A prominent Church of England bishop has praised the protesters who successfully disrupted Home Office attempts to move asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset.
Using words which could put her in conflict with Downing Street, the Right Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin, the former chaplain to the late queen and the House of Commons, thanked the local people who had blocked buses and said: “Our Lord showed compassion for the most vulnerable.”
Hudson-Wilkin’s statement, shared with the Guardian, came after a No 10 spokesperson said the protests were “unacceptable”.
The Bishop of Dover’s words were prompted by the Home Office’s decision to abandon plans to move male asylum seekers from Margate, in Kent, which is inside her diocese.
In late April, protesters blocked a government-commissioned coach which was used to try to move 22 men from Afghanistan and Pakistan who had been living in Margate for seven months. On Thursday it emerged that 15 of the 22 had received letters from the Home Office saying they would no longer be moved.
Hudson-Wilkin said: “I want to thank the local people who have stood up for those who are housed on their doorstep. Their actions show that there is compassion within the community to care for people who are most vulnerable, so that the people most at risk are not moved from pillar to post.
“Our Lord showed compassion for the most vulnerable and I am heartened to see this in action in Margate, so thank you.”
The Commons home affairs select committee said in February that living conditions on the Bibby Stockholm were claustrophobic, with many of the men detained there experiencing mental health problems. In December, an Albanian national, Leonard Farruku, 27, is thought to have killed himself on the barge.
Responding to Hudson-Wilkin’s words, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Accommodation is allocated to asylum seekers on a no-choice basis and asylum seekers can make representations if they believe they are unsuitable to be moved to the Bibby Stockholm, which are considered in full before any decision is made.”
The successful protest in Margate was organised by the local Labour mayor, Rob Yates. He said: “We tried to avoid shouting or disrupting traffic while blocking the coach, resulting in no police involvement and hopefully helped to make the men in the hotel feel safe.
“Going forwards, we’re ready to do this again. Community activism is a valid tool when it comes to protecting asylum seekers, and I think in this current climate [it] is one that we should all consider.”
Hudson-Wilkin, who was born in Montego Bay, has become one of the C of E’s most prominent bishops.
She came to wider attention as the first black woman to hold the role of queen’s chaplain, and has appeared on Desert Island Discs. After being appointed as chaplain to the speaker in the House of Commons, she called for a more civil attitude among MPs, and has criticised institutional racism within the church.
No 10 criticised disruptive tactics on Thursday after a separate group of protesters blocked a coach believed to be taking asylum seekers from a hotel in Peckham, south-east London, to the Bibby Stockholm.
“Clearly this disruption and disorder was completely unacceptable and it is unacceptable for Home Office staff to be prevented from carrying out their work,” a No 10 spokesperson said. “We have always acted to ensure that police have powers that they need to manage protest and tackle disorder. They have our full support in using those powers and upholding the law.”
