Outside the Home Office for @novaramedia, live tweeting today’s demo against the #Rwanda deportations which are set to begin tomorrow. Protesters are starting to gather in earnest, as police struggle to usher traffic down Marsham Street.
.@bencsmoke is leading speakers today; he starts by noting the presence of @HackneyCopWatch and Legal Observers to support in response to police presence.
It appears there are two concurrent protests happening outside the Hone Office; one organised by a coalition of rights organisations and the other, reportedly, by Stand Up To Racism.
“We are here because we refuse to be turned against each other by arbitrary accidents of birth” -
Nikki from @sdetsup says government has the “audacity” to use the language of protection to justify their deportation policies.
Nikki recounts a conversation with a detained man at Sunday’s demo outside Brook House detention centre and his plea for those on the outside to stand up to the hostile environment.
“We stand to make our voices stand in solidarity, not just to make sure that plane doesn’t fly tomorrow, but that it never flies” - Nikki @sdetsup
Mary from @JCWI_UK outlines experience of asylum seekers detained, who allegedly given single page leaflets on Rwanda as the notice they were being detained.
“We know this sounds unbelievable to many; we are complicit in the pain the Home Office has caused” - Mary reads out a statement from an anonymous group of Home Office staff as someone shouts from the crowd “Quit your jobs!”
“I’m proud of my union” says Hector from @BARACUK, about the PSC union’s public opposition to the Rwanda plan, before referencing Paddington Bear’s refugee status
Hundreds of people here as crowd led in chants of “No borders, no nations, stop deportations’. Seems as though the SUTR duelling speakers have now stopped, with crowd joining together.
“Thiis anti-deportation is so widespread and it’s growing. From Hastings...to anti raids groups...to Glasgow... to my ends, Kensal Rise. This is a more lively demonstration of a movement than we’ve seen in decades” says Crissie from Global Women’s Strike
Crissie slams @UKLabour and @Keir_Starmer: “Labour could have supported the movement but they were whipped to abstain and sit on their tuns by Keir Starmer”.
Widespread shouts of “Shame!” from crowd
“We want to create a world where everyone comes together” says @bencsmoke. “And that’s why we’re going to have a dance break”
‘Borders’ by M.I.A blares out
Speeches resume with Maddy from AlarmPhone, a support hotline for people crossing the Mediterranean. “We refuse the border on land, we refuse the border at sea” says Maddy, speaking about the organisation’s work.
“Six weeks ago an immigration alert was circled in New Cross and 30 people turned up to the scene,” says next anon speaker from Lewisham Anti Raids. “On Saturday, one went out from Peckham and 200 people turned up. AND WE WON”.
Huge cheers from crowd.
“The state is systematically cleansing the country of the traveller community who wish to exist peacefully [...],” they say. “But the turnout in Peckham shows the movement is only growing. Get organised, join your local anti-raids groups”. Spontaneous crowd chant:“we will win!”
Edwin from @IWGBunion references recent immigration raid on couriers in Dalston. “The police are a farce, the state is a farce because we, the people have the power”.
You can read more about that raid and its context on @novaramedia: novaramedia.com/2022/05/17/cou…
Rabbi Gluck gives a hugely powerful speech, referencing UK gov turning away 1000s of Jewish refugees to their deaths in the Holocaust.
“When the government wants to show that it cares about the Holocaust, the answer is not to make monuments, the answer is to let refugees in”.
@AmarDeepSinghD gets a huge cheer on ascending the podium, representing Lesbians and Gays Support The Migrants.
Urges attendees to come to St. James’ Park this Sat if they would like to get involved with new campaign ‘the Homo Office
"The government has ensured that the hostile environment endures on the beaches of Calais and Dunkirk - there are no safe and legal routes. Safe routes would stop the traffickers [...] Instead the British government have turned into traffickers" - Tom from @Care4Calais
Tom pays tribute to the lawyers who've tried to stop the #Rwanda plan: "I'm no fan of lawyers but hats off to them". Says it can't be left in their hands though - it must be grassroots people power that leads. "It's going to be a long and difficult fight"
Final speech of the protest is from @migrantsorg. Continues the theme of keeping up focused direct action. Real momentum in the air. Turnout is huge.
As protest ends and demonstrators stream away, the police detain a person as the crowd attempt a de-arrest
Officers start to use force as they move the detained person behind fences at the Home Office to question him. You can see this officer go into beserker mode and go after someone who's already moved away.
After a tense standoff of about 10 minutes, with crowds shouting "Shame on you!" and "Let him go!" the detained person has handcuffs removed and is released, to cheers. People now making their way home.
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