Skip to content or view screen version

Demonstration outside Harmondsworth and Colnbrook detention centres

Chiara for freedom of movement | 21.02.2005 14:38

I am happy to say the demonstration was a success. About 60 people attended coming from London, Oxford, Manchester, even Norwich...

The weather was cold but very sunny. We started gathering in front of the two detention centres, where the police had built a little pen for us.
We displayed our banners and the Raised Voices choir began singing some beautiful songs.
They had only just started when we heard some loud drumming and saw a pink samba band marching between the two detention centres and coming towards us. They were the
Queers Without Borders supported by some members of Rythms of Resistance, who had just sneaked with their drums and banners inside the forbidden area.
Everybody was delighted to see them -except the police and the prison guards of course- and we moved outside our pen to greet them, shouting 'no borders, no nations, stop deportations' as loud as we could. The singing than resumed, followed by an open mic. There were two men fom Cameroon and Iran who did two very good speeches, stating that is inequality and the privileges of the rich that cause people to migrate. There where campaigners from all the major anti-detention and anti-deportation campaigns south of Manchester, who shared their experinces.
We had hoped in bigger numbers, particularly for more people coming from London, but even so...As somebody commented, we had in quality what we did not have in quantity. It is also very important that some activity has resumed against detention at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook.
After the speeches we moved on the side of Colnbrook detention centre in order to be seen and heard from the detainees. We left shortly before 2pm, not to give a pretext to stop the visits.

ps. can somebody please send photos, mine are still in the camera.

Chiara for freedom of movement
- e-mail: freemovement@btinternet.com