Skip to content or view screen version

Riot At Campsfield Detention Centre!

Mahir-Ejderha | 16.03.2007 13:22

On Wednesday 14 March 2007, another riot began at Campsfield Detention Centre, near Kidlington in Oxfordshire, after racist staff tried to drag an Algerian detainee from his room at around 6:30am, to deport him.
Uprising at Campsfield immigration prison

Detainees appear to have tried to prevent this, and the riot began. As a result the racist and repressive British government sent in 35 police officers and a dozen officers of "Torando Teams" carrying shields to Campsfield. Tornado teams, previously called 'Mufti Squads', are a highly-trained, fast-response team of riot squad prison officers. Following the ill treatment of two detainees, both from DRCongo, they ended up in hospital, along with seven immigration staff! According to reports, a detainee being at held Campsfield said, 'They used force to drag the person from the bed and after that everything kicked off'. The brave detainees are 'destroying every bit of equipment they can find...' Police, fire and ambulance teams are apparently still at Campsfield., along with helicopter hovering overhead, police dog units and mounted police now patrolling the perimeter of the centre.


Campsfield Detention Centre is run by a private US company - GEO UK Ltd, but ultimately by the racist Labour government, who use private companies to try and absolve themselves from the responsibility of repressing immigrants and for profit.

The North West Asylum Seekers Defence Group (NWASDG) calls for all detention centres, such as Campsfield, to be closed down and all detainees being held to released immediately. Seeking asylum is not a crime!

Retrieved from " http://www.asylum-seekers-defence.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=RIOT_AT_CAMPSFIELD_DETENTION_CENTRE%21"

Mahir-Ejderha

Additions

clarification

17.03.2007 08:57

the 7 staff who went to hospital were to be checked out for smoke inhalation, as were the 2 detainees one of whom was not from DRC and the other I don't know nationality of.

bobby


Comments

Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments

Hidden Comment

This posting has been hidden because it breaches the Indymedia UK (IMC UK) Editorial Guidelines.

IMC UK is an interactive site offering inclusive participation. All postings to the open publishing newswire are the responsibility of the individual authors and not of IMC UK. Although IMC UK volunteers attempt to ensure accuracy of the newswire, they take no responsibility legal or otherwise for the contents of the open publishing site. Mention of external web sites or services is for information purposes only and constitutes neither an endorsement nor a recommendation.

Untrue Article

27.06.2007 15:11

This article is very bias towards the detainees, acting in defense of them. I was in Campsfield that day when the riot was happening and I was stuck in a two bed bedroom laying on the floor while smoke filled the room. At first I made the mistake of opening the door, only to find a wall of flames. I got the attention of officers through my room's window and remained on the floor.

Within quarter-of-a-hour seven officers had put out the whole blaze, way before the fire brigade arrived, and rescued me from my almost certain deathtrap.
The officers, I have my life to thank for. The detainees who set alight the block - I only hope god saw their actions that day, as they left me to die in that room.

I ended up going to the hospital with the officers, who were fine. They got told to go to the hospital as it was procedure, they found the whole incident interesting and just wanted to get back to help their colleagues, which they all ended up doing. I, on the otherhand was not fine, and have only just got over the effects of the smoke damage to my lungs. I did not get to leave hospital as soon as the officers.

The detainees who caused the riot were algerian (you need to made sure you get these things right). They started the fire because officers removed their friend for his flight, which he didn't want to go on. By their actions you would have thought they, themselves, were being deported that day.

I have nothing but respect for those officers who helped me that day and nothing but hate for the detainees who played with my life.

Ahmed


Hide 1 hidden comment or hide all comments