This afternoon activists from NoBorders and No One is Illegal held a noise demonstration outside Cedars, a detention centre for nine families and their children in Pease Pottage, Sussex, which opened last week.

The activists gathered outside the front gates (metal fencing with a perspex cover) with a banner denouncing Barnardo's involvement in the detention industry (the charity is running "social and welfare services" at the detention centre). They chanted through a loudspeaker and made noise with various instruments. They also walked part of the way round the perimeter fence, continuing to remonstrate loudly against detention and deportation.

There were guards in hi-vis vests in the grounds of the centre, and a UKBA guard was also spotted. There was no sign of any of the detainees.

As the activists left the centre they were stopped by police under the pretext of "anti-social behaviour".

The activists stated that protests will continue until Cedars closes.

See photos from the demo here.

Since the 5th of February 2010, we the residents at Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre are on hunger strike which involves over 84 + women, who are protesting against the period of time spent in detention and the treatment that they receive while being detained.

The strike was sparked to protest and demand that the frustration and humiliation of all foreign nationals ends now.

IMMIGRATION CENTRE PLANNING PERMISSION REFUSED

Last night Crawley Borough Council Development Control Committee rejected by 14 votes to 1 the planning application by Arora International Hotels Ltd. for permission to convert the 254 bed Mercure Hotel in Povey Cross Road, Crawley into an immigration detention centre.

Radio Interview (by Radio Free Brighton) with people from NoBorders Brighton about the planned conversion of the Gatwick Arora Hotel into an "Immigration Removel Centre" (25 January 2010)

* requires support for the free vorbis audio codec, you will need Firefox 3.5+ to listen to the interview.

On 7th December London NoBorders is calling for a protest outside Crawley Town Hall (The Boulevard, Crawley, West Sussex RH10 1UZ) to protest Arora International's plans to turn its four-star hotel at Gatwick, Mercure, into yet another immigration prison.

On that day Crawley Council will discuss the planning permission. People who want to raise questions in the Council Meeting can register beforehand.

Join the protest outside the town hall at 7pm!

-PRESS RELEASE-

Campaigners protest against plans to turn Gatwick hotel into a detention centre

* Because there is more profit in having guests who can't leave!
* Arora plans to turn its four-star hotel at Gatwick airport into
an immigration detention centre.
* Campaigners vow to target the company unless the plans are
dropped.

According to a report of "The Times" today, a joint Anglo-French detention centre is being planned for Calais to hold hundreds of migrants gathering near the Channel port.

As the report continues, "Phil Woolas, the Immigration Minister, disclosed proposals to tackle the surge of migrants, many from Afghanistan and Iraq, at Channel ports hoping for a new life in Britain. "