Glasgow Protest: Lakhvir Singh was detained along with Sumit Sehdevi when the UK Border Agency ordered a raid on a Glasgow street this morning. With lawyer Jelina Berlow Rahman, Trustee of Positive Action in Housing, who has taken up the cases alongside Latta & Co Solicitors.
Campaigners expect further dawn raids in Glasgow amid Priti Patel’s draconian plans to increase immigration enforcement despite the numbers of asylum seekers coming to the U.K. being at their lowest ever.
Police authorities now face questions about the level of cooperation with “dawn raids”, as immigration enforcement by early morning surprise raids are impossible without the presence and cooperation of Police Scotland.
Robina Qureshi, Director of Positive Action in Housing, refugee and migrant homelessness charity which led the campaigns to end dawn raids in Scotland 16 years ago said:
“We have been here before. If Police Scotland don’t attend these raids in our communities, then Home Office immigration enforcement simply will not carry out dawn or early morning raids. If Police Scotland don’t accompany immigration enforcement vans, then the vans do not go out. So all that needs to happen to stop the continued harassment of our communities is for Police Scotland, backed by the Scottish Government, to decline an invitation to accompany these vans. It’s as good as putting the padlocks on the whole operation, which is no bad thing.
“The scenes of yesterday are reminiscent of Mary Barbour’s rent strikes, it was a small victory in the face of the Home Secretary’s brutal new plan for immigration but it’s what happens when you turn up mob handed in the heart of Glasgow’s Muslim community on their Holy Day in a city with a tradition of protest.”
dawnraids #glasgow #refugeeswelcome #nopasaran