BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 27 Jan 16 - 02:17 PM

On BBC last night, they were saying that there hade been no attacks on houses or persons in that vicinity.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 27 Jan 16 - 03:24 PM

"On BBC last night, they were saying that there hade been no attacks on houses or persons in that vicinity."
Lies and fake photographs then?
Your defence of this deplorable practice would be beyond belief if we hadn't come to expect it.
Ex Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Nigel Parsons
Date: 27 Jan 16 - 05:09 PM

From: Jim Carroll - PM
Date: 27 Jan 16 - 08:41 AM

You've had the facts of the matter - the red doors have caught the attention of fascist thugs - there is every reason to remove them, no excuse whatever to leave things as they are.

Yep, I'm sure that removing the doors will improve the security of the asylum seekers . . . NOT!
However, repainting some of them may help.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 27 Jan 16 - 05:43 PM

Jim, I'm not defending anything, just trying to be reasonable and illustrate why I think your stance on this issue is flawed.

One should never allow ones heart(or ideology) to rule their head in these matters.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 05:22 AM

"Yep, I'm sure that removing the doors will improve the security of the asylum seekers . . . NOT!"
How about allpowing them to be painted a different colour Nige or better still not painting them the same in the first place
The Company policy of refusing to allow another colour speaks for itself.
"I'm not defending anything"
You are defending the continuing singling out of asylum seekers for racist persecution and attacks.
You have not even bothered toi acknowledge that racist attacks have taken place, having previously denied them.
You have placed yourself more to the right than the most right wing of the British national press and you maintain that position
Your behaviour here is unbelievable
Stomach-heaving, to say the least
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Thompson
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 05:38 AM

In Denmark ordinary non-Jewish people put on yellow stars when their Jewish neighbours were made to (great kids' book by Sandi Toksvig, Hitler's Canary, is one of the fictional places that shows this). Painting your own door and wearing your own wristband would be effective.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 06:11 AM

I think a sense of perspective is required.
We assisted in the "democratisation" of the Middle East and North Africa so our government have a duty to clear up a part of the mess incurred......do not act so shocked or surprised if a large section of the population react against this, given the austerity they are being asked to suffer due to a failure of the current economic system.

The uniform painting of the exterior of rented property has never been a means of discrimination, simply business practice.

The response on this forum makes me shake my head in disbelief at the capacity of so many people to absorb media bullshit.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 06:44 AM

"I think a sense of perspective is required."
Now this moves on from a defence of pinpointing asylum seekers to justification of the attacks these doors have caused - getts better and better Ake
This is where it should have been in the first place - they shouldn't be here so lets make it as uncummfortable for them as we can
Jeysus Christos
What kind of a human being are you - if at all?
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 06:56 AM

Jim, I know you are not stupid,
so I can only presume that you are being disingenuous.

Of course I don't support attacks on anyone, but I am not "surprised" when they happen under the circumstances and I do not believe that door colour has anything at all to do with it....I'm sure there are millions of red doors on letting property all over the country behind which dwell all sorts of people.

I can make no sense of the following garble, could you please translate into some sort of point?
"This is where it should have been in the first place - they shouldn't be here so lets make it as uncummfortable for them as we can
Jeysus Christos"

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 08:43 AM

"Of course I don't support attacks on anyone, "
Then why are you putting so much effort into supporting these frontt doors
Are they not dangerous to the inhabitants, have they not drawn teh attention of fascist thugs already
Then you follow your defence with "do not act so shocked or surprised if a large section of the population react against this, given the austerity they are being asked to suffer due to a failure of the current economic system." - explaining away the attacks by putting them down to Government policy - Britain has a shameful record of racism - Moseley, N.F., BNP, and now Ukip - all major players in British politics
Now they are targeting asylum seekers and you are supporting them
If I am being disingenuous - show where these doors are not harmful, show hy they should be there - so far your argument as been "aesthetic choice".
All I have got from you is confirmation of your political stance
Finished here with you - with a very dirty taste in my mouth
Jim Ex Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: MGM·Lion
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 09:02 AM

As I just reminded on another thread

MOSLEY

I know it might seem a piddly point; but posts which avoid unnecessary errors really are more cogent and persuasive, IMO. So might just as well get things right...

