The second demonstration to highlight the trial of four me n who were in Harmondsworth IRC at the time of the protest there on 28 November 2006 took place on Monday 21 January 2008 at Southwark Crown Court.
The Support the Harmondsworth 4 campaign demonstration was attended by representatives of London No Borders, Barbed-Wire Britain, Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism and the Payday Men’s Network
The trial is expected to last for six weeks and there will be a demonstration each Monday from 9 to 10.30am.
Southwark Crown Court
1 English Grounds
(off Battlebridge Lane )
Southwark
London SE1 2HU
(nearest tube London Bridge )
Harmondsworth is run by private company Kalyx, a subsidiary of Sodexho. The protest came the day after the publication of a damning inspection report by Chief Inspector of Prisons Anne Owers into conditions and treat me nt of detainees at Harmondsworth, and was allegedly triggered by the attempts of me mbers of staff to prevent a group of detainees from watching a news broadcast about the report. Prison riot squads were drafted in and about 50 detainees left in a courtyard all night, while others were locked in their rooms even though parts of the detention centre were on fire.
See here for photos of the demo on 14 January
http://noborders.org.uk/News/DemonstrationJan14 See here for letter from two of the Harmondsworth 4 to Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism!
http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org/racism/letter_harm4.html Background
Robert Whalley: 'Report of the Investigation into the disturbances at Harmondsworth and Campsfield House Immigration Removal Centres'.
http://www.irr.org.uk/pdf/Whalley_report.pdf (pdf file, 496kb) Liberty report: Excerpts from Witness State me nts
http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/pdfs/excerpts-witness-state me nts.pdf (pdf file, 128 kb) Report on an unannounced inspection of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
http://inspectorates.ho me office.gov.uk/hmiprisons/inspect_reports/irc-inspections.html/Harmondsworth1.pdf?view=Binary (pdf file, 464kb) The Support the Harmondsworth 4 campaign is supported by London No Borders, Barbed-Wire Britain , Campaign Against Racism and Fascism, Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism, All African Wo me n's Group, Wo me n of Colour in the Global Wo me n's Strike, the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns London Anarchist Black Cross, Iraq Solidarity Campaign and North West Asylum Seekers Defence Group.
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