Glasgow Immigration Offices occupied

Home Office Immigration offices occupied - Vehicle compound for 'Snatch squads' padlocked by protesters

Just after opening its doors this morning Wednesday 2nd November the Immigration Office in Brand Street, Ibrox, Glasgow was taken over by protestors and brought to a complete standstill in what is understood to be an all day occupation and effective shut down. It is understood that *Paddy Joe Hill, Tommy Sheridan MSP, church ministers and Sandra White MSP are amongst those occupying the building.

Brand Street immigration office is where asylum seekers go to report weekly with their children and where dawn raid victims are taken to be finger printed, photographed before being transferred to removal centres such as Yarl's Wood and Dungavel.

At the same time protesters were occupying the building. Another group of protesters went round to the back of the building where the entrance to the 'enforcement Unit' vehicle compound for the 'snatch squads' is and chained and padlocked the gates

The protestors are expecting to remain in the building until 5pm today. Paddy Hill, speaking for the protestors, said he had nothing but praise for the behaviour of the police

"Frankly I'm not surprised at the occupation and lock out. We are acutely aware of the growing unease about the inhumanities perpetrated by the Home Office under the 'reserved' issue of asylum. . The more people find out about what is happening, the more they feel ashamed of what's going on in our name. We have consistently made these views known to the First Minister since the removal of Saida Vucaj and her family on 13 September. But there was considerable disbelief and anger when the Kupeli family were removed on October 14, three weeks after the Scottish Parliament itself condemned dawn raids. And of course on 16 October, Tony McNulty, immigration minister then defended the raids and denied they were inhumane. What he miscalculated is that Scotland has a long tradition of welcoming strangers."

"The Home Office's practices on Scottish soil are now causing international embarrassment. If people feel their views are not being properly reflected by the Parliament to Westminster then you have a Braveheart situation and it is no wonder that Scottish people now feel compelled to take matters into their own hands and stand up to Westminster. What's clear right now is that things can't go on as they are and we need for our First Minister to end the shame and disgust right now and tell Westminster where to go with its constant undermining of One Scotland Many cultures, the fresh Talent Initiative and of course law abiding asylum seeker families who Scottish people want as friends and neighbours"
Robina Qureshi, director of Positive Action in Housing