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 10:17 AM

Jim sincerely, I think you should take a rest, you are posting almost non stop on several threads and your post are becoming more manic by the day.
Everyone is not "out to get you", some of us come here to inform and be informed...Ake

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 01:11 PM

"I think you should take a rest, you are posting almost non stop on several threads and your post are becoming more manic by the da"
At least you are knocking yourself out with answers Ake
Maybe you're too busy thanking your supporters here!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 01:40 PM

Did I not read , jim, in the link that you supplied , that the doors are now to be repainted in various colours since concerns have been raised. Don't sound like some kind of engineered / provocating of persecution to me.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 02:43 PM

Took four years to get there Pete
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 02:44 PM

And a great deal of adverse publicity
Jim (the Ex again)

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 03:56 PM

Jim, I have to add my comment that you do seem to be making a mountain out of a molehill. As I posted earlier if a thug wanted to target asylum seekers I would think looking for red doors would probably not be high on his list of priorities. I do know the area involved, it's not too far from where I live, mindless vandalism is commonplace. Things like paint daubed on windows is an everyday occurrence. If the company that owns the properties decided to repaint the doors any discerning thug would simple target houses with freshly painted doors.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 05:23 PM

I'd just like to say that Jim is dead right and he has Akenhateon bang to rights.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 06:20 PM

Seconded.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: GUEST,Pete from seven stars link
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 06:30 PM

Conspiracy theorists comes to mind here !

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 07:27 PM

The "usual suspects" comes to my mind.
However I have made my points without rancour and with civility, I don't think they have been addressed satisfactorily by Jim, but I shall leave that to the membership.
Richard's credibility is compromised by his unending personal abuse, neither he nor Steve have made any meaningful contribution to the thread.

I may be wrong, but I do believe I see the green shoots of sanity beginning to appear in these discussions, a couple of years ago this thread would has been drowned in a sea of invective and probably would have had to be closed by admin.....whereas, in the last few days we have succeeded in producing a thread of mostly civil and informative debate

Well done!    Onwards and Upwards!

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 28 Jan 16 - 08:03 PM

Up to this point in the thread, "Steve" has contributed a one-word post expressing support for Jim. I seriously don't need a twit like you, who seldom contributes a anything sensible to any thread on any subject at all, calling me a usual suspect for posting a single one-word post. Anyway, I'll tell you what I think. I think we are being softened up to hate immigrants by a nasty, racist Tory government which never criticises Israeli atrocities, which cosies up to the despicable Saudi regime and which allows fat cats to get away without paying tax. We are told that there are bunches of migrants threatening to swarm into the country. The fact that we can even be having a discussion about marking out asylum seekers as separate by painting their doors a certain colour or making them wear wristbands is testament to the fact that the cynical softening up is working on the more bigoted and feeble-minded among us. These things are not debatable in my opinion. They are nasty and abusive, not even merely thoughtless. If you need to be told that you shouldn't be painting the doors that way or that you shouldn't tell people to wear wristbands in order to qualify for food, there's something wrong with you. One thing's for sure. You haven't learned from the shameful history of the 1930s and 40s. The Nazis made sure that the houses of Jews were instantly recognisable. The Nazis made Jews wear instantly identifiable signs on their clothing. Spot the difference. Civilised people don't do these things.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 04:27 AM

"Conspiracy theorists comes to mind here !"
I am really at a loss to understand this - whether or not the identifying of asylum seekers homes was deliberate is totally beside the point - if it was not, it was an act of utter stupidity to single out their homes in this way and it was an act of thick-headed bureaucracy for landlords to refuse to allow painting after it was known that they attracted racist vandalism.
The practice has been universally condemned - even that doyen of fairness and honesty, The Sun, has spoken out against it - it was warned about four years ago, there have been cases of racist vandalism, possibly facilitated by the identifying the homes..... THERE IS A RISK - what the ****'* the problem in making things safer for people who have suffered enough?
Sure - thugs will do there work anyway - why make it easier.
Landlord's policy
Personally, I believe that the red front doors are not unconnected to the now abandoned 'yellow-star type' armbands and goes higher up than landlord's policy, but that's me.
I've come to expect arguments of the type put forward by somebody with Ake's track record on human rights and his declared hatred of anything liberal - but not from any of the more fair-minded and sane members - please!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 06:17 AM

an act of utter stupidity to single out their homes in this way

But did they?
It was a letting company that had always used the same colour paint.
They were asked to house some asylum seekers and it just never occurred to anyone that there might be an issue with the normal pracatice.
As soon as there was it was dealt with.

