September 19 saw the official opening of the "No Borders" camp near Gatwick airport.
from the country gathered in protest against the new Immigration Detention Centre being built inside the airport's perimeter (there are already 10 in the UK and one in Gatwick already).
The camp was originally planned for a field nearer to the airport, but police and local Surrev council worked a brutal campaign of harassment on the farmer on whose land the camp was to take place. Eventually he buckled ano woe camo nao to move.
The camp included a range of activities, from workshops on migration to direct actions and protests.
Un Thursday a welcome event was held in Crawley, the nearest (and biggest) town to Gatwick airport where campers distributed leaflets and their own camp paper, the Gatwick Express. This was followed by a free gig in the evening to raise awareness of the camp.
The next day saw protests in nearby Croydon, London, where the headquarof the Border and LOIS Immigration Agency is based and where the majority of migrants go to register.
Are se ume a dozen
occupied the DLULCSLULS offices of Virgin Holidays in Crawley to highlight Virgin's complicity with the Home Office in deporting so-called 'failed' migrants DaCk countries where they face almost certain torture and death.
Alphonsus Uche Okafor Mefor is a Nigerian who was booked onto a Virgin flight to be deported back to Nigeria.
Through sustained national campaign he was released and the flight cancelled. Through similar campaigns the airline XL Airways stopped participation in such flights altogether earlier this year.
The Saturday saw a massive march in the centre of crawiev actention centre Tinsley House, another prison in Gatwick.
Hundreds marched through the town centre and onto the main road, with some people honking in support and lining the streets in curiosity.
The march concluded with a rally outside Tinsley House, which included speeches from asylum seekers talking about their experiences of being a migrants in Britain. rIGHI MALIS
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The camp was hugely successful in raising awareness of the brutal conditions migrants face in these prisons without charges, lawyers or any legal rights at all.
Banners seen at the actions included "No One Is Illegal" "Freedom Of Movement For All" and banners from a range of asylum rights groups. The camp got wide media coverage including BBC South East news al prime ume.
The camp was marked by unbelievable police harassment and victimization. This reporter got their car photographed when they entered the camp. People were constantly filmed and photographed.
march the Lule Saturday LWU got arrested and dragged away from the protest by police: one for just refusing to say Their name and address (which by law is only required if formally arrested).
Although not on the same scale as the Cilmate Camp at Heathrow this was a very positive step in building a movement on one of the most important issues IOr the
movement interna tionally - immigration.
All pics from Indymedia