Approximately 50 protesters staged a demonstration outside the Campsfield House immigration detention centre in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, this afternoon. The protest included students from the University of Oxford and was organised by the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed. The group are campaigning to prevent the government from reopening the detention centre after it closed in 2018 following concerns about safety and living conditions.
The coalition was founded by Asylum Welcome, a charity providing support and advice to asylum seekers and refugees living in Oxfordshire, as well as the Oxford branch of Student Action for Refugees (STAR) who seek to build “a more just society for refugees in Oxford and beyond”. The groups were joined by members of the Stand Up to Racism movement, as well as local residents during the demonstration.
The protesters held placards reading “freedom is a human right”, and a banner which read “coalition to keep campsfield closed” was draped across a sign at the entrance to the Oxford Technology Park. Song sheets were also handed out, with activists singing: “It could be you, running from the guns and bombs…It could be us, fleeing from famine and war.”
One protester told Cherwell: “We are here to express our rage and distress about a place that treats people with such hostility and cruelty simply for being born in a different place.” Another said that they were appalled that the site will be operated by the same company who ran the previous detention centre, adding “the whole thing is disgusting”.
Campsfield originally operated as a young offenders institution before becoming an immigration detention centre in 1993. The site closed in 2018 after the government decided not to renew its contract with Mitie, who operated and managed the centre. Before its closure, 41% of Campsfield’s detainees described feeling unsafe, whilst an inspection by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons found that “many rooms were cramped and standards of cleanliness were variable”, with rooms “blighted by damp and peeling paint”. However, the Inspector also noted that Campsfield had a “calm and relaxed atmosphere”, with “little evidence of violence”.
Boris Johnson’s government announced plans to reopen Campsfield in June 2022. Last year, under the current Labour government, the Home Office awarded a £70 million refurbishment contract to construction firm Building Southern as part of the site’s reopening. Cherwell understands that Campsfield is expected to reopen at the beginning of December and that the new centre will also be operated by Mitie.
Ahead of the protest, STAR said: “More detention means more years of danger, misery and harm for detainees. Mistreatment of vulnerable people, including survivors of torture and trafficking, is deeply in grained the system. Immigration detention is not the answer to the arrival of people in the UK, regardless of how they get here.”
A spokesperson from Asylum Welcome told Cherwell: “We strongly support student activism on these issues. Students have historically played a powerful role in challenging injustice, including since Campsfield was first opened, and we are grateful to STAR for continuing this legacy by raising their voices in solidarity today. Their advocacy helps challenge harmful narratives and keeps public attention focused on the human impact of detention.”
They added that “the Home Office and Mitie will be watching, and it matters that they see the people of Oxford care and will continue to hold them to account”.
Despite today’s demonstration, Asylum Welcome fears that the government will proceed to reopen Campsfield next month. Subject to funding, the charity is preparing to pilot a visiting service in order to support Campsfield’s new detainees. The spokesperson told Cherwell: “This does not affect our membership of the Coalition, nor our commitment to its principles. We believe we can both support people in detention, and campaign for an end to detention.”
Mitie and the Home Office have been approached for comment.
