Anti-racists target company refitting Cornwall’s controversial prison ship

Anti-racists have targeted A&P, the company refitting the Bibby Stockholm prison ship. The Tories previously announced they want to use the controversial barge to imprison 500 male refugees off the shores of Falmouth. They also said that more of these floating prison ships are planned.

The Bibby Stockholm is being refitted in Falmouth, before being moved to Portland Port in Dorset.

Redecorated

Anonymous campaigners ‘redecorated’ A&P’s premises in Falmouth with red paint this week. The Canary has, thankfully, not heard any reports of arrests after this direct action.

Dorset Eye tweeted:

Falmouth A&P building 'redecorated' as part of week of resistance to the Bibby Stockholm – https://t.co/LWNuczSewV –
The A&P building in Falmouth was splattered with red paint last night as part of the street art day of a week of resistance against the Bibby Stockholm. A&P is… pic.twitter.com/w1aDScMhB6

— Dorset Eye (Independent Citizen Community Media) (@dorset_eye) June 14, 2023

Campaign group Cornwall Resists has vowed to stop the ship becoming operational. They called for a week of action, culminating in a mass protest on 18 June.

They celebrated the redecorating of A&P on Twitter:

Massive love to the legends who splattered A&p building last night with red paint. According to a statement received by Cornwall Resists, the building was "redecorated with red paint to symbolise the racist border violence that's led to the death of thousands of people.” 🖤✊🧵 pic.twitter.com/fstRVOyB5W

— Cornwall Resists (@CornwallResists) June 14, 2023

Campaigners also held a protest at the docks, close to where the Bibby Stockholm refit was taking place:

Protesting the Bibby Stockholm refit at Falmouth Docks. I think you get a sense of it from these photos but it is huge. pic.twitter.com/e4wX1DLvaO

— Free Palestine 🇵🇸 ULEZbollah? I hardly knew her! (@soup_jihad) June 14, 2023

Cornwall Resists pointed out the danger of imprisoning people on ships like the Bibby Stockholm.

The group reminded us that one person has already died as a result of being detained on the barge. The Dutch government used the ship to lock up asylum seekers in the 2000s. Rachid Abdelsalam suffered heart failure in 2008, and died on board.

Cornwall Resists maintains that A&P, by refitting the Bibby Stockholm, is complicit in the violence and racism of the border regime:

A&P are not only complicit in border violence, by working on this floating prison, they are actively perpetrating it. One person has already died on the Bibby Stockholm. How many more people have to be killed before we say enough is enough and take action to prevent it?

Rachid’s wasn’t the only death aboard the Dutch prison ships. Ahmad Mahmud El Sabah died aboard another Rotterdam detention barge the same year after he suffered an infection of the liver. He was diabetic. Witnesses say that he was only taken to hospital when he collapsed.

Resistance continues

Cornwall Resists called on supporters to jam the phonelines of A&P on Wednesday 14 June. At the time of writing, the group is calling on campaigners to drop banners wherever they are in support of the struggle to stop the Bibby Stockholm. On 16 June, campaigners are planning a day of outreach to the workers of A&P, and there’s a mass protest planned for Sunday.

Join the resistance! Take part in one or more of the actions or outreach planned or plan your own!

Say no to the Bibby Stockholm!
Say no to prison ships!
Say no to racist border violence and policies!#SinkTheBibby#CornwallResists pic.twitter.com/9LuTP7CoQU

— Cornwall Resists (@CornwallResists) June 12, 2023

Find out more about Cornwall Resist’s Week of Resistance here. You can also donate to support their campaign by through this link.

Featured image via screenshot, YouTube