Activists Disrupt CRS Raid on Eritrean House


Last night (30/31st) at around 9.00pm the CRS made a raid on the
Eritrean
house. Four vans including a police 'snatch van' descended on the
property. Activists on the scene were able to bear witness to them
detaining three Eritreans, as well as emptying bottles of cooking oil
over
migrants' beds and clothing. Other activists were able to get inside
the
property and follow the police out. Enough of a scene was created
with
activists darting around the police heckling and obstructing that they
left without making any further arrests.

Later that evening activists witnessed the CRS arresting two Pashtu
Afghanis near the Eritrean house. The two activists disrupted
proceedings
by engaging the refugees in conversation, shining torches on the
police
and calling them bullying fascists, to which they seemed to take
offence.
A snatch van arrived with a third young Pashtun already inside and the
CRS
bundled the other two in with him. The two vans then headed back to t
he
Eritrean house and attempted to arrest further migrants but they all
produced satisfactory documents. Activists were on the scene and
slowed
down operations by strolling in front of the vans, heckling, shining
torches in the faces of the police and warning the Eritreans gathered
around the nearby house. One CRS officer lost his temper and began
violently shoving activists until he was given a stern talking-to by his
Commander, to the delight of the three Pashtuns watching the
spectacle
from inside the snatch van. Clearly struggling the CRS harassed an
Albanian near the railway bridge but had to let him go when he
produced
his papers. Unknown to activists the CRS then attempted to raid the
Ethiopian house across town. This time they were more successful in
scaling the 8' wall designed to keep Ethiopians out, and searched for
migrants with flashlights. However, no-one was found and no arrests
(or
beatings) took place. The cops then finished their shift and left without
managing to fill their evening arrest quota. All in all a good night's
work.

Unfortunately they managed to ruin this tranquility by raiding the
Sudanese jungle early in this morning (31st) and arrested five
Sudanese.
Hopefully we will see them come back safe and sound within 24 hours.