Wristbands are a very common way of identifying which people are entitled to which perks.
You wear them in 5* all inclusive hotels!
It would not help anyone if all the food disappeared before those actually entitled to it arrived.

Again, it just never occurred to anyone that it might be an issue, and as soon as it was it was rectified. Cards instead of bands.

It is extreme paranoia to imagine a government conspiracy in any of this.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 06:44 AM

So you're comparing the wearing of wristbands in luxury hotels with the wearing of wristbands whilst queuing for welfare. Well I for one would not pay good money to stay in an hotel that made me wear a wristband. I might expect to be asked to show my ticket or something like that (rarely, one hopes), but wear a wristband? Anyone in a posh hotel who asked me to do that would rapidly discover that they possessed an unwelcome rubbery circular intrusion inside their jobsworth's bottom. You've been staying in the wrong places. Avoid those Daily Mail last-minute holiday ads is my advice, Keith.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 06:57 AM

It would seem to me that the wristbands were used in case of language difficulties, to aid communication?

That would seem the sensible answer to the dilemma.....but who cares about common sense when there is a political point to score!! :0)

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:23 AM

Along comes Keith - that confirms it.
How about actually addressing what has been pointed out?
""It was a letting company that had always used the same colour paint."
....who has blocked tenants from repainting the doors after they had been targeted
"They were asked to house some asylum seekers "
They were paid by the Government to house asylum seekers - in this mattter, they are a government agency
"Wristbands are a very common way of identifying which people are entitled to which perks."
Wristbands have now been judged to be discriminatory and have been abandoned - it is not normal practice to make immigrants of any sort to identify themselves - the Nazis forced Jews to wear yellow stars and courts electronically tag criminals.
Asylum is not a "perk" it is a humane gersture offered by civilised countries
It has nothing to do with the distribution of food - from the Guardian
"Asylum seekers in Cardiff are being issued with brightly coloured wristbands that they must wear at all times, in a move which echoes the "red door" controversy in Middlesbrough and has resulted in their harassment and abuse by members of the public."
"It is extreme paranoia to imagine a government conspiracy in any of this."
Yeah - sure it is - we have imagined that Cameron has just described alylum seekers as a "swarm" (insects, maybe)
It is not beyond the realms of possibility that these have been pilot schemes for future identification of all asylum seekers, and, if them, why not all immigrants?
As far as the sewer press are concerned, they would be pushing on an open door - in the past our democratic press have described asylum seekers as "cockroaches", "hordes", "cadgers", "potential terrorists", "freeloaders".
Ir would certainly make the Security Services jobs a lot easier.
So - lets hear it for the red front doors and identification armands again; one - two - three......!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:27 AM

All the well known Hotels, e.g. Hilton, use wrist bands.
There would be long queues at the bars if anyone who turned up was given free drink.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:29 AM

"All the well known Hotels, e.g. Hilton, use wrist bands."
To be worn by all visitors at all times?
Remind me never to stay there
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:31 AM

I stay in Premier Inns a lot. They are well-known hotels. They never make you wear wristbands. What's up with you, Keith?

