25 years too long! End detention! Brighton joins the demo at Campsfield

Campsfield may be closing but detention continues.

Over 30,000 people are taken from our communities and locked up in prison-like detention centres every year, purely because they do not (yet) have the correct immigration papers. There is no time limit on how long they can be held.

Campsfield House is one of these places. It was announced on 9 November that Campsfield is to close in May 1919, but detention continues all over the country - Colnbrook, Middlesex; Harmondsworth, Middlesex; Dungavel House, South Lanarkshire; Morton Hall, Lincolnshire; Tinsley House, Gatwick; Brook House, Gatwick; Yarl’s Wood, Bedfordshire.

Despite Campsfield's imminent closure we will still be joining the demonstration on Saturday 24 November to mark 25 years since the first detainees arrived at Campsfield and to call an end to all immigration detention.

The closure of Campsfield is a hard won human rights victory and testament to the growing political consensus that detention is an abuse of people’s human rights.

The Home Office said in its statement that the closure of Campsfield is part of a commitment to cut the number of people detained. Now is clearly the time to increase our resistance to ensure there is an end to all detention and an end to all aspects of the racist ‘hostile environment’ policy and border controls.

On Saturday 24 November we will be celebrating 25 years of resistance to Campsfield Detention Prison and commemorating of all those whose lives have been destroyed whilst incarcerated there.

We are meeting at Old Steine stop S (near the YHA hostel) at 8.30am. The bus will leave just before at 9.00am. We will be travelling in the a yellow Big Lemon bus. The demonstration starts at Campsfield main gates, Langford Lane OX5 1RE. 12 noon – 2.00pm.

Campsfield operates like a high security prison, run for private profit by Mitie, supervised by Home Office immigration officials. Many of the people held there are refugees fleeing danger, torture and even death from countries such as Iran, Iraq, Afghanistan and Somalia. Their status is that of asylum seeker whose claim is being ‘considered’ or whose claim has been refused. Others are ‘overstayers’ who have overstayed their visa, Foreign National Offenders who have committed a crime, served their sentence and then get double punishment – immigration detention and a deportation order – and some are detainees wanting to go home but who may wait in detention for months before arrangements are made, or in some cases removal is not possible, usually where those held are deemed to be stateless.

Accessibility at the demo: the main gathering is in a level car park and will not move. During the demo some people may move to other parts of the perimeter fence which can only be reached via narrow paths and uneven ground, but many people will remain in the car park.

Accessibility on the coach: there are three steps to board the coach and no wheelchair lift. Help getting on and off the coach will be available and wheelchairs can be stored in the luggage area.

Please get in touch if you have any accessibility needs we should know about for the journey.

Bring: Food, banners and placards, warm clothes and a waterproof coat in case it rains.

Please pay what you can. We want anyone who wants to come to be able to come but we also need to cover the costs of the bus. Please keep this in mind when you book your ticket.

Find out more about the campaign to Close Campsfield here.

Find out more about detention at These Walls Must Fall.