Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre has always been at the centre of protests.

A big demonstration was organised also on 13/03/2003 with the presence of Bishop John Mone of Paisley Diocese and, at the time, president of Justice and Peace for the Scottish Conference of Bishops.

On July 5^th 2005 there was the latest demonstration coinciding with the meeting of the G8 at the Gleneagles Summit in order to support the human rights of the asylum seekers who have been locked up in this prison without having committed any crime and after having fled their homelands because of torture and of grave political or religious abuses.

After experiencing so dreadful and inhuman treatment in the countries they came from, they arrived in Britain with the great hope of peace and better future, just to be locked up and detained with their children in Dungavel Prison as if they were criminals and just to be sent back, in a merciless way, to their countries to face new abuses and again the threat of life.

Fr. Francis, Sr. Aurora and Sr. Italina were present at the demonstration. We started with few people but by 1 pm we were already over one thousand and by 3 pm possibly more than two thousand. Other were still coming since, as it seemed, the demonstration was slowed down on purpose by the police with the excuse of security and order. The demonstration in Dungavel went along in a peaceful way and we hope for good results for the Asylum seekers.

Dungavel Removal Centre

Protest on date 13/03/2003 with Bishop John Mone, Bishop of Paisley and (at the time) President of the Catholic Church's Justice and Peace Commission. In August 2001 Bishop Mone called on Scots to view asylum seekers, "as an enrichment to our society not a challenge to our stability.

"This is Wednesday 12th March 2003 and I have just visited the "Immigration Removal Centre" at Dungavel near Strathaven in my role as President of the Scottish Catholic Justice and Peace Commission. I was appalled to meet so many young children of school age and I am deeply concerned for them. In some cases they told me they have been detained in this former prison for as much as eight months. 

Regardless of the differing opinions in the current debate about dealing with asylum seekers, it is a disgrace that children are being detained in a prison environment behind security fences and barbed wire with their freedom severely curtailed. 

What is happening is quite unacceptable. You cannot just lock children up like this. One of them had tears in her eyes as she asked me "Why are we in prison, we have done nothing wrong?" I did not have an answer. 

Protecting children has been high on the agenda of our people in recent times and to ignore what is going on at Dungavel shames us all. 

The treatment of these children is a long way from the Rights of the Child as enshrined in the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights.

I simply give an example of ARTICLES 28, 31 and 37 which give a night to education which is available and compulsory; to play and recreation appropriate to their age and perhaps the more relevant one at the moment which states that detention or imprisonment of a child shall be only as a LAST RESORT and for the shortest time possible. 

I call now on the Home Secretary to close the "Family Unit" at Dungavel and to find a more humane way of dealing with the application for asylum made by families. 

The very process of removing families from our country requires urgent revision.

+John Mone

Bishop of Paisley

President of the Catholic Church's Justice and Peace Commission