We call on our communities to join us to say no to immigration detention and the government’s detention expansion plan!

Right to Remain’s These Walls Must Fall and the No to Hassockfield campaign are jointly organising the national demonstration outside Derwentside Immigration Detention Centre on 19 October, calling for closures of all detention centres.

We asked the No to Hassockfield campaign to share their history and why they are organising this national demonstration.

“The No to Hassockfield campaign was set up in 2021 with a clear and urgent mission: to shut down the Women’s Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) in County Durham. Initially named Hassockfield when it was announced, the centre was renamed Derwentside IRC by former Home Secretary Priti Patel on the day it opened. Despite the name change, we continue to be known as No to Hassockfield, as Derwentside is an area of outstanding natural beauty that does not represent the grim reality of detaining vulnerable women at the site. 

Our fight began even before the centre’s doors opened. Campaigners including Bill MacKeith and Julie Ward who were linked to national and international networks supporting migrants, Women for Refugee Women and more local figures such as Laura Pidcock, the local MP at the time, joined forces with local residents to form a campaign group. Together, we launched our movement amidst the challenges of the Covid lockdown. Working with Durham People’s Assembly and Abolish Detention, we held a public meeting and the first national demonstration in early December 2021, in Consett, the nearest town, just ahead of the first women being imprisoned there after Christmas. 

Our campaign is powered by people from diverse backgrounds and careers, united by a shared belief: detention has no place in a humane asylum and immigration system. Detaining women is a particularly cruel and unnecessary act, with official data showing that the centre, which has the capacity to hold up to 120 women, is rarely more than half full, raising further questions about the site’s purpose. Our cause transcends party lines and regional borders, with members coming from the local region as well as from beyond the North East. This is incredibly important to us, because what we are witnessing at Hassockfield/Derwentside is not a local problem, it is a national one. And national problems require national action. 

Derwentside IRC is in a remote location, difficult to reach via public transport, yet campaigners have held a constant presence every weekend. On the first Sunday of each month, at 3pm, the Justice and Peace Group organises a Multifaith Vigil. On the third Saturday, we hold a large demonstration from 12 to 2pm, and on the remaining weekends, we maintain a smaller presence from 11 to 12pm. Our fourth National Demonstration, coming up on October 19th 2024, marks the 40th month of standing in solidarity with the women imprisoned inside Derwentside. 

As our local efforts expand, we’ve deepened our ties with nearby communities through mass leafleting of the local area, speaking at local public meetings and demonstrations, our annual presence at the Durham Miner’s Gala, as well as increasingly reaching out to local faith groups. Each month, we host an online campaign meeting, inviting speakers from other migrant support groups, particularly those fighting to end detention. To sustain our efforts, we’ve raised funds through donations and fundraisers, and we’re now applying for grants to assist with transport for the national demonstration. 

We demonstrate for three important reasons: 

• To show the women inside that they are not alone 
• To remind the centre that they are being watched 
• To alert the local community to the centre and the injustice happening within its walls 

We acknowledge the importance of centering those with lived experience in our campaign, but have struggled to do so consistently in the past. While we recognise the reasons for this, we are delighted that These Walls Must Fall are leading the organisation of the October National Demo. We see this as the beginning of a lasting relationship and a crucial step toward building further solidarity with people of lived experience in the North East of England, who can then lead the campaign to close Derwentside IRC. Together with These Walls Must Fall, we are making it clear: detention is not the answer. Let’s continue this fight for justice, dignity and humanity.“

Stay tuned for more information about the demonstration!

In solidarity as always,

Right to Remain team