Harmondsworth Centre detainees protest,demand access to healthcare

More than 100 detainees of Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre have occupied the courtyard protesting lack of access to healthcare and demanding for their freedom.

Nicola Kelly, a journalist, made the disclosure on her Twitter handle..

Nicola Kelly in the post said: “Over 100 detainees have occupied the courtyard inside Harmondsworth immigration removal centre to demand access to healthcare, which they say has been denied to them, including in instances of self-harm.

“Just spoke to a group protesting instead the courtyard at Harmondsworth. Can hear shouts of ‘Freedom’ in the background and banging on gates. Three police vans outside, security trying to deescalate inside.

“People are suffering, they’re losing patience. When we ask for help they just ignore us,” another man facing deportation orders said.

“It’s like I’m walking around dead,” another said. “The stress is so bad people keep self-harming to take the pain away.” 

They say this is the reason the protests started a few hours ago.

They say they’ve been shouting ‘Freedom’ for over three hours, banging on gates. “Nobody does nothing”

“There’s no windows, we cant breathe here, it’s the same regime as a prison, 2 people in a 2×2 cell. I have proof from a doctor that it is not suitable for my mental health to be kept in a detention centre. Just let us go, let us out.”