Oxford Migration Newswire Archive

Activists involved in struggles against detention centres arrived in Reading yesterday to say hello to our friends at ‘Global Expertise in Outsourcing’ (The GEO Group), who last year were awarded the contract to run Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre in Kidlington. Read more >>

Detainees held at Campsfield House, Oxfordshire, are understood to have been on hunger strike for 4 days now. 66 detainees, mainly Turkish and Kurdish, were logged as having skipped meals on Monday and are consuming only sugared water and coffee. They are protesting against the lack of information on how long their cases would take to be processed.

Recent detainees hungerstrikes: Families on Hungerstrike in Yarl's Wood Detention Centre | Hunger Strike in Colnbrook Detention Centre

Links: Campaign to Close Campsfield | National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns | UK NoBorders groups

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Today, four people from Oxford Student Action for Refugees (STAR) group and a random singer (me!) went to facilitate a singing workshop at Campsfield House Detention Centre.

Here's a personal account of the session.
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Anne Owers HM Inspector of Prisons (HMIP) has published today a report on Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), the UK's largest immigration removal centre, stating that it was not performing satisfactorily against ANY of the Inspectorate's tests of a healthy custodial environment and that poor relationships between custody officers and detainees were "worse than had been seen at any other detention centre" and was "Undoubtedly the poorest report" issued by HMIP of any IRC to date.
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Campsfield is an immigration removal centre on the outskirts of Kidlington, North of Oxford. Read more >>

Barbed Wire Britain, a network to end refugee and migrant detention, has produced a second volume of testimonies from immigration detainees, Voices From Detention II.

Amidst the political and media clamour about how many asylum seekers have been or need be deported, the voices of the system's victims are necessarily stifled. Would-be refugees are mere statistics, objects in a disgusting Dutch auction as to which political brand can wash whitest. And this why such a collection is an important tool in the struggle for rights and justice.

The volume is a collection of accounts by detainees in Tinsley House, Campsfield House, Rochester (HMP), Liverpool (HMP), Belmarsh (HMP), Lindholme, Harmondsworth, Yarlswood, Dungavel, Dover and Haslar. These are people for whom the unthinkable has happened. They have been imprisoned in the UK without charge, without conviction, without time limit. They have been imprisoned by the UK government, which boasts its democratic institutions.

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13 years too long. Read more >>

Those of you who have been around long enough will know that R.S.I are escorts and have allegedly been using undue force against detainees. GEO is the private company that runs Campsfield detention centre. Read more >>

This is an appeal to join the campaign against Fortress Europe. It is a possibility to express your opinion against the legislation soon to be discussed in the European Parliament. How many times do you get to influence EU legislation? Please see the website: www.no-fortress-europe.eu and join the 1600 people who have already signed. Please also circulate the petition. Thank you. Read more >>

Ramazan was only 18. He was born on New Year's Day 1987 in Pazarcik, Turkey, and died in Room 41 at Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC), Oxfordshire, some time before 3:30 am on the 27th June 2005. He had hanged himself with a fabric belt from the door-closing mechanism of his room, evidently because he was in despair at his impending removal from the country. Fellow-detainees, who knew of his fears, had tried to wake him for prayers and found the door would not open. Read more >>

Hello Everyone,
I just want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone, for their help and support. I am here today because of you guys. I am so honored to have met some of you and to even know your names. Thank you very much. May GOD grant all our wishes and GOD bless everyone of you. Thank you very much.
Antony





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THE HOME OFFICE INTENDS REMOVING Antony Aghayere, and "deport the evidence" of its brutality to refugees, on Thursday evening (13th July) at 22:00 aboard Virgin Atlantic Flight VS651 from Heathrow to Lagos, Nigeria. Read more >>

‘Please, deliver us from this racist prison of Colnbrook immigration removal centre.
We have been detained indefinitely without having committed any crime; our only one crime is to claim asylum in the UK.
1.Some of us still have appeals pending; our countries are not safe for us to go back voluntarily.
2. Some of us who want to go back, but we are hostage, SERCO (the private company that runs the centre) is making money from us.’
Colnbrook detainee Forum Read more >>

120 migrants detainees on hungerstrike in Campdfield Immigration Removal Center, near Oxford, went on hungerstrike last week to protest against conditions. Here is a letter some of the hungerstrikers wrote for the press. Read more >>

Protests Have Continued at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) north of Oxford with a yard-occupation last night by 25 inmates lasting until 5 am this morning, constantly-changing numbers refusing food at mealtimes, and sporadic violence.
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Here is a letter which the detainees on hunger strike at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre (at Kidlington near Oxford) have written. They started their hunger strike last Wednesday 14th June; 80 of them did not take breakfast, and they estimate that there are now about 120 on hunger strike. Read more >>

NCADC News Service
Message from 'Campaign to Close Down Campsfield'
Here is a letter which the detainees on hunger strike at Campsfield Immigration Removal Centre (at Kidlington near Oxford) have written. They started their hunger strike this morning Wednesday 14th June; 80 of them did not take breakfast, and they estimate that there are now about 120 on hunger strike. Read more >>

At a meeting in Oxford Town Hall this evening, on the mental-health consequences of UK immigration policy, the following statement was passed unanimously: Read more >>

Very beutifull and intresting ehibition at Woodstock Museum. Read more >>

Transport available from Reading to 8th April NoBorders demo @ Harmondsworth Detention Centre:

Unwaged/migrants etc can travel free, otherwise tickets are £13 (cheaper than public transport!) and are available by emailing ragecollective(AT)hotmail.co.uk (replace (AT) with @) or by phoning 07833 758317 (please leave a message)

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