This is a weird one. Various newspapers in the Hyperborean North are reporting that Canadian singer-songwriter and musician, Allison Crowe – whose music is not bad – was detained at Gatwick Airport on visa irregularities, and unceremoniously booted out the country. She had been due to preform at The Lot in Edinburgh, and previously has appeared at the John Lennon Northern Lights Festival at Durness.
The article attributes this to a failure to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship and states:
The problem is the way that they were treated, especially initially by one particular immigration officer, and the 11 hours in a cage, and the interrogation as if they were terrorists, all because British venues had not registered to a new and unknown law.
My guess is that she was not treated as, I assume, terrorist suspects are – subdued with hand-cuffs under and armed-guard. I would better appreciate a casual visitor’s not knowing about newly introduced legislation: Crowe, however, is a significant international preformer. We live in heightened times and I do place primary responsibility on her booking agents for not investigating any new requirements. That said, this is pretty poor… as much as I would disagree with ‘racial profiling’, some flexibility should always be shown and, if I read correctly the suggestion that she has been automatically barred from future entry, some appeal process should be permitted.
Furthermore, considering what else immigration Police have cocked-up, my sympathies remain with Crowe.
A Rabbit's Eye View of the Hyperborean North 
14/08/2009 at 15:28 |
[…] have to admit I am better able to understand and find this understandable than I was the decision to hold Canadian singer-songwriter, Allison Crowe under armed-guard prior to deportation. Firstly, no […]