The British Government transferred this Monday a first group of asylum seekers to the barge-bedroom Bibby Stockholm, which moored last month at the isolated Portland pier, in the English county of Dorset, amid shouts of protest from activists and residents of the area. Aspects of the fire protocol and other safety issues on board delayed the opening of the controversial strategy crash against immigration in small boats through the English Channel, which Prime Minister Rishi Sunak lists among his priority electoral promises.
The first occupants of the Bibby Stockholm boarded after noon on the so-called “jail-dormitory”, where they will reside while their asylum applications are processed in the United Kingdom. The floating platform, which Interior has chartered for a minimum period of 18 months, is 93 meters long and three stories high structured around a central patio. The original 221 individual cabins have been modified to accommodate more than 500 foreigners who have entered the country through routes considered illegal. “It is cruel and inhumane to retain, especially on a floating ship, people who have suffered traumatizing experiences,” denounced a group of fifty NGOs in a letter addressed to the owner of the vessel, the Liverpool-based company Bibby Marine.
A spokesperson for Altar He dismissed the forecasts of Secretary of State Sarah Dines, who told the BBC in the morning that the operation would conclude before the weekend. The refugees are currently scattered throughout different districts of England, although it is estimated that most of those destined for Bibby Stockholm are temporarily housed in hotels in Weymouth and other towns in the tourist and attractive county of Dorset. Weymouth beach, which is about six miles from the pier, fills with families on sunny days while American troops trained on the nearby Cecil Beach before embarking in Portland to participate in the historic ‘Normandy Landing’, in June 1944. .
Downing Street He clarified, however, that a schedule has not been established to complete the transfer of the half a thousand refugees, men between the ages of 18 and 65. The conservative executive tries to repeat the experience in other ports in the country, but has stumbled upon the opposition from politicians and local populations to the arrival of waves of migrant men. asylum seekers cannot legally work while their paperwork is being processed and they receive a weekly allowance of about 50 euro per weekincluding the cost of maintenance.
The ‘pay’ is reduced to less than 11 euros per week when food is provided by the State. This is the case of the new tenants of the Bibby Stockholm, where food will be served three times a day and there will be almost continuous supply of water, tea and soup. In addition, they will receive medical attention and access to the Internet and English lessons, according to government sources. Security guards will control the departure and return to the boat and the movements of the port will be carried out with a special bus service, until 11 at night.