of background on the government’s ‘hostile environment’, including the fact that there is no limit to how long someone can be kept at a (for-profit!) detention centre.

Also check out Opening Bristol’s Borders, who aim to “explore ways to challenge immigration enforcement and strengthen collective resistance in Bristol” (see flyer and info below).

A few of us will be popping down the mini mart to offer our support to Akhtar and see if there’s any more we can do. Will keep you posted.

Leaflet distributed during the protest

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Opening Bristol’s Borders : A series of events to challenge immigration enforcement and strengthen collective resistance in Bristol.

An upcoming series of events in November 2018

Bristol is often portrayed as a city which welcomes everyone, a city of sanctuary, a home for migrating communities. Whilst there are many examples of solidarity – people challenging racism and building communities – the border remains a hostile force within the city.
People are billed for maternity care they can’t afford, detained from Patchway police station when attending mandatory appointments, moved from tents in Castle park, incarcerated in Bristol Prison, denied hospital treatment at BRI and refused private and social housing – all because they don’t hold the right papers.
Businesses and homes are raided by Immigration Enforcement based in Portishead. Private companies located in Bristol, such as G4S and Mitie, make profit from both the transfer and detention of people after these raids.
In addition to this, in 2017 Bristol City Council applied for and received extra funds from the Home Offices’s Controlling Migration Fund for enforcement activities – with £180,000 aimed at targeting, detaining and removing homeless EEA nationals, and £321,750 at investigating ‘rogue’ landlords and migrant tenants, in cooperation with the police and immigration enforcement units.
Since April 2018, patients have been forced to show status documents to prove they are eligible for NHS treatment that is not deemed “immediately necessary”, or pay upfront. People who receive emergency treatment are often billed.
Opening Bristol’s Borders is an opportunity to come together, discuss and challenge this hostile regime. During November and December we invite individuals and groups to participate in and contribute to a series of events around the city.