• BRISTOL CITY COUNCIL - TENANTS NEED THESE HOMES!
    Bristol is in the middle of a housing crisis affecting thousands across the city and made worse by the unaffordable rents and insecurity of renting privately. Shortage of Council Housing and Housing Association properties leaves the Private Rental Sector at breaking point. Lack of supply drives down standards as we tenants are forced into paying eye-watering rents for damp and mould-ridden houses with only a couple of months security. In these circumstances, privately-owned empty buildings are a dangerous and unacceptable limit on the pool of available housing. Where properties have stood empty for 2 years or more the Council can turn them into much-needed homes. Empty Dwelling Management Orders provide Local Authorities with powers of ‘Compulsory Leasing’. They can take possession, renovate and rent properties to recover costs. After that the building is returned to the owner with a paying tenant. These powers are currently a last resort. It should be made clear that the use of EDMOs will be taken up if all other reasonable efforts come to nothing. Please click the following link to sign up to our direct mailing list and stay updated on all our campaigns. http://www.acorncommunities.org.uk/
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    Created by Nick Ballard Picture
  • LIFT THE SENTENCE TO STONE A SRI LANKAN WOMAN TO DEATH FOR ADULTERY
    No one should be put through an ordeal like this - especially someone with children waiting for her back home. I honestly could not believe this headline when scrolling through my facebook news feed. I once read a short story called The Lottery by Shirley Jackson in which a woman is stoned to death because she is unlucky enough to draw the unlucky ticket in the local 'lotery'. That was fantasy. This is reality; and the two should never be mixed. Please help prevent this barbaric act before it's too late. Surely we've had enough of death and murder?
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    Created by A.N.M C Picture
  • The Sun should be accountable for promoting race hatred.
    Because the Sun routinely headlines lies & mis-information that promotes race hatred & misunderstanding in the UK. The front page headline used on 23/11/2015 for instance may be mathematically correct but and its a big but, this depends what question was asked of the people they polled. The question is at best skewed. It's a general question and not specific. The question asked was "How do you feel about young Muslims who leave the UK to join fighters in Syria?" It didn't ask for instance which side these young people would be fighting on or if they would be jihadists. The Sun helpfully misguide their readers by adding a photograph of so called "Jihadi John". You can make your own complaint here too: https://www.ipso.co.uk/oxbxApps/app/complaint1.html
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    Created by John Morgan
  • Tunnock's Stop Using Palm Oil
    Tunnock's is a well known and loved Scottish brand, not only in its native Scotland, but around the world. Tunnock's should pave the way in the biscuit industry as being a leader in important environmental issues and show to be ecologically and environmentally responsible. Using uncertified palm oil in biscuits is contributing to the destruction of rainforests and the near extinction of orangutans and Sumatran tigers. For the unsustainable palm oil industry to flourish indigenous people´s homes are threatened, deforestation leaves animals homeless, carbon dioxide emits poison contributing to greenhouse gases and animals such as orangutans are either killed, badly hurt, starved, or left as orphans. Enjoying a Tunnock's Tea Cake should not reflect such monstrosities.
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    Created by Louise Devlin Picture
  • The Daily Mail - refugees are not rats!
    As the refugee crisis worsens worldwide, it is increasingly important not to dehumanise the people fleeing from the kind of atrocities we in the West fear the most. With this is mind, the Daily Mail's cartoon showing droves of terrorists and rats rushing over the European border is not only callous and completely inappropriate, it risks further inciting an extremely volatile situation. The cartoon directly echoes cartoons published by the Nazis regarding Jews fleeing Germany in 1939, and fuels the fires of Islamophobia that will turn more and more previously unaffiliated people to IS. It is vital not to have the Paris attack and the European response to the refugee crisis feed into the narrative IS is trying to create. There is no global war against Muslims but IS would certainly like there to be, as they believe they would be turned to as the last resort. Every closed door to human suffering, every shut border and every attack on an innocent refugee or Muslim someone in the West makes will only increase their support. This is why the Daily Mail's cartoon is so dangerous. It dehumanises people which leads to the above events. It binds refugees, Muslims and terrorists together with absolutely no human component, no empathy for the people escaping situations we can only hope never to experience. The same people attacking Paris are the people the refugees are trying to escape from. Not all refugees are terrorists Not all Muslims are terrorists. IS does not represent Islam. All refugees are people, not rats. Nazi cartoon source: https://s.bsd.net/38degrees/main/page/-/CBY/1939-newspaper.jpg
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    Created by Seb Higginson
  • Raise the school starting age to 7
    4 is far too young for a child to enter full-time education, as they may not fully comprehend what is required of them, creating additional stress for their parents and teachers (and themselves). It is recommended that ages 4 to 6 be reserved for kindergarten education to prepare children more effectively for school per se.
