Illegal immigrants trying to remain in Britain protested their treatment at the country's largest detention center on Wednesday, spilling out of their rooms and lighting fires to draw attention to their plight.
The protest came only one day after a government report detailed alleged mistreatment of detainees by the staff.
In a statement on Wednesday night, Lin Homer, director general of the Immigration Nationality Directorate (IND) said the disturbances were being brought under control and some detainees were being moved from Harmondsworth to other facilities.
Some 150 failed asylum seekers or other illegal entrants due to be deported would have to be freed on bail to make room for them, she said.
"The situation at Harmondsworth remains contained," Homer said. "The perimeter remains secure and no one has escaped. There has been no risk to the public."
Homer said Harmondsworth holds around 500 people, all awaiting deportation.
"This [unrest] appears to have been a deliberate attempt at sabotage in order to frustrate these processes."
`SOS FREEDOM'
Detainees spelled out the message "SOS Freedom" with what appeared to be sheets in the courtyard of the center, footage from Sky News showed.
There were no known injuries among the staff or the 482 detainees, a Home Office spokeswoman said, speaking on condition of anonymity in keeping with government policy.
"Police have assisted the prison and immigration services by securing the perimeter and there is absolutely no risk to the public," a spokeswoman said.
The detainees are failed asylum seekers or those detained for illegally entering the country or overstaying their visas.
POOR MANAGEMENT
Their protest came after the Chief Inspector of Prisons released a report which described poor relations between the staff and prisoners.
"We attributed these poor relationships, which were worse than any we have seen elsewhere, at least in part to the center management's overemphasis on physical security and control," Chief Inspector Anne Owers wrote in the report.
"Many of the rules and systems would have been considered over-controlling in a prison, let alone a removal center," she wrote.
The facility, operated by Kalyx, a private company that builds prisons and provides management, was consistently not meeting government standards, according to the report.
"This is undoubtedly the poorest report we have issued on an immigration removal center," Owers said in a statement.
Labor Party lawmaker John McDonnell wrote to Home Secretary John Reid, expressing concern at Kalyx's management of the facility.
The detention center has grown from 20 or 30 beds to a massive complex capable of holding 500 detainees in a few years, McDonnell said.
In his letter, McDonnell -- whose electoral district covers Harmondsworth -- urged the government to take over control of the center from Kalyx, which has a contract to operate the facility until 2008.
DETAINEE SURVEY
More than 60 percent of detainees told government inspectors that they felt unsafe during a surprise visit in July. More than 40 percent said they had been bullied by staff.
Owers was most worried that a plan that had been developed and presented after a detainee hanged himself in July 2004 "was a purely bureaucratic exercise which had had no impact on the center's practices."
The suicide triggered a riot at Harmondsworth in July 2004.
More than 400 detainees at the center lit fires, destroyed security cameras and smashed windows, resulting in more than US$9.7 million in property damage.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
CONTROVERSY: During the performance of Israel’s entrant Yuval Raphael’s song ‘New Day Will Rise,’ loud whistles were heard and two people tried to get on stage Austria’s JJ yesterday won the Eurovision Song Contest, with his operatic song Wasted Love triumphing at the world’s biggest live music television event. After votes from national juries around Europe and viewers from across the continent and beyond, JJ gave Austria its first victory since bearded drag performer Conchita Wurst’s 2014 triumph. After the nail-biting drama as the votes were revealed running into yesterday morning, Austria finished with 436 points, ahead of Israel — whose participation drew protests — on 357 and Estonia on 356. “Thank you to you, Europe, for making my dreams come true,” 24-year-old countertenor JJ, whose
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
RSS