As predicted, the top finally blew off the pressure cooker at Harmondsworth Detention Centre this week. Riot screws had to be bussed in from across the South-East to quell the prison uprising.

It all kicked off when prison guards tried to turn off a news programme detailing a report on the terrible treatment and conditions there at Harmondsworth. Chief of the Inspectorate (HMIP) Anne Owers’ damning report concluded the centre was not performing satisfactorily against any of the Inspectorate’s tests of a “healthy custodial environment”, that poor relationships between custody officers and detainees were “worse than had been seen at any other detention centre” and it was, “Undoubtedly the poorest report of any detention centre” issued by HMIP to date.

Reaction to the prison guards’ attempt at censorship snowballed and it took the Home Office 18 hours to restore control.

As the central bastion of the government’s racist immigration policy, Harmondsworth is run by profit-hungry private firm Kalyx. The company, despite claiming they provide “nationally recognised standards of service, delivered by high calibre staff”, have the unenviable prestige of the being responsible for the worst detention centre in the country. There have been constant complaints about treatment and a number of hunger strikes and suicides since in was opened in 2001.

It was actually temporarily closed after two took their own lives in July 2004, the initally peaceful response to which culminatated in a riot and extensive fire damage. Still, the authorities knew how to handle the problem - all those involved in the peaceful protest were moved to “secure cells” (solitary confinement) and anyone suspected of being an organiser shipped off to other centres.

Despite exhaustive re branding,changing from Burns International (they knew that name had to go!), to United Kingdom Detention Services, to now Kalyx (a subsidiary of French group Sodexho – see SchNEWS 545), the prison profiteers carried on as normal. Ill-treatment of the de-humanised inmates, bullying and abuse by staff have remained standard operating procedure. In 2005, fifty Zimbabwean detainees had to resort to hunger striking to improve conditions and more people have been pushed to the point of no return, such as Bereket Yohannes, a 26-year-old from Eritrea who was found hanged in January this year.

Partly because of the fire damage, all the inmates will now be moved off to other barely-any-better centres (see SchNEWS 538) and perhaps this time Harmondsworth will finally be shut for good. Whilst this would be welcome, ironically the people who would really relish this eventuality would be the British Airport Authority who would just love to see it cleared so they can build a proposed third runway at Heathrow. As ever with national immigration policy, it could be a lose-lose situation.

* For more info see www.noborder.org and www.ncadc.org.uk
Mass Demonstration at Harmondsworth and Colnbrook

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This Sunday, 3rd December, Assemble 12 noon at the detention centres - Colnbrook by Pass, Harmondsworth, West Drayton, UB7 0HB
* The Home Office to be Prosecuted for Recklessly Endangering Lives
* Full Public Inquiry into Home Office Repeated Failure to Act on HMIP Reports
* Immediate Closure of all Immigration Removal Centres

Called by Barbed Wire Britain, and for further details contact George Mwangi on tel: 07947 794945 Email:  georgemwas@yahoo.com www.barbedwirebritain.org.uk

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