Support people resisting prison barge transfers, raids and detention in London

Support people resisting prison barge transfers, raids and detention 

Earlier this year, people across London came together to support and care for their neighbours and residents seeking asylum who were targeted for transport to the inhumane prison barge, the Bibby Stockholm, subject by immigration raids and detained at reporting centres. 

In Peckham and in Elephant & Castle, since May, hundreds of us united to support our friends living in local hostels and prevent the Home Office taking them to the inhumane prison barge, the Bibby Stockholm. Similarly, people have attempted to resist detention at reporting centres in Croydon and Hounslow.

People showed up early in the morning and in numbers, coming before work and during, while bravely resisting violent police attacks. In Peckham, a self-deflating tyre and re-spawning lime bikes also played an important role.

Unfortunately, and in the face of police and immigration enforcement violence, more than 50 people have been arrested and detained by police, while a number of our friends at hostels have become unhoused or faced other repercussions from the Home Office. The state is now prosecuting those people, and they are facing significant legal fees.

We are seeking to fundraise for these reasons:

• For legal fees and support for the arrestees who have been targeted and arrested and charged for resisting removals, detention and raids. Multiple people have already been charged for obstruction of a highway, with trials already starting, and throughout the autumn. 
  
  

• To support our neighbours and friends seeking asylum who are living in these local hostels. They have been forced to live in basic hostel accommodation with few facilities, inhumanely surrounded by guards. They have been given meagre amounts to live on weekly and are not allowed to work to support themselves. The Home Office has tried to punish them for claiming asylum here, using bureaucracy to cause misery. 
  
  

Background 

The Bibby Stockholm is a barge located in a port in Portland, Dorset. It was purchased by the government to provide ‘cheap’ accommodation for asylum seekers. It is an inhumane place, isolated from society in a walled-off port environment, and with extremely unpleasant, cramped conditions, with up to six people in cabins designed for just one or two. It is immigration detention in everything but name. Reports have highlighted rancid food, bed bugs, and degrading treatment of residents.

We know it is not a safe place. Serious diseases have been found in the water supply, and at least one person has taken their life there as a result of the conditions. It is used by the Home Office as a stepping stone for deportation, with some people taken from there to ‘official’ immigration detention and served with notices of removal to Rwanda.

Over the last month, people seeking asylum have also been detained at immigration reporting centres and told they will be deported to Rwanda under the government’s disgusting, racist regime.

Our friends deserve care and community. We reject the Home Office attempts to prevent this. Many of them are already rooted in the local communities, attending education and volunteering for local charities. We want to be able to support them to continue to build their lives in their community and to receive the care they deserve.

We know many people want to support, but for many good reasons aren’t able to attend these resistances in person. If you are able to donate to this cause instead, please do.

In the event that any funds remain unused, the remainder will be used for grassroots migrant solidarity work, with funds split between anti-raids groups, Solidarity Detainee Support and Green & Black Cross.

(This fundraiser was originally on JustGiving, but the platform took down the page and returned all donations).