On Monday, 29th April, stories started circulating in the media that the Home Office were going to begin rounding up asylum seekers to be detained for removal to Rwanda. A cruel stunt designed to claw back votes in the upcoming local elections, this spread fear and panic through the communities we support.
Right to Remain scheduled an information webinar for 11am on the day of the Drop-In, so we rallied together Tuesday evening, found a projector, a screen, and a reliable Wi-Fi hub, and were ready on the Wednesday to host the webinar live at the Drop-In.
About 25-30 people attended. It was useful in letting people know what to do in the event they are detained, having emergency numbers written down and on their person at all times, but also from the perspective of what bystanders can do if they see a raid. Here’s what we learned:
- Make sure people know they do not have to answer questions and can leave.
- If they want to leave, walk away with them
- Film immigration officers and police. If someone is being detained, check whether they are happy for you to film them or only film officers.
- Interact with the officers. Ask why these specific people are being questioned
- SPREAD THE WORD. Tell people what’s happening, contact your local anti-raids group and tweet to @AntiRaids
