Protests taking place NOW inside Harmondsworth Detention Centre
We received the following information from friends of Anti Raids, today 2 May 2014. For further information, contact the number below.
Presently there is a peaceful protest taking place in one of the courtyards of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre, near Heathrow (Europe’s largest migrant detention centre). Approximately 150 detainees are occupying the courtyard, sitting down in protest of the fast-track asylum system in which individuals claiming asylum are placed immediately in detention and held whilst their asylum cases are processed. Protesters are refusing to eat or to move. Security has started taking the ID cards from each individual involved in this peaceful sit down protest.
The demands of detainees are as follows:
– To be taken off the unfair fast track system.
– To not be treated as criminals by being locked up.
– For communications with lawyers to stop being interfered with (claims that faxes are often not received and letters to lawyers not sent by detention staff are being made).
– Access to adequate legal representation.
– The end of corrupt practices whereby governments including Pakistan and Nigeria are given payments to issue travel documents and accept deportees, including people who are not even from those countries.
Detainees have expressed the following sentiments:
– Detainee 1:
‘we don’t even know the meaning of fast track; they give us an interview today and decide tomorrow, it is not fair’
‘some people have gone back to their countries and been killed’
‘we are expecting letters from lawyers but don’t receive letters; we send letters and they don’t go out’
‘people need help, no one is going to eat food, no one is going for visits’
‘they are treating us like criminals in here’
– Detainee 2:
‘our point of view is this one, we are all put on fast track and have no proper time; just one day before we get decision then they finish our case within 5-6 days’ (talking about appeals and decisions)
‘we are not given time to get evidence if someone wants to save their life that’s why they come here…’
‘there is no time to prepare a case and we have to find all our own evidence’
‘80% of people in here have no solicitor’
‘they consider everyone the same, there is no proper time to make a claim, if someone needs evidence from their country it is not possible in 1 or 2 days to get this’
‘judges give decisions of appeals in the same day as they are heard’
‘99% of cases on fast track are refused’
– Detainee 3:
‘we are scared what will happen now, they are taking our IDs; they are taking us away 5 or 6 at a time’
‘we don’t know each other but we are all suffering in the same way’
‘there are about 150 of us sitting here’
For further information please contact:
The Unity Centre – 0141 4277992
www.unitycentreglasgow.org
They can also put you in phone contact with detainees inside Harmondsworth
** for further background on Harmondsworth see: http://detentionaction.org.uk/aboutus/about-harmondsworth-detention-centre