More than a hundred asylum seekers held in UK immigration detention centres staged overnight protests against the government's controversial 'one in, one out' agreement with France, with footage showing officers equipped with riot shields, dogs, and teargas being deployed to quell the action.
Peaceful Protest Escalates Into Confrontation
The coordinated demonstrations took place on Wednesday night across the two main detention facilities used for the scheme: Harmondsworth, near Heathrow, and Brook House, near Gatwick. Detainees told the Guardian they were peacefully resisting removal, citing fears for their safety. They argued that while France is generally safe, some had received specific threats from people smugglers there. Others expressed anxiety that under EU law, they could be sent from France to another EU nation and ultimately forcibly returned to their countries of origin, where they believe their lives would be in danger.
Initially, the protest was calm. One message from detainees read: "All is good. More than 60 here [at Harmondsworth] and 50 at Brook House, all protesting in a very nice and safe way." They reported being locked in a hall without access to toilets, rest, or food and drink. However, the situation deteriorated when authorities intervened.
Reports of Violence and Use of Force
Protesters described a violent turn of events. One detainee, who feared smugglers in France, sent messages stating officers with riot shields and police dogs had arrived. In a subsequent phone call at 2.14am on Thursday, he alleged he had been beaten, saying, "I have a terrible pain in my head, I have been locked in a room by myself. The situation is very bad."
Another participant, contacted in the early hours, reported the use of teargas and special forces. A message sent at 3.33am stated: "They brought special forces for us, they used [teargas], they took us by force inside rooms, they took the ones who have tickets by force. We are in pain, our eyes and bodies are burning."
Controversial Scheme and Wider Context
The protests targeted the 'one in, one out' scheme, which sees a minority of those crossing the Channel in small boats detained for forcible removal to France, while the majority have their asylum claims processed in the UK. Detainees have produced four reports criticising the scheme and their detention conditions, calling its selection process "random".
The scheme's effectiveness is widely questioned. Official figures show that prior to a flight on Thursday morning, only 193 people had been removed to France, with 195 brought to the UK in return. While Channel crossings are low this year due to weather, 803 people crossed in 13 boats on a single day in December 2025, months after the policy began, suggesting it has not yet acted as a significant deterrent.
Advocacy groups have condemned the government's actions. A spokesperson for Captain Support said, "We are horrified by the violence used against [the protesters] to enact the government's 'one in, one out' plan." Libby Kane of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) labelled the scheme "state-sanctioned human trafficking."
The Home Office has been approached for comment. The first 'one in, one out' flight of 2026 is understood to have taken off on Thursday morning, following the cancellation of a flight the previous week.
