Scores of protesters have surrounded a coach at an accommodation centre in Peckham, south London, to scupper the detaining of migrants earmarked for flights to Rwanda.
The activists formed a wall around the coach and lodged a rental scooter under the vehicle in order to prevent the transportation of the migrants.
Multiple police vehicles were at the scene at around 9.30am, though one officer told GB News the activists “would not speak” with them to communicate their demands.
Activists wore masks while chanting: “No detentions, no flights. Refugees have human rights”.
Protesters vowed not to move until authorities agreed to abandon their plans to detain the migrants
GB News
One anonymous attendee told GB News: “This bus is supposed to take migrants to the Bibby Stockholm.
“We, as a community are here to stop them and this will take place across the country”, before pointing at the rental scooter lodged under the coach.
Protesters vowed not to move until authorities agreed to abandon their plans to detain the migrants.
Pro-refugee attendees told GB News they had learned of the action via ‘call-out’ groups on social media and were not acting as one singular group.
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Protesters lodged a rental scooter under the coach that was due to transport migrants from the accommodation centre to Bibby Stockholm
GB News
GB News has approached Best Western London Peckham and the Met Police for comment.
Today’s events form the latest action taken by activist groups to scupper the government’s plans to deport illegal migrants to Rwanda.
Yesterday saw the Home Office detain the first migrants bound for Rwanda, a week after the plan was voted into law.
More detentions are expected to take place in the coming weeks, ahead of flights expected to take off at the begining of July.
Protesters surrounded the coach to stop it from leaving
GB News
Home Secretary James Cleverly said: “Our Rwanda Partnership is a pioneering response to the global challenge of illegal migration, and we have worked tirelessly to introduce new, robust legislation to deliver it.
“Our dedicated enforcement teams are working at pace to swiftly detain those who have no right to be here so we can get flights off the ground.
“This is a complex piece of work, but we remain absolutely committed to operationalising the policy, to stop the boats and break the business model of people smuggling gangs.”
Source Agencies
