With Refugee Week in full swing, June was a busy month for everyone. Find out about our workshops in July, including a new workshop on ‘evidence’. And join us at Anti-Racist Movement National Event – The Power of Transformative Organising on 11 July!

Call to Action: Stop the Expansion of Campsfield Detention Centre!

We urge everyone to oppose the expansion of Campsfield detention centre by responding to the consultation by 24 July. The plan is to increase its size from 160 to 400, more than doubling its size. Mirroring a worrying anti-democratic trend seen elsewhere, Cherwell Local Authority and residents no longer have the power to refuse this proposal. The Home Office will be sidestepping the local council by using the Crown Development Route – a fast-track planning system the government can utilise for its own building projects. You can read a summary by Ally Swadling, Lead Legal Education Officer, here. 

We are teaming up with the Coalition to Close Campsfield (CCC) to coordinate civil society opposition to this plan. Together with CCC, we are hosting an online information session on 1 July. Detention and deportation harm our community, and we need everyone’s solidarity and action to stop this. If you missed the meeting but still wish to be involved, please contact Eiri(at)righttoremain.org.uk

Lessons not learned: A reflection on Windrush Day

We marked Windrush Day, 22 June, with a longer blog by Louise Watts, our Legal Education Officer. As a legal advisor, Louise previously worked directly with many people who were affected by the Windrush Scandal, and this is a topic that is very close to her heart. 

Louise wrote: “Justice has not been served for the Windrush generation, but the Windrush scandal is not just about the Windrush generation, it is about the systems that try to divide us. […] The expansion of immigration enforcement affects us all, from the Windrush generation, to family members overseas, to people who have just arrived in search of safety and a home. Too often, the narrative is exclusionary, and black and brown faces are blamed for failing and divisive systems. The recent scenes of violence in Northern Ireland have shown us how dangerous this narrative is, and how easily history can repeat itself, but we must also remember that we hold power by resisting and acting in solidarity with one another.” You can read the full blog here. 

Refugee Week 2026

Refugee Week is always a bittersweet occasion for us. Behind celebrations, we endure struggles and fight off violence. Maggy Moyo, our These Walls Must Fall Organiser, North West, wrote about one of our campaigners, Joseph and his story of courage. We still remember the day when we first met Joseph – outside a reporting centre in the midst of the Rwanda deportation panic in 2024. With us, he found his voice and power which ultimately led to his securing refugee status. You can read more about it here.

We also spoke at several events, including the film screening of Dreamer organised by Waltham Forest Migrant Action. We shared the stage with Marcelo Hart-Camus the new Green Party mayor of Waltham Forest and Dr Naoise Murphy, Queer Migrant Pride Fest/Waltham Forest Anti-Raids Network. Referencing the film – the story of love and solidarity in an immigration detention centre – Eiri Ohtani, our Director, shared amazing solidarity actions emerging in Liverpool and Manchester where small groups of people, including Right to Remain, are protecting each other from immigration enforcement measures, through shared knowledge, trust and power. 

Building Places of Justice, Solidarity and Protection

We are working across the UK but are keen to support the migration justice movement in West Yorkshire, West/East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Merseyside, and Kent. Anticipating what might come next, we are building places of justice, solidarity and protection. Here, Eiri Ohtani, our Director, explains some of our thinking behind this approach. If you are interested in connecting with us, please get in touch at contact(at)righttoremain.org.uk) You can see our full staff line-up here.

Our workshops in July

8 July – Knowledge is Power; detention & enforcement, 10am – 12pm.

16 July – Intro to the Right to Remain Toolkit, 11am – 12:30pm. Register here.

NEW WORKSHOP! 21 July – Knowledge is Power; evidence, 10am – 1pm. Register here.

Now, more than ever, we need to take action as communities to support each other and prepare for an increasingly hostile immigration system. Understanding evidence can help someone to establish their right to remain in the UK, and having good evidence early on in a case can make a big difference. Our session will help you gain important and useful knowledge to navigate this complex system and provide legal support to others.

Anti-Racist Movement National Event – The Power of Transformative Organising – 11 July (London + Livestream)

We continue to see an increase in racist violence across the UK. The Anti-Racist Movement (ARM) is building an alternative future through transformative organising.

We are delighted to invite you to our national event, “The Power of Transformative Organising”, on Saturday, 11 July, from 6 pm to 10 pm, in London. We will gather for a panel discussion, followed by breakout sessions and workshops. Themes will include active bystander training, self-defence, how to build mutual aid networks and community infrastructures, what it means to be a Black and Global Majority-led movement, why we believe any anti-racist movement must be internationalist in its politics, and more. Exact breakout session topics will be announced soon and sent to all who register.

If you wish to join us, please get your ticket here. Livestreams will be available, and hubs across the country will be announced. If you would like to host a livestream hub in your city, please email us at info(at)antiracistmovement.org.