Tag: Liberty

LIBERTY: Families who fled Ukraine bring story of hope and belonging to Edinburgh Fringe

Families who fled the war in Ukraine and arrived in Scotland will take to the Edinburgh Fringe stage this August in a moving new performance exploring freedom, identity and belonging.

On 21 August, Mission of Innocents will present Liberty at C Aurora at Lauriston Halls for one night only. The production has been created and directed by Tetiana Hordiienko, an award-winning Ukrainian choreographer and director who built a career of more than two decades across theatre, television and film before rebuilding her own life in Scotland.

Drawing on both her professional experience and personal experience of the war, Liberty brings together Ukrainian families to tell a story of freedom, identity and belonging through dance, music and projected visuals.

Spanning the 1990s to the present day, Liberty reflects the history of Ukraine and its people, highlighting the strength they have shown through decades of fighting for freedom.

Featuring performers as young as eight-years-old, it draws on the performer’s own experiences of displacement following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

From living aboard temporary accommodation ships in Leith and Govan to finding friendship, confidence and a sense of belonging in Scotland, the production traces a journey from uncertainty and upheaval to hope and opportunity.

Tetiana Hordiienko, Creative Director of Liberty said: “When I came to Scotland, I wanted to create something that would help Ukrainian children reconnect with their culture while giving them confidence in their new home.

“Liberty has been created with and for the families taking part, and every scene reflects their own experiences.Ukrainian culture runs through every part of the show, from the music to the movement.

“Blending contemporary dance with traditional influences, Liberty celebrates not only the country’s rich heritage but also the creativity and spirit of its people. Full of energy and colour, it carries audiences with it on an unforgettable journey.”

For many of the families involved, Liberty is a celebration of how far they have come since arriving in Scotland. It reflects the confidence, friendships and brighter future they have built through Mission of Innocents’ creativity-led programmes.

Nataliia Pidruchna, Director of Children’s Programmes at Mission of Innocents, said: “These children have lived through experiences that most adults would struggle to comprehend. Some arrived in Scotland unable to speak English, having left behind family members, friends and everything familiar to them.

“What audiences will see on stage is a story about friendship, identity, hope and the extraordinary resilience of our performers. Every movement, piece of music and creative decision has been shaped by their own experiences and imagination.”

The show marks Mission of Innocents’ second appearance at the Edinburgh Fringe following last year’s successful performance of Life in One Suitcase. While the company’s debut told the story of arriving in Scotland, Liberty explores what it means to rebuild a life, create a sense of belonging and continue the fight for freedom.  

Joyce Landry, Founder and CEO of Mission of Innocents, said: “The Edinburgh Festival Fringe is one of the world’s great stages for storytelling and these young people have earned the right to have their stories heard.

“Many of the performers in Liberty first arrived in Scotland living in temporary accommodation, uncertain what the future would hold. To see them now standing on a Fringe stage, sharing their culture, their creativity and their voices with an international audience, feels incredibly special.

“Their journey is remarkable and says so much about the resilience of these young people and the power of creativity to help those rebuild confidence, connection and a sense of belonging.”

Performers hope the audiences will leave feeling hopeful and inspired, carried by the warmth, joy and energy that they bring to the stage.

Mission of Innocents is a Scottish charity which helps children displaced by war, conflict and crisis feel safe again, rebuild confidence and rediscover hope through creativity. Since 2022, it has worked with hundreds of young people from Ukraine and other conflict affected communities, using art, music, dance and storytelling to help restore confidence, connection and a sense of belonging.

To book tickets to the Liberty performance on the 21st August, please visit:

https://res.cthearts.com/event/34:5260/34:84332/ 

PM Rishi Sunak takes action to stop disruptive protests

LIBERTY: ‘This latest attack on our rights must be resisted.’

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is ‘backing the police’ to clamp down on highly disruptive and dangerous protests, under plans announced today.

Through an amendment tabled to the Public Order Bill, the Government will broaden the legal definition of ‘serious disruption’, giving police greater flexibility and clarity over when to intervene to stop the disruptive minority who use tactics such as blocking roads and slow marching to inflict misery on the public.

While the Government has already given police additional powers to prevent protestors using guerrilla tactics, police chiefs have told the Prime Minister that there is some uncertainty over what reaches the threshold of ‘serious disruption’.

The changes introduced today will give police officers absolute clarity over when they should step in. In practice, this will mean:

  • police will not need to wait for disruption to take place and can shut protests down before chaos erupts
  • police will not need to treat a series of protests by the same group as standalone incidents but will be able to consider their total impact
  • police will be able to consider long-running campaigns designed to cause repeat disruption over a period of days or weeks

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: “The right to protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy, but this is not absolute. A balance must be struck between the rights of individuals and the rights of the hard-working majority to go about their day-to-day business.

“We cannot have protests conducted by a small minority disrupting the lives of the ordinary public. It’s not acceptable and we’re going to bring it to an end.

“The police asked us for more clarity to crack down on these guerrilla tactics, and we have listened.”

Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Service, Sir Mark Rowley said: “The Met has a long history of policing protests, responding quickly and effectively to incidents involving crime and where serious disruption is caused, often in challenging situations. We have specialist officers trained to deal with a range of tactics, but this is complex, time-consuming work.

“It is clearly understood that everybody has the right to protest. Increasingly however police are getting drawn into complex legal arguments about the balance between that right to protest and the rights of others to go about their daily lives free from serious disruption. The lack of clarity in the legislation and the increasing complexity of the case law is making this more difficult and more contested.

“It is for Parliament to decide the law, and along with other police chiefs, I made the case for a clearer legal framework in relation to protest, obstruction and public nuisance laws. We have not sought any new powers to curtail or constrain protest, but have asked for legal clarity about where the balance of rights should be struck.

“I welcome the government’s proposal to introduce a legal definition of “serious disruption” and “reasonable excuse”. In practical terms, Parliament providing such clarity will create a clearer line for the police to enforce when protests impact upon others who simply wish to go about their lawful business.”

National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Public Order and Public Safety, Chief Constable BJ Harrington, said: ““We welcome the constructive conversations with government over more clearly defining serious disruption. This will support officers in confidently and quickly taking action and making arrests where appropriate.

“Policing is not anti-protest, but there is a difference between protest and criminal activism, and we are committed to responding quickly and effectively to activists who deliberately disrupt people’s lives through dangerous, reckless, and criminal acts.

“Police have a responsibility to appropriately balance the rights of the public who are going about their daily business lawfully and the rights of those protesting.”

The College of Policing have confirmed today that they will produce guidance outlining the additional powers given to officers over the last year.

National Highways is also reviewing its guidance, taking learnings from previous protests to ensure that roads are reopened as quickly as it is safe to do so.

Today’s announcement is the latest step in the UK Government’s continued commitment to tackle the highly disruptive protests that the British public have been increasingly subjected to over the last few years’.

Through the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act, the Government introduced a statutory offence of public nuisance and created powers for the police to place conditions on unjustifiably noisy protests and increased the sentences for obstructing the highway. 

Measures already announced in the Public Order Bill include creating a new criminal offence for interfering with key national infrastructure and for ‘locking-on’.

The Prime Minister also sat down with the Home Secretary and police chiefs in December to give a clear message that the Government expects protesters who disrupt the lives of others to be swiftly removed and arrested.

LIBERTY: PROPOSED NEW POLICE POWERS TO ARREST PROTESTERS BEFORE DISRUPTION BEGINS MUST BE RESISTED

Responding to news that the Government have introduced an amendment to the Public Order Bill that will give police new powers to arrest protesters on the chance that they intend to cause serious disruption, Director of Liberty Martha Spurrier said: “Protest is a fundamental right, not a gift from the State. But our right to protest continues to be attacked by a Government determined to silence people and hide from accountability.

“These new proposals should be seen for what they are: a desperate attempt to shut down any route for ordinary people to make their voices heard. Allowing the police to shut down protests before any disruption has taken place simply on the off-chance that it might sets a dangerous precedent, not to mention making the job of officers policing protests much more complex.

“From championing refugee rights to raising the alarm on the cost-of-living crisis, striking for workers’ rights, and fighting for racial and climate justice, protest today remains a crucial way for people to hold the Government to account. This latest attack on our rights must be resisted.”

Do not put our human rights at risk!

The STUC is standing alongside 125 civil society organisations across Scotland to support the Human Rights Act and oppose the #RightsRemovalBill:

JOINT STATEMENT ON THE UK RIGHTS REMOVAL BILL

Our human rights are about the values we hold dear and the way we treat one another – they are about dignity, fairness, equality, tolerance, and respect. They are the foundations that help us live together freely and fairly – a safety net to protect us all.

We are therefore alarmed that the UK Government has introduced a Bill to Parliament which, if enacted, will repeal the Human Rights Act and will significantly
diminish protection for human rights in law.

Our experience of working with individuals and communities across Scotland is that the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) is an essential protection for our human rights. Indeed, many of our organisations submitted evidence to the Independent Review of the Human Rights Act detailing the ways in which the HRA is working well. We also collectively gave many hours of our time to respond to the UK Government’s consultation on proposals for this Bill of Rights. However, both the Panel’s
recommendations and the consultation responses have been disregarded by the UK Government in the development of this Bill.

We are very concerned that there are many elements to this Bill that will significantly reduce human rights protection. These include, for example, restricting / narrowing our relationship with the European Court of Human Rights, lowering standards of protection, and making it harder for the court to protect us from serious and irreparable harm.

The rights removal bill will undermine all of our human rights and significantly impact the realisation of rights for individuals whose human rights are currently most at risk. The UK Government’s proposals for reform are out of step with political and public opinion in Scotland. There is overwhelming support across Scotland to go forwards and not backwards on human rights, for a strong human rights legal
framework and not one that is watered down.

We therefore strongly urge the UK Government to reconsider this Bill and instead, consider what can be done to better protect human rights for all in Scotland, and across the UK.

This statement is supported by 125 organisations:

final-joint-statement-rights-removal-bill-june-2022_signed_01-07-2022Download