Today, activists blocked the road outside of Colnbrook Removal Center, to stop refugees from being transported to the plane that will carry them to Rwanda.

The delays have allowed more refugees to access legal help and get individual injunctions against being put on the flight- however, there may still be people without legal help who will be deported.

This morning, there were only about 7 people still due to be on the flight according to Care4Calais who have been helping refugees with legal support.

Although, legally, the flight is allowed to take off, let’s hope that if it ever does, nobody is on it.

Right now, there are legal challenges to the government’s Rwanda policy sitting in court. The first plane takes off tomorrow.

These deportations could later be ruled illegal, but by then it will be too late.

Don’t get me wrong, the organisations working hard to mount legal challenges etc are doing a good thing and deserve support.

But ultimately, the legal system is slow and protects the powerful, not the weak.

Sending vulnerable people seeking asylum to a country thousands of miles away, which they have no ties with, and which the UK has granted people asylum from very recently- that’s tantamount to murder.

If we wait for the legal system to work, people’s lives will be ruined, people may die.

Rule of law exists to protect the weak from the powerful, saying that those that govern must follow their own laws. It doesn’t exist to protect the government from the people.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/jun/14/european-court-humam-right-makes-11th-hour-intervention-in-rwanda-asylum-seeker-plan

Not entirely clear if this grounds the flight, but it seems like a VERY positive sign.

Activists are buying time for this to happen- never let anyone tell you that direct action doesn’t matter.

If left to the legal system alone, 8 people would have gone on that flight today.

(this is not to diminish in any way all the work Care4Calais have done in finding the people issued with notices and connecting them with legal support, they are an excellent org and you should support them if you can).

Concerning and dangerous on many levels.

Fighting The First UK-Rwandan Refugee Flight

Fighting The First UK-Rwandan Refugee Flight

June 10 bore witness to a valiant effort on the part of refugee groups and a trade union to stop what promises to be the first journey of many as part of the UK-Rwanda plan. Their attempt to seek an injunction failed to convince the High Court. Next Tuesday, the first flight from the UK to Rwanda filled with asylum seekers will, unless the Court of Appeal rules otherwise, take off. Some 31 people…

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