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:33 AM

Asylum is not a "perk"

No it is not, but different rules apply to asylum seekers.
They are not allowed to work or earn money.
They are entitled to free food and accommodation while other people are not.
It is necessary to distinguish them.
Wristbands are the way such a process is usually done.
When it became an issue here, it was changed.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 07:36 AM

Do Premier Inns offer different perks to different guests?
If not they do not need wristbands.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:02 AM

Jesus wept. :-)

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:10 AM

Now that I've stopped laughing, why yes, they do. You pay in advance for continental brekky (cheaper) or full works English (dearer), or you don't buy breakfast at all. Do they issue three different colours of wristbands? Why no, they don't. They may (or may not) ask for your room number when you show up. If they ever need to prove who you are (they never seem to need to), you can always show the key card in your pocket. It's called "service," Keith. Clearly, the places you go for your holidays are institutions, Keith, not hotels.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:11 AM

"They are entitled to free food and accommodation while other people are not."
Why not come out with it Keith and suggest they are electronically tagged - then you wouldn't have to beat about the bush.
The armbands have nothing to do with benefits - they are to identify the wearers as asylum seekers whenever they appear in public - nothing else has been suggested by anyone other than you (one-man campaign again)
They have been judged to be discriminatory and have been withdrawn - you continue to defend them - nothing new there either.
Tell me again that you are not a right-wing extremist - please
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:16 AM

By the way
We have stayed in a whole range of hotels over the years in Britain, Ireland, Greece, Cyprus, Sicily, North Africa..... (including The Hilton on two occasions - at Gatwick and in Cairo).
We always do so on the basis of 'bed and breakfast'.
At no time - ever - have we been asked to wear an armband to claim our breakfast in the morning or our 'free drinks' when occasionally offered - never
You are mad
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Teribus
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:18 AM

" Thompson - 28 Jan 16 - 05:38 AM

In Denmark ordinary non-Jewish people put on yellow stars when their Jewish neighbours were made to"

As did the King and Queen of Denmark.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:26 AM

My experience too, Jim. This guy really does make stuff up as he goes along. All those except for North Africa and with the addition of Spain and mainland Italy. The only times in my life I've had wristbands were at the Make Poverty History day at the Eden Project and at the Bude For Food festival (to make sure you didn't sneak into the marquee without paying a quid!). In neither case were you obliged to actually wear them. Just shove the thing in your pocket.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:31 AM

Perhaps he is mixing up folk festivals and hotels. Wrist band are frequently issued at the former, I've never had one in the latter.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:33 AM

Even stayed in hotels in communist Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Soviet Union, Hungary..... (and even fascist Turkey on one - ill-advised visit)
Not an armband in sight.
Says it all really!!
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 08:58 AM

The emphasis in every hotel I've stayed in on the continent has been on courtesy and service. The one in Turkish Northern Cyprus, though a very humble establishment where the friendly local cats were willing to kip on your bed all night (!), was a shining example. The very idea of a place that prioritises your comfort and wellbeing making you wear a wristband? Do me a favour!

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 10:23 AM

All hotels offering 5* "All Inclusive" use wrist bands.
I have never needed one in a UK hotel either, but both Hiltons in Sharm require them as do the three similar hotels I have stayed in Mexico, and one in Bahamas, Jamaica, and Dominican Republic.

"Wristbands have long been associated with privileges and advantages. When used as a differentiating tool, people sporting wristbands can easily be identified as being part of a group who can be expecting certain benefits from an establishment or event.

Perhaps the biggest evidence of such perk related accessories is when holidaying. Most of us have sat on at least one side of the fence; feeling like the reigning monarch of a resort being showered with free supplies or the dejected soul who would do anything to get their hands on an all entitling wristband.

There has been a rapid rise in the number of people choosing to spend their hard earned days off in resorts and hotels where everything is included in the selling price of the holiday. There are still those who opt for the self-catering variety of break which leaves hotels with a headache determining who is fairly receiving the extra gains on offer.

A great deal of resorts, particularly those in Europe, accommodate for all-inclusive guests, self-catering guests and even holidaymakers who have chosen to go half board. A lot of hotels have
beachfront opening also which means that people not staying in the resorts rooms can also gain access to pools and bars. With exclusive offerings and activities intended only for certain visitors, there becomes a need to monitor exactly who has permission to use select resort assets.

