Yesterday a noise demonstration was held outside the detention centre at Coquelle, Calais. Coquelle detention centre is purpose built to hold 'sans papiers' (people without papers). Detainees are incarcerated for up to 40 days, persecuted primarily because of their nationality and income.

In solidarity with those detained Calais No Borders / Calais Migrant Solidarity went to the prison with banners, make-shift instruments and lots of whistles. After sneaking round to the back fence lots of noise was made right outside the building with many people inside joining in, shouting and waving out the windows. Food and cigarettes were thrown over the fence towards the open windows and met with cheers from inside.

Recently the detention centre has been over crowed with people sleeping in crammed rooms or over-spilling into the corridor. People have also not been getting much food and it is often non Halal so many of the Muslim detainees are eating very little other than white rice. They are also being denied access to the outside yard. There have been rumours that four people managed to escape a couple of weeks ago and since then conditions have become worse.

Coquelle detention is of course just one small branch of the violent system of detention centres and prisons across Europe. The number of centres and incarcerated people without papers is increasing, strengthening borders and systems of segregation; building bigger and higher walls and barriers between people.

Support people without papers and bring these barriers down.