NO FLOATING PRISONS
Dear Suella Braverman,
We, the undersigned, are writing to express deep concern about the proposal to house asylum-seekers arriving to the UK on the barge ‘Bibby Stockholm’ as of July 2023.
For many asylum-seekers arriving in the UK, the sea represents a site of significant trauma as they have been forced to cross it on one or multiple occasions. Housing asylum seekers on a sea barge - which we believe is equal to a floating prison - threatens to retraumatise a group of already vulnerable people.
As we understand it, the barge is currently being modified to increase its capacity from 220 to 500, which means people will be tightly packed into rooms with no privacy and little ability to move freely. Conservative MP Richard Drax has himself expressed concerns about unanswered questions such as how asylum seekers will be able to come and go safely through the port, what activities they will be provided with and how sufficient healthcare will be ensured.
When the Bibby Stockholm was used by the Dutch government to detain migrants in the 2000s, it is reported that one person died, and there were cases of rape and abuse onboard.
It is without question that this is an inappropriate solution - morally, ethically, and logistically - for the question of where to house asylum-seekers upon arrival to the UK.
As the refurbishment works have not yet begun, we urge you to reconsider this decision and to establish a working group consisting of MPs, housing experts, trauma experts and civil society actors to move forward on establishing an appropriate solution for asylum-seekers’ accommodation.
Yours sincerely,
Organisations:
Reclaim The Sea C.I.C
Channel Rescue
The Game Plan
The Worldwide Tribe
Bees & Refugees
Phone Credit For Refugees
Anti-Raids Plymouth
Refugee Legal Support (RLS)
International Surf Therapy Organization
Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families
Surf Therapy C.I.C
Free Humanitarians
Napier Friends
Individuals:
Tigs Louis-Puttick
Rebecca van der Veer
Flo Gregory
Ella Nevill
Miyka Porcelli
Pauline Fritz
Laurence Louis-Puttick
Kate Vogiatzis
Alexandra Becker
Annie Molloy
Steven Martin
Christian Algar
Layla Mackie
Marine Coullard
Izzy Riley
Elizabeth Moreton
Stephen Moreton
Amy Kenealy
Bernie Moreton
James Moreton
Chantel Yasmin Wheatley
Ben Brondesma
Connor Mower
Paolo Peluso
Jasmine O’Hara
Emily Holmes
Rachel Bowen
Jasmin Dorinda
Martha Nash
Dani Green
Tom Brine
Daisy Taylor
Magda Cienciala
Chelsey King
Rebecca Annells
Rebecca Seabrook
Olivia Brodie-Stuart
Owen Robinson
Sahar Seidl
Darya Laris
Iona Kerr
Georgia Howton
George Colville
Roseanna Freiburghaus
Oliver Mackie
Katherine Schimmel
Finn Chapman
Ciara Lithgow
Anaëlle Ménage
Ali Alzein
Hondee Gongolo
Mariana Vale
Declan Onley
Arkan Asaad Houssini
Wren du Plessis
Joey Swan
Beck Rouse
Zazie Schilke
Vanessa Van Kleef
Megan Lindsay
Ilse de Wit
Georgie Ambrose
Cordelia Roberts
Abigail Cooper
Jenny Thompson
Ellie Murphy
Lize Gibson-Hall
Kirsty Matthews Nicholass
Eleanor Gilbert
Maxime Laigasse
Olivia Mantoura
Fauzi Mantoura
Sarah Layton
Rosi Reusing
Ffion Denman
Ben Galvin
Olivia Elwood
Emelie Aichholzer
Sophie Ferch
Harry Scott
Efi Stathopoulou
Eloise Levien
Phil Owen
Harris King
Belle Heaton
Maayan Halevi
Eliza Sherlock
Stephanie Wells
Rhea Dhingra
David Starley
Heather Shimmer
Emily Roach Osborne
Linzi Hawkin
Carolina Salgueiro Pereira
Kate Flanagan
Michaela Robinson
Linsey Walklin
Ruth Cooper-Haime
Maxine Canvin
Tom Pugh-Jones
Thomas Appleton
Orla Renton
Kris Primacio
Anja Kurtz
Olivia Cash
Melaine Le Bars
Adrienne Humphreys
Maximilian Kratz
Ellen Harrison
Rachel Zanetti
Katherine Kirkham
Alessia Zancan
Sara Bartosova
Martina Burtscher
Bella Biddle
Dee Hall
Elèna Santioli
Ella Witt
