Asylum seekers in Napier Barracks are struggling
Bianca Rahimi
Press TV, London
Calls to shut down the Napier Barracks in Kent, which is being described as the UK’s first unofficial refugee camp, are getting louder.
Fake blood being washed away, hours after activists threw it at the gate of Napier, trying to highlight human rights violations taking place there.
Security was tighter than usual when we arrived, and the occupants were reluctant to come forward.
Independent organizations, charities and the residents themselves describe conditions at the barracks as inhuman and unbearable. This is not what asylum seekers who risked life and limb to get here were expecting. There have been protests, hunger strikes and suicide attempts.
After an outbreak of Covid-19 moral deteriorated even further. Around 28 people are sharing the same space, toilet and shower, including those who tested positive. Literally trapped, some residents have slept outside in the cold for fear of catching the virus. The government insists the barracks is Covid-19 compliant though.
On January 26th Secretary of state for the home department slapped down Labour MP Zarah Sultana, for demand the dignity of the residents be respected and more suitable housing arranged for them.
That said, less than 24 hours later dozens of residents were moved out of the barracks with very short notice, and taken to a hotel nearby.
They all tested negative for Covid-19, but as they made clear, they were not allowed to exit the building and talk to us, even from a safe distance. There have been reports of them being threatened with delayed responses to their asylum applications if they are too forthcoming with the media. The atmosphere was somber in Kent, and people had mixed feelings toward the migrants.
In an open letter to the British people in January, the residents of Napier Barracks described their living conditions and calling for compassion. They are finding it increasingly difficult to see light at the end of the tunnel with asylum applications in limbo and their freedom of movement curtailed due to the pandemic.
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