Just Stop Oil Protesters Block Asylum Seeker Coach at Dorset Barge
Just Stop Oil activists caused a scene today by blocking the coach carrying asylum seekers to the Bibby Stockholm barge moored at the Isle of Portland, Dorset.
At 12:45pm, 23 protesters stopped traffic on Portland Beach Road and positioned themselves in front of the coach. They unfurled banners reading ‘No Prison Ships’ in front and ‘Demand Humanity’ at the rear. The demonstrators were repeatedly pushed by vehicles and eventually forced off the road for safety. Three arrests were made.
Protesters Slam ‘Prison Ships’ and Government Plans
“Our government’s new oil and gas plans are fueling climate chaos, forcing more people from their homes,” said a Just Stop Oil spokesperson. “Housing asylum seekers on prison ships is a terrifying step towards concentration camps. We won’t let it happen. Today, we stand in solidarity with all those seeking refuge.”
“Cruel schemes like the Bibby Stockholm, the Rwanda plan, or grim barracks aren’t solutions. The priority is to stop climate disasters by ending new oil and gas drilling while upholding people’s right to safety.”
Groups Demand Home Office and Bibby Marine End ‘Profiting from Misery’
Merseyside Solidarity Knows No Borders added their voice, stating:
“As the humanitarian crisis worsens globally, we demand justice, human rights, and international law respected everywhere. Bibby Marine must stop profiting from human suffering and end their contract with the Home Office for using the Bibby Stockholm as a prison ship.”
Reclaim the Seas blasted the government’s harsh stance against asylum seekers:
“Seeking asylum is a human right, not a crime. Yet the government treats these vulnerable people like criminals, cramming them into a dangerous floating prison. We work closely with trauma survivors from sea crossings and condemn the Bibby Stockholm as pure cruelty. Action is needed to stop retraumatising asylum seekers.”
Fire Brigades Union Warns: Bibby Stockholm Is a ‘Potential Deathtrap’
On August 2nd, Ben Selby, Assistant General Secretary of the Fire Brigades Union (FBU), sent a stark warning to Home Secretary Suella Braverman. He compared the risks of the Bibby Stockholm barge to past tragedies like Grenfell Tower:
“We are seriously concerned about the dangers of housing asylum seekers on this floating structure. Drawing on our experience from disasters like Grenfell, our priority is to prevent another tragedy and ensure public safety.”
“Firefighters believe the Bibby Stockholm to be a potential deathtrap.”
