Following a yard-protest by over 150 detainees on Tuesday night, a
hunger strike on Wednesday, a long, angry meeting with Home Office
representatives on Friday followed by a further yard protest Friday
night, the centre has in the last few hours narrowly escaped total
meltdown. Even so, a contact inside the centre reckons that "between
20 and 50" have escaped. As we left the centre at just after 1am we
heard that perhaps 7 had been recaptured.

We had the first message just after 10.30 yesterday evening:
detainees were being evacuated into the yard because of a fire in the
centre's makeshift kitchen - a Portakabin where the centre's detested
diet of chips is prepared. There was a risk the large gas bottles
stacked outside would explode.

Then, at about 10:45, we heard that a group of detainees were
smashing through the back gate.

When we got to the centre at (I think) about eleven thirty the
detainees were just being marshalled back into their cells and locked
in. A helicopter was circling around. No fewer than eight fire
appliances were there. Hoses were being paid out although the kitchen
fire had reportedly been extinguished.

Then our contact phoned (it might have been just before 1 am) to say
that a new fire had broken out in one of the accommodation blocks.
They were all being evacuated into the yard again. Then another call:
another group were going to try to break out. This didn't succeed.
About 6 police vehicles were already at the side gate, with dogs in
vans, and some officers donning riot gear. There was a moment of
drama when the "spacemen" approached the penned-in detainees and were
pelted mud, small stones and insults.

It looked as if that was about it, so we came home. No messages since.

Sunday morning 7.30am, detainees went back inside the centre at
6.30am and are now 'Locked down' with police lining the corridors of
Campsfield IRC.


Source: Message from the Campaign to Close Campsfield

Protest against reporting and detention centres!
Demonstrate outside the UK Immigration Service
Communications House
210 Old Street, London, EC1V 9BR
(nearest tube – Old Street )
TUESDAY 7 AUGUST 1 – 2PM
Tel: 0207 837 1688
Email:  defendasylumseekers@yahoo.co.uk

Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! demonstrates monthly outside Communications House. We dedicate this month’s protest to solidarity with the detainees at Campsfield.

IT IS NO CRIME TO FLEE FROM ILLEGAL IMPRISONMENT!
CLOSE DOWN CAMPSFIELD HOUSE AND ALL IMMIGRATION PRISONS!