It was a rough reception for the Bibby Stockholm, a hulking metal barge intended to house up to 500 asylum seekers, as it pulled into its new berth in Portland, on England’s picturesque southern coast, on Tuesday.
Protesters holding signs reading “No to the barge” and “No floating prison” gathered at the dock as television crews filmed them.
The barge will be docked in the port for at least 18 months, according to the government, and will eventually house adult male asylum seekers who have entered Britain by crossing the English Channel on small boats.
From next week, about 50 asylum seekers will be moved onboard the vessel according to the Home Office, before the number is increased over the next few months.
The barge showed up in Portland at a time when the political rhetoric around asylum seekers in Britain has grown increasingly heated.
Persons:
Bibby
Organizations:
Home Office
Locations:
Bibby Stockholm, Portland, Britain, Rwanda