All-inclusive resorts usually grant those guests who are eligible to receive premium service with all inclusive wristbands. By doing so, hotel staff can conveniently recognise who has the right to certain services.
Wristbands are the perfect way to classify advantage tourists"
http://www.aawristbands.co.uk/all-inclusive-wristbands/

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 11:09 AM

There are "offers" to wealthy clients Keith - not something enforced on impoverished and traumatised immigrants - how dare you make such a comparison you squalid little man?
I repeat - in a lifetime which has included visits to countries in 3 continents - I have never evenb been offered an armband, let alone been forced to wear one.   
You'll be telling us German Jews were wearing yellow stars and sporting armbands for their own benefit next - you really are plumbing the depths of this particular shit-barrel
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Keith A of Hertford
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 11:23 AM

It is a common way of distinguishing entitlement.
The asylum seekers had such an entitlement and need to be distinguished.

The cards that have replaced the wristbands will cause them more problems.
If they lose the card, how will they claim their food.
How long to get a replacement?
Bands can not be stolen because cutting invalidates them.
Not so cards.

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 11:34 AM

Don't try to introduce them to common sense Keith....I've been trying for a week but I fear they are incompatible :0(

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 11:41 AM

Could it possibly be that aawristbands.co.uk have a vested interest in trying to promote the use of wrist bands.

Just asking like ................

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: akenaton
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 11:44 AM

Raggytash..    :0)

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 12:20 PM

Omigod. Now he's trying to justify wristbands by referring us to a wristband website. Stoppit, Keith, I can't afford all this laughing now that the corset shop has shut for the weekend...

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 12:35 PM

"Don't try to introduce them to common sense Keith....I've been trying for a week but I fear they are incompatible :0("
And then there were two - right wing nutters
Jim Carroll

Subject: RE: BS: Beats yellow stars, I suppose!!
From: Jim Carroll
Date: 29 Jan 16 - 12:55 PM

General representitive view
Have a nice beir keller convention - both of you
Jim Carroll

Guardian
Asylum seeker wristband policy to be dropped
Private firm to stop making asylum seekers in Cardiff wear coloured bands to ensure they receive meals
A private firm that houses asylum seekers will stop making them wear coloured wristbands after the policy was criticised.
Clearsprings Ready Homes, which has a contract with the Home Office to accommodate newly arrived asylum seekers in Cardiff, defended the used of the wristbands but said it was looking at alternative ways of managing "the fair provision of support".
Jo Stevens, the shadow justice minister and Labour MP for Cardiff Central, had said earlier that she had "grave concerns" about the practice at Lynx House in Cardiff.
Forcing asylum seekers, who cannot work and are not given money, to wear the wristbands in Cardiff echoes the recent "red door" controversy in Middlesbrough, when refugees complained that having their doors painted red by G4S, the private firm contracted to house them, made them easy targets for abuse.
Asylum seekers made to wear coloured wristbands in Cardiff
The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, said he was appalled at the use of wristbands.
"This is completely unacceptable and goes against everything we stand for as a nation," he said. "My officials had been in touch with Clearsprings about this issue and I expect the Home Office to take action on this immediately. I will be contacting them today to register our serious concerns."
In a statement on Monday, Clearsprings Ready Homes said: "Asylum seekers who spend their initial few weeks at our full-board accommodation in Cardiff have been provided with wristbands since May 2015 to ensure they receive the services they are entitled to and to make sure those more vulnerable asylum seekers have access to their specific requirements.
"As in numerous such establishments where large numbers of people are being provided with services, wristbands are considered to be one of the most reliable and effective ways of guaranteeing delivery. We are always reviewing the way we supply our services and have decided to cease the use of wristbands as of Monday 25 January and will look for an alternative way of managing the fair provision of support."
Advertisement
The Guardian understands that asylum seekers were required to show wrist bands to receive the evening meal on Monday.
The firm said it had been providing such services to the Home Office for 15 years and was "grateful for feedback to help improve the safety and effectiveness of their services".
Stevens welcomed the move but said serious questions about the policy remained unanswered by the Home Office.
She praised the Guardian for raising the issue, and said that following her intervention and pressing from "local asylum seeker groups ... we have secured an end to this crass and unnecessary wristband policy".
"However, there remain serious questions which I'm raising with the Home Office minister about how this policy was allowed to operate in the first place and whether it is operating elsewhere in other Home office temporary accommodation units."
Stevens has been attempting to ask an urgent question in the House of Commons on Monday afternoon and has been contacting the whips' office. Her intervention followed a Guardian report on Sunday that asylum seekers housed by Clearsprings had been told to wear the wristbands at all times or they would not be fed.
It is believed Clearsprings will switch to a temporary manual system for identifying residents entitled to meals. Photo ID cards would be introduced within the next few weeks.
Stevens said on Sunday: "The reported abuse is completely unrepresentative of the kindness and generosity that my constituents and people across the whole of Cardiff have shown to asylum seekers and refugees over a long period of time."
She said she would petition in parliament for an investigation into why the practice had been permitted.

