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Lots of protesters came together in London to stop the government from moving asylum seekers to a big boat called the Bibby Stockholm.
Lots of protesters came together in London to stop the government from moving asylum seekers to a big boat called the Bibby Stockholm. The protesters sat down in front of buses near a hotel in Peckham. They did not want the asylum seekers to be moved from the hotel to the boat.
The protesters were chanting and saying they support refugees. They do not want the refugees to have to live on the Bibby Stockholm boat in Portland, Dorset. Police came and arrested some of the protesters for causing trouble.
The protesters are worried about the asylum seekers having to live on the boat. The Bibby Stockholm boat has been used to house asylum seekers instead of hotels since last August.
Government Says It Is Doing Right Thing
James Cleverly is the UK’s Home Secretary. He said housing migrants in hotels costs the British taxpayers a lot of money every day. He said the protesters were just students posing for social media pictures. Cleverly said the protesters will not stop the government from doing what is right.
Over 7,500 migrants have arrived in England on small boats from France already this year. The government says the new law will stop people from making the dangerous trip across the Channel. Five people died trying to cross last week.
Deportations to Rwanda Starting Soon
The day before the protest, the government said it has arrested the first illegal migrants who will be deported to Rwanda under the new law. Teams have been working quickly to arrest these people after operations across the UK this week.
More arrests of illegal migrants will happen in the coming weeks so they can be deported to Rwanda. The Home Office did not give many details to protect the operation and the people involved.
Prime Minister’s Promise
The Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, said the first deportation flight to Rwanda will happen in 10 to 12 weeks time. He said the government is getting ready by:
– Making over 2,200 more detention spaces
– Training 200 new caseworkers to process claims faster
– Preparing 500 trained escorts
The protest shows that the government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda is very controversial. There are strong views on both sides of the issue.
