Cycle tourism and cricket to 'liven up' the barge of immigrants
Who. The British Department of the Interior plans to accommodate the first 50 immigrants to cross the English Channel on the barge 'Bibby Stockholm', anchored in the port of Portland. That. Despite the protests, the authorities stress that it is not a “floating prison” and that the 'guests' will have a gym, billiards, a computer room and a social club. Because. The 'inhabitants' will be able to play football or cricket, among other hobbies.
The immigrant barge was greeted with shouts of “no to the floating prison!”. The intimidating structure named Bibby Stockholm remains anchored on the island of Portland, southwest England, awaiting the arrival of the first 50 guests in the coming days, while controversy grows over the conditions in which the immigrants will live and the impact on the local population of 14,000.
Over the residents of Portland, which was a Royal Navy base for decades, the ghost of the HMP Weare prison ship still hangs, set up as a “temporary measure” at the end of the 90s to house 400 prisoners. In the end, the stay of what would be the last vestige of the floating prisons lasted eight years.
“It is very cruel and unusual to hold asylum seekers on a barge,” Portland Labor Mayor Carralyn Parkes said.. “And it's a horrible idea to create an artificial community in a city hit by the crisis and that doesn't have enough infrastructure.”
Conservative MP Chris Loder has joined the protests against his own government and has raised concerns about the safety of the barge. The 93-meter-long floating structure was built in Barbados in 1976 with an initial capacity for 200 people, increased to 506 in the latest remodeling and after having served as a shelter for immigrants and the homeless, and as a residence for temporary workers.
To deal with resistance, the Department of the Interior decided to send Leanne Palk, deputy director of accommodation for asylum seekers, to Portland, ready to break the myth of the floating prison with images of the indoor gym, pool table, brand new kitchen, room with 25 computers, social club and doctor's office inside the barge.
Installations inside the barge.
“I wouldn't say they are luxury facilities, but they do meet the right conditions,” Palk explained.. “It is an open space, with light and air, and the movements (of immigrants) will not be restricted. they can go wherever they want. They will also be offered a plethora of activities, such as cycling [and cricket], organized by local authorities and by neighbour.”
Of course, to enter and exit the barge they will have to pass a double security control. They can only go to the city on special buses between seven in the morning and 11 at night.
They will have three free meals a day, and soup, bread, tea and coffee service for 24 hours. A team of 28 cooks and kitchen assistants will prepare daily dishes adapted to their “cultural specificities” and with vegan options.. They will receive a weekly pay equivalent to 10 euros. They will sleep in rooms with two, four and up to six occupants, most of them in bunk beds.. They will have a 24 hour nurse on call.
This is how life will go in principle on the Portland barge, for at least 18 months and while the controversial Rwandan plan to deport immigrants and house them in the “high-quality” bungalows in Kigali visited by the Secretary of the Interior, Suella Braverman, continues in the courts.. At the moment, the more than 45,000 immigrants who crossed the English Channel by boat last year (and more than 9,000 this year) are staying in more than 400 hotels throughout the British geography.
The switch to barges follows the passage of the draconian Illegal Immigration Act and is expected to act as a deterrent to future voyages. The cost per immigrant (about 125 euros per night) will serve to reduce the daily bill of seven million euros, although humanitarian NGOs insist that the savings are minimal and that immigrants will be exposed to degrading treatment.