La Bibby Stockholm, l’enorme “prison barge”as it was immediately renamed, had made its mark entrance in the waters of Portland last July 18, on the occasion of the approval of the new English immigration lawand today is preparing to welcome inside i first 50 asylum seekers. In the drawing anti-migranti of the Conservative government of Rishi Sunakthe irregulars will be crammed inside the boat, simply “moored” awaiting deportation, since the new legislation provides that anyone entering the UK illegally will not be able to apply for asylum, but will have to be held pending deportation to the country of origin or in a safe third country. The irregular arrival in the UK constitutes in practice impediment cause al recognition of any kind of protection: Asylum applications are then automatically declared inadmissible.
Since its introduction, many had expressed doubts about the conditions in which the migrants would live inside the barge. Now it’s the same firefighters unionFire Brigades Union, to write to Interior Minister Suella Braverman “to request a meeting regarding our concerns about the security of Bibby Stockholm,” they wrote in a Twitter post.
???? NEW | We have written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman to ask for a meeting about our safety concerns on the Bibby Stockholm.
As the union representing the overwhelming majority of firefighters, we are driven by the need to prevent loss of life and protect public safety. pic.twitter.com/Y1g0QYZpOY
— Fire Brigades Union (@fbunational) August 2, 2023
To welcome the bus with the migrants ready to be loaded onto the barge, a group of citizens gathered to express their solidarity and to protest against government policy: “More asylum applications were made in 2002 than in 2022, but that wasn’t the case. They are not handling their requests. That’s why they have to host them”, comments a woman interviewed by Sky News.
Local activists turn up outside the Bibby Stockholm barge with “welcome” signs.
“It’s really simple: Deal with the backlog. More people claimed asylum in 2002 than in 2022, but we didn’t have this. They’re not dealing with their claims. That’s why they have to house them.” ~AA pic.twitter.com/bfHxcN7GYs
— Best for Britain (@BestForBritain) August 7, 2023
Il Ministry of Interior for the moment he claims that the boat respects the security measures, recalling that it has in the past already hosted hosted workers of the sector oil and gas, as well as asylum seekers in other countries.
Since the approval of the new law on immigration, numerous voices have been raised even within the party of the Torybut the most heartfelt appeal had arrived by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Philip Grandi, according to which “the bill violates human rights e contrasts openly with legal obligations internationalcreating serious consequences for migrants seeking protection”.
On the subject of repatriationsthe Sunak government is currently considering the possibility of send asylum seekers on Ascension Islandand remote territory British overseas located inSouth Atlantic, if the plan to send him back to Rwanda fails. Great Britain has in fact signed a bilateral agreement with the African country for repatriations, but in June the London Court of Appeal stated the deal illegal. The government has announced an appeal against the Court’s sentence, the outcome of which will therefore be crucial for defining the fate of thousands of migrants and the future steps of the London government’s reception squeeze. The High Commissioner of the UNHCR himself had spoken out against the recognition of Rwanda as a “safe third country”, recalling the precedents of human rights violations of the refugees who were in his territory.