A mass, determined community response successfully stopped the Home Office Immigration Enforcement dawn raid detention of two neighbours in Pollokshields, Glasgow. Lakhvir Singh and Sumit Sehdev were taken from their home at around 9.30am by six immigration officers, and detained in the home office van – for what ended up over eight hours. But the van did not move until they had walked out it’s open doors to thousands cheering, because the community turned out in an unflinching force of solidarity. First dozens, including one neighbour who went underneath the van to stop it departing, then hundreds were there by 11am, and the crowd just kept growing throughout the day. They chanted “We won’t leave till the people are free”. And they didn’t.
There were thousands surrounding the van, erupting into cheers, claps and chants in the incredible emotional moment their two neighbours were released and emerged from the van. Throughout the day, there were repeated expressions from the crowd reflecting anger at the Westminster government’s racist immigration policy, and calls to the Police Scotland officers on the scene demanding to know why they were doing Priti Patel and Boris Johnson’s dirty work.
Police Scotland lay seige to the area, on Eid where the majority of residents in the community were trying to peacefully celebrate and worship. The police descended somewhere in the region of 50 police vans and cars into Pollokshields, there were even some police horses, almost every street you turned onto appeared to be occupied by them.
This was despite First Minister Nicola Sturgeon tweeting, “As constituency MSP, I am deeply concerned by this action by the Home Office, especially today in the heart of a community celebrating Eid. My office is making urgent enquiries and stands ready to offer any necessary assistance to those detained.” Several other MPs condemned Police Scotland’s presence in the area and called for them to disperse. Police Scotland claimed they were not supporting Home Office Immigration Enforcement in the dentention, but rather were “policing the community”. The inspiring mass action by the multicultural community coming together forced the police to release Lakhvir and Sumit as an “operational decision on grounds of public safety”.
The crowd was jubilant, proud, emotional and united as human rights campaigner and Stand Up To Racism activist Pinar Aksu announced to the crowd the news that the police had been forced to back down. The police tried to then disperse the community, saying they would escort the men to the Mosque where they would reach safety. But the community refused, insisting that they would march their neighbours to the Mosque and then disperse. The spirit of the day was very much staunch opposition to the governement’s racist hostile environment. The feeling of that moment as the men, accompanied by human rights lawyer Aamer Anwar and human rights and Stand Up To Racism activist Mohammed Asif, thanked the crowds in Punjabi as they entered the mosque was summed up: “Glasgow 1 – Home Office 0”. But this was not just Glasgow’s victory, it was a victory celebrated by anti racists everywhere.
Watch the incredible scenes of thousands marching their neighbours to the safety of the Mosque here
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Pinar Aksu, human rights campaigner and Stand Up To Racism activist, speaking on the Glasgow protest said
“Only two weeks ago we have seen a friend of ours experiencing a dawn raid, and we have just sent a letter with 79 signatures to the home secretary and published it today. This is horrifying to see another raid taking place in Glasgow on the day of Eid where this community comes together for celebration. We condemn these actions and want immediate response from the Home Office and Police Scotland. Dawn raids are not acceptable in our city”.
Ruby Hirsch, Stand Up To Racism Glasgow, said
“This is a united multicultural community and we have shown up in our hundreds to defend our neighbours and we are not going to leave until they are released. In Glasgow we have defeated the tactic before and there is no way we are going to let in return”.
Weyman Bennett, co convenor, Stand Up To Racism, said
“This government is pushing hard to undermine the incredible anti racist spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement, and push racist division in our communities amidst the pandemic and crisis.
“They have commissioned a whitewash report denying the existence of institutional racism, attacked the BLM movement as “awful”, pushed a policing bill that targets anti racist protest, and their new plans for immigration are a part of this general racist assault on our rights.
“We stand with all those who want to fight the new racist plans and defend the rights of all those seeking asylum. We say loud and clear, you are welcome here. We need to mobilise that solidarity to drive back the government’s racist, dangerous and sickening attack on people seeking only to live in safety.”
For more information, interviews and further quotes:
info@standuptoracism.org.uk