Dozens of asylum seekers living on the Bibby Stockholm barge are staging a sit-down protest over delays in processing their asylum claims, overcrowding conditions and trouble accessing medical treatment.
A man this week described the boat in Dorset as the “hell barge”. There are about 400 asylum seekers onboard, one of the highest rates of occupancy since it opened in 2022.
The barge generated controversy after an outbreak of legionella was confirmed on the first day asylum seekers boarded. A few months later, an Albanian asylum seeker, Leonard Farruku, was found dead on the barge in a suspected suicide.
The 18-month contract for the vessel expires soon. It is not known whether or not the new government plans to renew it.
Monday’s protest is thought to be the first of its kind staged by asylum seekers themselves.
They are withdrawing from meals, saying the protest is a peaceful one in a compound outside the barge. They said managers were not preventing the protest from taking place.
At the same time, local people who are supporting the asylum seekers onboard are holding a solidarity vigil for them outside the port area.
It is thought at least 120 asylum seekers are involved in the protest. Almost all of the men have been waiting more than a year to get a decision on their asylum claim.
Using the message “life not limbo”, they say that not knowing what their future holds has caused significant deterioration in their mental health.
One man said many of those on the barge arrived by plane and some had visas. He said doctors, computer experts and engineers were onboard.
He added: “There is no space on the barge because so many people are living here and we have to queue for about 30 minutes to get food.
“Because it is so crowded it’s like one family when it comes to infections – if one person gets a cold or Covid everyone else catches it too. When we were moved on to the barge we were told we would be here for a maximum of 90 days, which was a period of time we felt we could cope with.
“But many of us have now been here much longer than that. Sometimes we have to wait a month for an appointment with the doctor and people’s mental health is deteriorating.”
He described staff on the barge, especially those who live locally, as “amazing” but said many asylum seekers were frustrated at the length of time they were waiting.
He added: “We try to help each other on the barge. Some people are barbers and cut people’s hair, others help people to learn English. We have organised this protest to send a message to the new government that we came here to save our lives and we want to be useful to British society but we are losing hope.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “We take the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers seriously and at every stage in the process will seek to ensure that all needs and vulnerabilities are identified and considered, including those related to mental health and trauma.”
