Bibby Stockholm residents discuss experiences after protests against immigrants
Bibby Stockholm residents have spoken about their experiences on board the barge, following a wave of violence around the UK which has targeted immigrants.
The Bibby Stockholm, with a capacity for 500 men, has been docked in Portland, off the coast of Dorset, for more than a year.
It was introduced under the previous Conservative government as a means of easing pressure on the asylum system.
But it has proved controversial, with previous residents describing prison-like conditions and locals objecting to its location.
In July, the new Labour government announced they intended to end the barge’s contract and move the residents into alternative accommodation.
“I came here to protect myself from my home country,” said Emmanuel Murugiah, one of the barge’s residents.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Murugiah (pictured), 23, said he moved to the UK from Malaysia because he feared persecution as a gay man.
Amid a wave of violent protests targeting immigrants and Muslims around the UK, Mr Murugiah – who is not Muslim – praised the people of Portland.
“I can say the local people are really great compared with London, when I was in London there (were) people who are racist,” he said.
“When I moved to Portland the people are really nice and helping each other if you need anything.”
Mr Murugiah said he had not directly experienced the recent protests, which targeted hotels used to house immigrants, with one in Tamworth set on fire.
The violence, which has seen hundreds of people charged with violent disorder, comes after misinformation saw a Muslim immigrant blamed for the murder of three young girls at a Taylor Swift-themed yoga event in Southport.
However, Mr Murugiah said life on board the barge was not easy, with other residents targeting him.
He said: “When I came to the barge, there were certain things that happened to me, like bullying, and people trying to target about my gender identity.
“They would be saying ‘why are you guys so soft, why are you like this?’
“I feel so uncomfortable because I already face a lot of problems in my home country.”
Mr Murugiah said he did not feel people on the barge wanted to talk with an LGBTQ person and he would like to move if he could.
Saeed Ahmad, from Pakistan, arrived in the UK 15 months ago, with the last five on the barge, having previously been based in Wales and London.
Mr Ahmad described the recent protests as “not good” but said he had not experienced any issue.
He said: “Actually, the Home Office and our management, they informed us about these activities, and we (stayed in the) barge, we do not go outside.”
He described most of the people he met as “very good, loving, caring”, while acknowledging some people were racist.
Mr Ahmad did not wish to discuss what had brought him to the UK, saying it was a “religious case”.
He described the accommodation as “not bad” for a short time, but not for extended periods of time, with small rooms and residents unable to go outside without taking a bus.
He said: “The food is not bad, average, our room is not bad, average, and staff is very good, no doubt.”
Mr Ahmad was highly critical of the medical system on board the vessel.
He said: “I want to say that the medical system is not good, very, very bad medical system.
“(In) my own experience, I met with doctor on the barge, they don’t care, they don’t see carefully. The medical system is not good.”
Mr Murugiah and Mr Ahmad are among a number of residents to have taken part in art classes at a local community centre, with their work set to be displayed in a festival next month.
The class is designed to encourage both artistic expression and personal connection, and serves as a form of therapy while also helping foster bonds with the community.
Their work will be showcased as part of Portland island’s annual “b-side” festival.
Mr Murugiah described art as being part of his “soul” and said it has helped him make friends while saying he was not very active in talking to others.
Rocca Holly-Nambi, who helps run the art class and b-side festival, said they wanted to foster a sense of community by bringing people from across Portland together.
She said: “Art has become that place, that meeting point, where we can realise that we’re all brilliantly different and brilliantly the same at the same time.
“It’s suddenly bringing people together who never expected to be together, suddenly talking and laughing and getting along, and realising that we have all of this stuff in common more than what keeps us apart.
“When the Bibby Stockholm arrived, I think something shifted in that (for us at b-side) it suddenly became super urgent to not just talk about these themes (of migration) just at the festival.
“Start doing more and more activities, like the art class today, to bring these different communities together.
“Some people were definitely struggling with feeling like this island doesn’t have enough resources, or I’m anxious about this person’s culture.
“So, it suddenly felt like there was an increased urgency to do events that would would break that down a bit.”
The festival runs from September 5 to 8.
A Home Office spokesperson said: “As part of the Government’s commitment to clear the backlog and fix the asylum system, the contract for the Bibby Stockholm is ending in January.
“We take the health and wellbeing of asylum seekers seriously and at every stage in the process will seek to ensure that all needs and vulnerabilities are identified and considered, including those related to mental health and trauma.”
Copyright (c) PA Media Ltd. 2024, All Rights Reserved. Picture (c) Ben Birchall / PA.
