The picket started at midday in the burnt-down Wagon and Horses pub's car park opposite Sheldon Court, with a stall, placards, banners and pictures of Babak Ahadi. Protesters had also printed out a BBC Online article about Babak to hand out. Many passers-by seemed bewildered as they wouldn't otherwise have been able to tell from the anonymous building that people's fates are determined here.

According to Home Office statistics, 14,685 appeals against the Home Office's initial decision were determined by the IAT in 2006/07, 47% less than 2005/06 (27,975). Of these, 74% were dismissed and 21% were allowed, which is roughly the same in 2005/06 (75% dismissed and 20% allowed). Immigration judges often dismiss cases because appellants cannot provide evidence supporting their claims, regardless of tonnes of 'objective evidence', as the jargon has it, to the same effect.

After a while, two of Sheldon Court's management approached the protesters asking what this was about. Confronted with an Indymedia camera, they claimed that we did not have the right to film them without their permission, which is, of course, rubbish. Not getting anywhere, they went off to "call the police." While waiting for them, however, one of them took out his expensive mobile phone and started taking pictures of the protesters, which seemed a bit funny given what he had just said.

A while later, four cops arrived in a police van. After some negotiations inside, they came to the picket asking, very politely, what it was about and when it was going to finish. They also confirmed that protesters had the legal right to film whatever they wanted and that Sheldon Court's staff have been "educated about the matter."