Asylum seekers with red doors in Middlesbrough speak out
Eric Ngalle, 36, spent a month in Lynx House, where initial accommodation is provided for asylum seekers, before he was granted refugee status in November 2015. He is now working as a writer and making a theatre production with the Arts Council of Wales.
"My time in Lynx House was one of the most horrible experiences in my life. I hated wearing the wristbands and sometimes refused to wear them and was turned away from food," he said.
"If we refused to wear the wristbands we were told we would be reported to the Home Office. Some staff implemented this policy in a more drastic way than others. I made a complaint about the wristbands to Clearsprings but nothing was done. We had to walk from accommodation about 10 minutes away to Lynx House to get food and sometimes when we were walking down the street with our wristbands showing.
"On the road we had to walk down there is often heavy traffic. Sometimes drivers would see our wristbands, start honking their horns and shout out of the window, 'Go back to your country.' Some people made terrible remarks to us.
"If you take off the wristband you can't reseal it back on to your wrist so if you want to eat you have to wear it all the time. Labelling them on a daily basis with silver, red or blue tags only serves as a reminder that they are still wearing the garments of an outcast."
Maher, 41, who recently stayed at Lynx House but has now been granted refugee status, said he was angry about being forced to wear the wristband.
"When you walk down the street all the local people who see this brightly coloured band know who we are and where we live," he said. "We feel we are not equal with this community. All the time I tried to hide the band so people could not see it."
Asylum seekers in the UK are not allowed to work or claim mainstream benefits. Some receive a small amount of money or an Azure card to use in supermarkets.
But newly arrived asylum seekers placed in what is known as initial accommodation by the Home Office receive neither money nor an Azure card. They are placed in hotel-style accommodation and given three basic meals a day.
Mogdad Abdeen, 24, a human rights activist from Sudan, spent three months in Lynx House at the end of last year. He has been moved to different accommodation in Cardiff while he waits for a decision on his claim.
"This wristband is discrimination, clear and simple. No band, no food. We are made to feel that we are second-class humans. People in Lynx House are scared of meeting new people in case they see the wristband and give them problems.
'When we complain about the wristbands nobody listens to us,' says Mogdad Abdeen. Photograph: Gareth Everett/Huw Evans Agency
"Sometimes when we are standing outside Lynx House queueing for food people shout out of their car windows 'refugee, refugee'. When we complain about the wristbands nobody listens to us."
When some of the occupants of Lynx House were asked if they were willing to be identified, all refused, saying they were scared they might be punished for speaking out. Instead they agreed to have their hands photographed wearing the bands.
Chloe Marong, the coordinator of the Trinity Centre in Cardiff, which supports asylum seekers and refugees, has expressed concern about the wristbands.
"We have raised concerns about these wristbands with the Home Office and Clearsprings but so far nothing has been done. These wristbands mark asylum seekers out and further stigmatises them in an already very hostile environment," she said.
Adam Hundt of Deighton Pierce Glynn solicitors said: "Concerns about this practice have been raised with us and we have been looking at it. Asylum seekers are a very scared and vulnerable group and the last thing they want to do is stand out from the crowd.
"In some areas it can be dangerous for them to do so, so it is easy to understand how asylum seekers feel they are being branded with these brightly coloured wristbands which draw unwelcome attention to them and make them feel ashamed. It is particularly concerning that wearing the wristbands is linked to whether or not they get food or go hungry. It should be possible to come up with a system to ensure that people are fed without publicly humiliating them and undermining race relations."


Nazis