When the community stands for dignity: place-based campaigns to close down immigration detention centres. Meet Coalition to Close Campsfield and No To Hassockfield Campaign!

If the last local election was a dress rehearsal for the General Election, we need to gather our strength fast. There is a possibility that a political party that is openly calling for mass deportation of migrants will seize power. The Labour Government and the Reform Party agree on this: both want more immigration detention centres. The need to oppose and eliminate immigration detention has never been higher.

The infrastructure that sustains immigration detention must be challenged and dismantled. There is a growing appetite for this – and it’s time more people join this movement.

Boycott Bloody Insurance, for example, has been calling for actions against insurance companies which underwrite the work of private companies that run detention centres. Activists are also escalating their action against Serco, which profits from asylum seekers and migrants’ misery, including by running detention centres.

Some groups are also forging a new tradition of radical and place-based anti-detention campaigns, combining direct action, community mobilising and local and national advocacy. Their regular, physical presence opposing immigration detention is a reminder to the state that we do not accept this harmful practice and a tool to extend their solidarity to those who are incarcerated. It’s time that all of us lend our hands to support their work and amplify their demands which are also our shared demands.

During this event, we will hear from representatives from Coalition to Close Campsfield and No To Hassockfield Campaign. They will share their history, ambition and the power they are building locally to close down Campsfield (Oxfordshire) and Derwentside Detention Centres (County Durham). There will be plenty of time for Q&A and opportunities to connect with other participants who are interested in supporting their work.

The event is free and you can book your place below.