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    Created by Stefano Pavone
  • Give asylum for Abu Shuja's family
    ISIS is the most brutal terrorist group of our time. Under the guise of religion, they murder, rape, pillage, and enslave, destroying whole cities to achieve power and control over new territory and natural resources. Victims are forced to convert to Islam as the group slavishly follows a perverted version of the teachings of Islam to suit their agenda. In August 2014 the terrorists invaded the lands around Mount Sinjar in Iraq, home to the minority Yazidi people. They slaughtered males of fighting age and abducted women and little children to be sold as slaves. They separated families and took young girls for their own sexual gratification, the young boys were forced to become their trainees. The captives have had no one to count on for help but their families, who might be blackmailed for thousands of dollars in ransom. Most of the time, however, surviving relatives never even know if their abducted loved ones are alive or where they’re kept. In this awful situation, one man stood up against ISIS and its reign of terror. A former smuggler, Abu Shuja, uses his extensive covert network throughout Iraq and abroad, to take back Yazidi captives from ISIS. He organises and takes part in rescue missions, saving the abducted from terrorists and reuniting them with their families. He has saved about 380 children, women and girls by now. He estimates that about 2,700-2,800 people are still being kept hostages by ISIS. For that, he risks his own life every day. Not only is he in danger of being killed or captured during the operations, he also receives regular death threats; but he still can’t give up, he knows he is the only hope for so many people. His courage comes at a price; to protect his family, Abu Shuja has had to part with them and send his wife and children to safety abroad. Abu Shuja's family was arrested while being smuggled from Turkey to Bulgaria. They are now one of many refugees from Iraq and Syria seeking asylum in Europe and now their lives too depend on the kindness of strangers. Abu Shuja continues to rescue Yazidi hostages from ISIS.
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    Created by Sandra Sataite
  • Open up empty buildings to shelter the homeless in Newcastle this Winter
    The amount of homeless people on Newcastle's streets has risen visibly and dramatically, particularly in the last year. When temperatures in the city inevitably reach freezing this winter, I want to be able to offer them a shelter in unused and empty buildings. Please do your bit now and sign this petition.
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    Created by Imogen CHARVILL RYALL
  • Open up Coventry's empty buildings for Winter Shelter
    Coventry has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, more than the national average. Despite this, we have the space that could house every homeless person in Coventry but bureaucracy stops the council doing just this!! It's inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. Coventry City Council - please open your empty buildings to the homeless in winter. Just a few years ago, there were fewer than 10 rough sleepers in Coventry on an average per night. If someone lives and works in the city, there's a good chance that they will see that many just on the way home now. Coventry City Council, you need to address the root causes of homelessness, however in the meantime, let's give rough sleepers some shelter at least over the frigid winter months.
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    Created by Aimee Challenor
  • reverse the privatisation of prisons
    Deaths have risen dramatically on the last few years, and g4s human rights track record speaks for itself. They care nothing for the lives in there hands! My partner died in a g4s prison and he was treated like an animal not a human being, some of of most vulnerable people in society end up in prison no everyone who goes to prison is bad, they just need help. G4s isn't capable to take care of these people. My partner hasn't been the only death! and many more will follow if nothing is done! Thank you
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    Created by gemma duggan
  • Tower Hamlets Council: OPEN EMPTY BUILDINGS AS WINTER SHELTERS
    We are all human beings regardless of our circumstances. Please Tower Hamlets Council show some compassion this winter. There is a huge housing crisis in this country which is reflected in the number of homeless people on the streets. No one deserves to be sleeping outside at any time of the year, but especially as the weather gets colder and wetter.
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    Created by Elaine RB
  • Open up empty buildings in Birmingham
    Birmingham has one of the highest rates of homelessness in the country, three times the national average. Despite this, we have the space that could house every homeless person in Birmingham but bureaucracy stops the council doing just this!! It's inexcusable when we have so many empty buildings. Birmingham City Council - please open your empty buildings to the homeless in winter. Just a few years ago, there were fewer than 10 rough sleepers in Birmingham on an average per night. If someone lives and works in the city, there's a good chance that they will see that many just on the way home now. Birmingham City Council, you seriously have to address the root causes of homelessness however in the meantime, let's give rough sleepers some shelter at least over the frigid winter months.
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    Created by James Lovatt