Singer misses Scottish gigs after being treated 'like a terrorist'
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ALLISON CROWE who is based on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, was deported from Britain after it was claimed she did not have the correct paperwork to work in the UK. |
EDINBURGH - Immigration officers treated a Canadian singer "like a terrorist" because she did not have the correct paperwork to come and perform in Edinburgh, it has been claimed.
Allison Crowe, an up-and-coming roots and soul singer, who has performed several times in the UK, was detained at Gatwick for 11 hours, questioned, fingerprinted and then deported.
She was told she would never perform in Europe again once her passport had been stamped by the UK Border Authority as "barred from entry"
The singer's manager Adrian du Plessis said she and her colleagues were seized as soon as they arrived in London Gatwick Airport at 10 AM on May 19 and were held until 8:30 PM before being released without their passports with orders to return for deportation on May 22.
He said she was told by one immigration officer that she would struggle to ever work in Europe again once she had been rejected from the UK.
"Allison has worked very hard since she was 15 building up her career and Europe is one of her biggest bases so she was devastated," he said.
The group were targeted because they failed to obtain a Certificate of Sponsorship from the venues they were playing in, a little-known visa requirement brought in last November to combat illegal immigration and terrorism.
Despite warnings they might never be able to perform again in Europe after having their passports stamped "barred from entry" in the UK, they were welcomed with no problems upon arrival in Germany.
The new legislation is opposed by leading figures of the art world including sculptor Antony Gormley, the head of the National Portrait Gallery and of the National Theatre, who along with 5,000 others, have signed a petition calling the Government to review it amid fears it could restrict artistic freedom.
It was also blamed for the decision by celebrated Iranian director Abbas Kiarostami pulling out of his debut production at English National Opera earlier this month.
Both The Halo in London's Battersea, and the LOT in Edinburgh, where Crowe was due to play say they knew nothing about the new legislation and that other previous overseas artists who have performed for them since the legislation took effect had experienced no problems.
The incident has been raised in the Scottish Parliament by Nationalist MSP Rob Gibson with a motion that has gained cross-party support.
With major festivals like the Edinburgh Fringe reliant on overseas talent, there are fears that the bureaucracy and heavy-handed tactics by immigration officials will scare off overseas performers.
A spokesman for the Home Office said that the new rules had been introduced in November to protect Britain and tighten security at borders.
He claimed that they were well advertised and promoters of arts events should have been aware of them.
"We have to check that people are coming into the country for legitimate reasons and to do what they say they are going to do," he said.
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