Surround Yarl’s Wood Solidarity Demonstrations – SHUT IT DOWN!

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London, England, United Kingdom

Movement for Justice have held eleven demonstrations at the notorious Yarl’s Wood immigration detention centre. Each one has been bigger and more vibrant than the one before, with ex-detainees, asylum seekers, feminist and anti racist activists from around the country demonstrating right at the fences of Yarl’s Wood.

Behind the fences, the imprisoned women join the demonstrations from their rooms with handmade banners, signs, ribbons of toilet paper, their arms and legs – defying guards threats to express their rage and determination for freedom. We come together and everyone leaves feeling stronger and more determined.

These demonstrations are palpable, direct and visibly impactful acts of solidarity. They give the women inside these centres strength to continue their daily resistance to racism, sexual abuse, deportations, and inadequate mental and physical healthcare; you can hear how important these demonstrations are in this recording of Mabel following the demonstration in March 2016. Mabel was held in Yarl’s Wood for 3 years, she was organising inside for many of our demonstrations outside, in May 2017 she was able to join us on the other side of the fence and speak to the women who just a week earlier she had been inside with, watch that moving moment here.

These demonstrations have also inspired a whole generation of new young activists across the country to take up the fight against detention, the brutalities and racism of the immigration system and borders.

Yarl’s Wood has been exposed time after time in undercover investigations, government reports, inspectorate reports, and inquiry findings for sexual abuse/harassment by guards towards the women. Undercover footage by Channel 4 news showed the brutal, racist attitude of the guards. These demonstrations keep Yarl’s Wood on the national agenda, they make it clear that there is only one solution – SHUT IT DOWN!

Our first demonstration at Yarl’s Wood was on 2nd May 2015 with just 30 people and one coach form London, on 13th May 2017 we were 2000 people and 22 coaches from across the country.

As the demonstrations grow, so do the costs. Movement for Justice puts the voices and actions of ex-detainees and asylum seekers at the centre of what we do – our priority is always to get as many as possible to the demonstrations and involved in speaking out in the run up. Because of the UK Government’s Dispersal Policy, asylum seekers are redistributed and housed around the country, often to areas where they know no one and have little support.

The overwhelming majority of the costs for the demonstration are paying for these activists to come from around the country and providing sustenance on the day. We need to raise funds so that we can continue to provide that free transport and extend it to many more who want to take action against the system that has abused them.

Your money will fund coaches, train tickets, public transport costs and food/drink for the day – those who can pay, do. Your money will go towards those that can’t pay but who are the backbone and in the lead of every demonstration.

MFJ coaches from across the country: £6800

Publicity/Advertising: £1000

Travel expenses in advance for speaking and organising across the country: £1000

Food/Drink: £200

Portaloo (usually we just get one, but that was massively inadequate at the last demonstration so we’d like to get 3): £360

Placards/Banners/Display/Ladders/Props: £140

TOTAL: £9500

A large portion of this we can raise through coach ticket sales and a collection on the day, but that still leaves us around £4000 that we need to raise through fundraising each time.

Katy Spencer