Thirty asylum seekers held in UK detention have begun a hunger strike in protest against their scheduled removal to France under the Home Office's 'one in, one out' scheme. The group started their strike on Monday, with many facing forcible removal on Thursday.
The scheme aims to deter Channel crossings by returning asylum seekers to France in exchange for a smaller number brought to the UK legally. Over 100 people have been removed under the scheme, though two have since returned to the UK on small boats, including an Iranian man removed twice.
One hunger striker told the Guardian: 'I am exhausted by this situation and find it deeply unfair and unjust. I arrived on a boat with 83 other people, and only 12 of us were moved to a detention centre. The rest are being processed normally and are now in hotels. Meanwhile, we are being held here alongside people who may have criminal convictions.'
Another participant said: 'Life has completely stopped for me since I was detained. It feels like living in limbo, with the constant fear of being sent back to places that are unsafe for me, such as France or my home country.'
Charlotte Buckley, director of Bail for Immigration Detainees, said: 'We join those on hunger strike in calling for their right to claim asylum in the UK, which is protected under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Claiming asylum is not illegal, yet people are being deprived of their liberty as soon as they reach the UK and threatened with deportation under the UK-France scheme.'
A Home Office spokesperson said: 'We are ramping up returns activity and removing those with no right to be here, with nearly 50,000 people with no right to be here already removed this year. We are committed to ensuring that detention and removal are carried out with dignity and respect.'
