“We are human beings, not cattle.”
Eduardo fled his home country after being kidnapped. Three months after he arrived in the UK seeking asylum, he was taken to Penally barracks in Wales.
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Eduardo fled his home country after being kidnapped. Three months after he arrived in the UK seeking asylum, he was taken to Penally barracks in Wales.
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“They came in the middle of the night and took us,” Eduardo says.
He was given no time to gather his possessions.
“I was so upset, scared, I had no idea what was happening.”
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He was given no time to gather his possessions.
“I was so upset, scared, I had no idea what was happening.”
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“Everyone was so scared because Penally looks like a jail. I have never been inside a prison but it felt like one.”
“The heaters weren't working, most of the showers weren’t working and there was no soap or toilet paper most of the time.”
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“The heaters weren't working, most of the showers weren’t working and there was no soap or toilet paper most of the time.”
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Eduardo says they had been chosen for the barracks because they were young and fit.
He says he was put in a room with six people and that he was terrified of catching Covid-19.
“You have to share EVERYTHING… there were no safety measures put in place”.
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He says he was put in a room with six people and that he was terrified of catching Covid-19.
“You have to share EVERYTHING… there were no safety measures put in place”.
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He says there was little to stop Covid-19 from spreading through the barracks.
“The whole camp was the bubble. Of course, it spread easily. There were 200 people there. It took just one guy to spread it to the whole camp."
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“The whole camp was the bubble. Of course, it spread easily. There were 200 people there. It took just one guy to spread it to the whole camp."
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Eduardo and some of the other men freed from the barracks have been doing everything they can to work with NGOs to get the men left inside the medical care they need.
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“Most of them are coming from countries where they have been mistreated by the police, and going to a military site is giving them flashbacks.
“We’re trying to take care of each other.”
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“We’re trying to take care of each other.”
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Eduardo's solidarity with other people seeking asylum left in the barracks is nothing short of heroic.
People like Eduardo enrich our communities - we should be welcoming them with open arms. 💕
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People like Eduardo enrich our communities - we should be welcoming them with open arms. 💕
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