Refugees Are Not Criminals!

Seven activists from ARROW were arrested at Oakington Detention Centre near Cambridge, on its first day of operation (20th March), after blockading the entrance to prevent asylum seekers from being interned there. The seven were arrested for highway obstruction after sitting in the gateway to the site. The Detention Centre - situated on an old army base - is designed to hold 400 asylum seekers and will increase by 50% Britain's capacity for detaining asylum seekers. It is envisaged that claimants will be held only for about seven days while their claims are considered, but asylum figures show that in 45% of claims an initial decision takes six months or longer.

Oakington is described as a "reception centre" for asylum seekers by the Home Office. However, according to Amnesty International, "Oakington's principal aim is - by means of summary refusals, inadequate access to legal advice and the threat of longer-term detention elsewhere pending any appeal - to expel asylum seekers within days of arrival." One of those arrested said "Asylum seekers should be offered compassion and support. Instead, Britain offers imprisonment and a swift refusal of asylum claims. This is fundamentally unjust and we are committed to opposing this policy."

Since the opening, 6 asylum seekers have escaped. Police said they are not looking for them as they haven't committed any crime. Perhaps the police could pass that information on to Jack Straw.