A group of No Borders activists took banners out into the busy area of Camden, this saturday. We were able to draw attention to the involvement of Barnardos in the detention of children and families at The Cedars, near Gatwick airport, to the crowds that pass through Camden market and high street.
The trauma that young kids suffer in dawn raids, the depression and anxiety that many go through in being torn away from family, friends, school, neighbours, pets, marks another deeply shameful episode in the history of Barnardo's - as shameful as the quickly-smoothed-over forced migration of children to Australia right up to 1967. When the government was forced to apologise to those whose lives were scarred by this, Barnardo's responded: "Barnardo’s welcomes the apology from the British Government. We believe that what happened was misguided, despite it being an accepted policy at the time."
Yet still they repeat the mistake of enabling forced migration of children.
We will continue to keep up the pressure on Barnardo's until they withdraw from the policy of child detention.