Migrants packed into controversial processing centre ‘threatening self-harm and hunger strike’ | UK News

Migrants inside the crowded Manston processing center in Kent are threatening self-harm and going on hunger strikes to protest their detention, Sky News reports.

The Prison Officers Association (POA) represents 170 people working in Manston as detention officers.

Andy Baxter is the assistant secretary general of the POA.

In an exclusive interview, Mr. Baxter, who saw the conditions for himself when he visited the center 12 days ago, told us: “The unrest is spreading throughout the camp. Members Ours is facing threats from people who keep saying ‘what’s going on with me? Where shall I go? When will I move on?’.”

He continued: “When our members couldn’t give them answers, people started threatening sit-down protests, threatening hunger strikes and people threatening self-harm. self.”

Mr. Baxter told us that his members are concerned about their safety.

He said there have been a few “incidents” of people making “weapons” out of things like wooden cutlery and toothbrushes.

He said: “There haven’t been any instances so far of those weapons being used on anyone – it seems to be something people want to carry – but our members really fear.”

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Military help?

Mr. Baxter said he believes the military may have to expand its role, which currently has 14 troops at Manston in a logistical capacity.

“Ultimately, I think we will see a serious breakdown of public order,” he said.

The Home Office would not say exactly how many people were inside Manston – but it is believed to be in the area of ​​4,000.

With a record number of migrants arriving in small boats across the Channel, around 30 caravans have been erected to provide temporary accommodation – each about the size of half a football field. Families are said to be staying in old MOD buildings at the airport that are not in use.

Hundreds more were transferred to the Manston facility on Monday, after a petrol bomb attack at the Border Force migration center in Dover.

Manston is a processing center where people are allowed to spend up to five days.

But it was turned into a detention facility because some people were there for weeks, there was no hotel like accommodation to move them to and they couldn’t leave until they had somewhere to go.

It was difficult to talk to the people inside because they took their phones.

‘Daily Fight’

But the charity Humans for Rights Network shared accounts with Sky News from two asylum seekers in Manston about a month ago.

The 16-year-old Sudanese teenagers are currently staying in hotels in London.

One told us: “I’ve been in Manston for 17 days. I slept on one blanket and the other one wasn’t enough for me and I felt cold.

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‘You have to help them’

The other said, “There’s no bed in the tent, not even a chair. We used to put the box of food on the floor and sleep on it.

“I spent the whole time in the clothes they gave me when I arrived, and they got wet with the rain. A skin disease spread during my stay, and I was afraid of getting sick.

“There are still people in this place, and they need medical attention. The winters are harsh and there’s no warm place to sleep. You have to help them.”

We were unable to independently verify these accounts, but Mr Baxter described the conditions he witnessed for himself during a recent visit.

‘Shocking’

He said: “I see big pubs with pretty shabby facilities, some of them just have plywood floors.

“There’s no seat. No furniture. No bed. People tell me they sleep on the floor at night. They’ll sleep on a blanket.

“If they can hold cardboard, they’ll sleep on cardboard. It’s really shocking to see people being kept in that condition.”