A petition to stop the deportation of Marcus Decker has gained over 85,000 signatures

A Tottenham resident is at risk of deportation after he protested against the “government’s inaction on the climate crisis”.

Marcus Decker scaled the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and blocked the Dartford Crossing on 18th October 2022, with fellow Just Stop Oil protester Morgan Trowland, after which he was sentenced to two years and seven months in prison for causing a public nuisance.

Last month, Marcus’ partner Holly Cullen-Davies launched a petition on change.org, saying the protester – who is a German citizen – is now “threatened with deportation”. Marcus is stepfather to Holly’s two children.

Speaking to Haringey Community Press, Holly said: “He was visited by an immigration officer at the prison who said this is a mandatory process because you’ve got a twelve-month sentence. We’re now going to serve you a deportation order, and so this is what you’re going to need to get together if you want to try to fight against it. She said the letter would come in the next few days. That was like three weeks ago.

“There does seem to be some suggestion that the Home Office is stalling on actually sending it to him.”

Immediately after the visit by the immigration officer, Holly launched her petition, aware that when Marcus receives the letter calling for his deportation, he will only have 20 days to appeal the decision.

By UK law, if a prison sentence is over a year and the convicted is not a British citizen, a deportation order is served. While European Union (EU) status would have previously provided protection against a deportation order, since Brexit the deportation order applies to all non-British citizens.

Holly said: “It’s really important to emphasise obviously that people get deported from Haringey all the time, or that there are loads of people trying to fight deportation in Haringey, not usually from Germany, and not usually because of protests. I’m not going to pretend that we’re very special in

that sense, because there are families being torn apart regularly.

“But what’s very unusual about this case is that he is being deported for peaceful protest, and this would be the first case ever of a peaceful protester getting over a twelvemonth prison sentence. And that’s because of new laws that this government has brought in because they hate environmental protesters.

“Of course he didn’t think he’d get over a twelve-month sentence – but he also didn’t know that if he did that would mean a deportation order.”

Holly’s petition had raised more than 85,000 signatures at the time of publication, with a target of 150,000. A march outside parliament in his support took place on Saturday, 24th June. The petition has gained support from the local Haringey community, with Extinction Rebellion Haringey and Harmless Store Hornsey calling on residents to sign.

A spokesperson for Just Stop Oil said: “The treatment of Marcus Decker is unfathomably wicked.

“Marcus is currently being held in Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, but this draconian punishment is not sufficient for a heartless, morally bankrupt administration. Because the sentencing ceiling has been raised under a new act, his sentence crosses the threshold for mandatory deportation, banishing

him to Germany, his place of birth, without leave to return… ever. This act will destroy a family.

“In fact with this ruling, judge Shane Collery showed utter disregard for the UK Borders Act assurance that if ‘you are socially and culturally integrated in the UK’ and ‘you have a genuine and subsisting relationship with a qualifying partner, or a genuine and subsisting relationship with a qualifying child and the effect of your deportation on the partner or child would be unduly harsh’, then an exception should be made. This concern for the child is amplified by guidance on ‘compelling circumstances’ such as ‘the impact of deportation on the need to safeguard and promote the welfare of any child in the UK.’

“When sentencing, judge Collery said he wanted to deter others from copycat actions: ‘You plainly believed you knew better than everyone else […] In short, to hell with everyone else.’

“It is ironic that this accusation was aimed at two activists whose very mission was to sound the alarm, on our behalf, of the danger of global hellfire. At least someone cares about the children.”

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Foreign nationals who commit crimes here in the UK will face the full force of the law, including deportation at the earliest opportunity for those eligible.”

The petition is can be found online:
Visit bit.ly/3r18H3i

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