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Glasgow charity voices concern after three 'asylum seekers' die in fall


 Robina Qureshi

Robina Qureshi

A charity working with refugees and asylum seekers has spoken out after three people plunged to their deaths from the 15th floor of a block of flats in Glasgow on Sunday morning.

Police are currently investigating the deaths of two men and a woman at the Red Road block of flats in the Springburn area of Glasgow. Neighbours told reporters they believed the three came from Kosovo and had recently lost an application to stay in the UK, but the identity of the three has not been confirmed yet.

Robina Qureshi Director, of Positive Action in Housing, said: "The Red Road flats has housed hundreds of refugees and asylum seekers. We are concerned because hundreds of our clients who are from refugee communities were living in the area. Many live their daily lives under extreme pressure for years because their lives are on hold while they wait to hear if they will be granted leave to remain by the UK Borders Agency.

"As staff, we are daily confronted with the reality of asylum seekers coming into the office crying and upset because they have just been told they must leave the country and their money and housing is stopped a week later. Its a big shock, having nowhere to live, no money for food, and being forbidden to work, and its like this for years, then they are faced with their biggest terror, destitution, disappearing or being detained.

"Many asylum seekers who report weekly to Brand Street reporting centre don't know if this or the next week they will simply not be allowed to leave the reporting centre and be thrown into a detention centre for months or even years before being deported.

"There is a great deal of mental strain and it is normal currency for many of our service users or volunteers to talk about ending it. So yes, we are concerned about who these people are and whether they were claiming asylum in this country, whether they had recently been given a negative decision by the UKBA, and whether they were our service users or volunteers".

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