Scotland Fight Racism! Fight Imperialism! supporters joined the ‘Stop The Rwanda Flights’ protest on Sunday 17 July outside ‘Dungavel House IRC’ (immigration removal centre), organised by Global Justice Now as part of actions across Britain. Protestors rightly called Dungavel out for what it is, A RACIST PRISON, enclosed by barbed wire, high steel walls, drones and located in an isolated spot of countryside, near Strathhaven, away from public eyes and scrutiny. British multinational Mitie, the largest private detention services provider in Britain, were awarded the Home office contract to ‘manage’ Dungavel prison in September 2021, taking over from US multinational Geo Group (see more here). Human misery is big money!
FRFI supporters called out British imperialism, defended by the racist state, as the real criminal and joined with others in asserting ‘Shut down Dungavel – no one is illegal’. We also highlighted that the ‘Tory Government’ is not the only enemy. All the big political parties are part of the machine which creates and allows such injustice. The Labour Government was responsible for the opening of the detention centres currently used across Britain, including Dungavel in 2001. The Scottish SNP Government claims to oppose Dungavel and the ‘Tories’ immigration system but they are inactive in protesting against it and totally silent when Police Scotland officers are used to brutally enforce it against protest.
Despite the petty attempts by Police Scotland officers and Mitie screws to block our entrance to the grounds of Dungavel and view through its walls and gates, we were still able to make contact with detainees, who joined in chanting, and shouted from their barred windows ‘we want freedom’. This fight for freedom cannot be separated from the wider fight for freedom for all working class and oppressed peoples across the world.
Smash British imperialism – smash the racist state!
Join the protest this coming Sunday 24 July 2022, 2 – 4pm outside Dungavel.
More details, including free transport from Glasgow and Edinburgh, and poster here
