The controversial floating ship where the United Kingdom will house asylum seekers

Portland, an island in the southwest of England, will be the first place in the UK to receive asylum seekers on a floating accommodation vessel.

Last week, the “Bibby Stockholm” was taken out of dry dock in Falmouth harbour, following a refurbishment that will enable her to house up to 500 single men, at least for the next few years. 18 months.

It is expected to be towed to Portland in the next few days.

BBC West of England correspondent Dan Johnson visited the island to find out how residents view this controversial new government policy.

“They think Portland is a mess,” says Charles Richards, 78.

“They leave her here because they think we don’t matter and they don’t think we’re making a fuss. Portland has been treated with contempt”.

Richards has always lived on the island.

We sit on his garden wall, which overlooks the harbor where he worked for the Ministry of Defence, packing missiles.

It seems that everyone here is somehow connected to the military or prison.

“Portland has always been exploited,” he continues.

“The stone companies exploited the earth and dug big holes in it. The Ministry of Defense exploited it to make fortifications and naval bases. He the government used it to install two prisons. For years they have done what they wanted with us”.

Till the end

Portland is one of those places on the edge, one end of England which hangs off the coast of Dorset next to the fine thread of Chesil Beach.

I see a sign in a neighbor’s window: “Keep Portland Weird.”

It only takes 10 minutes to drive from one end to the other, but it’s not an insular area and you get the sense that this rugged, weathered landscape carries more than its fair share of our national weight.

Among the quarries from which came brilliant white stones for the Buckingham Palace and St Paul’s Cathedral is the prison of “The Verne”, in which 580 convicts of sex crimes live.

There is also another prison that houses another 500 prisoners.

And to complete the two prisons, there used to be the prison ship “HMP Weare”, a “temporary measure” to alleviating the overcrowding, which lasted there for eight years.

The 400 prisoners put the share of the island’s population behind bars at 11%.

Now another ship is sailing to the same place.

It is the flagship of the latest government plan to “stop the boats” with migrants trying to reach British territory and deter dangerous channel crossings.

Money

Dorset City Council will receive more than $2,220,000 over the 18 months the ship is expected to be in port.

This calculation is based on an estimate of US$4,500 per bed.

In addition, US$493,000 will be made available to fund the support and activities of its residents.

While council member Laura Beddow says the authority had “serious concerns” and believes Portland is the wrong place to locate a ship, she admits, “We’re in a position where we need to provide legal services.”

The Ministry of the Interior confirms that the ship will ease the pressure on the asylum system.

However, it was met with opposition from a wide variety of voices and there is still hope that an appeal can be made.

“People are concerned about these young people,” Richards says.

“What are they going to do? Wandering? We don’t know what they’re going to do, where they’re going or who they’re hanging out with. They will be involved in drug trafficking? It’s something we don’t need.”

I hear the same questions in Victoria Gardens public garden.

“Yeah, they have to go somewhere,” agrees Kathy Smith.

“But for a ship coming here… our infrastructure on the island is very limited. We have one entrance and one exit. We are having trouble getting medical appointments. Do they get priority?

to assure

The same concerns are reflected in banners unfurled during protests, amplified in Facebook groups and aired in a fiery public gathering.

Representatives from the city of Dorset, the county, the NHS and the police are taking up the challenge angry residentsin a video link accompanied by officials from the Ministry of the Interior.

A lady fears for the safety of women and girls.

Another is concerned about the condition of those on board.

there are questions on support for migrants when it comes to their mental health and spiritual well-being, as well as how free they will be to move around.

Is this really cheaper than using hotels? What about security? And who should be protected against whom?

Some find that the boring residential block will discourage tourists. Everyone, including local officials, is angry about the lack of consultation.

Not many answers and not many details.

The Interior Ministry official describes a “emergency”, ensures that all asylum seekers have passed the initial assessment and have been checked against the police and immigration databases.

He talks about coming up with “activities for those on board that help them spend their time productively”.

“You are a liar and a coward,” a man shouts.

The discussion then turns to the state of utilities in Portland.

“It can take four weeks to see a doctor,” complains one woman.

There is no dentist and the pharmacy is overflowing, it sounds in the meeting.

Some believe that anti-social behavior is already getting out of hand: the island has more lighthouses than police officers.

The officials look stunned. They promise more information and better servicebut later admits that the 500 men must register with local GPs.

That is too much for a man who shouts: “If we go to our health center and it is overcrowded with asylum seekers, they will immediately kick us back. They can’t even give us proper medical care now. It’s disgusting and they should be ashamed.”

Among these concerns are hints of prejudice and glimmers of racism. Some want to make much broader points.

“These people are not refugees,” shouts another man.

“They are not from a war-torn country, they are economic immigrants.”

“We should be the first”

Beddow suggests addressing comments on immigration policy to the government.

As the leader in charge of the meeting struggles to wrap up the debate, another man shouts a final remark: “Where is your duty to take care of us? We should be the first.”

It is an uneasy clash between central politics and local expertise.

Reveals a powerful sense of a community that feels forgottenwith emotions fueled by the thing itself, the ship, designed to reassure voters that asylum seekers do not live in the luxury of taxpayer-funded hotels.

Tim Munro, former mayor of Portland, sums it up for me: “We really don’t want the nightmare scenario to come true, have many young people looking for things to do on the island”.

I wonder why your suspicion is so negative.

“They can’t work,” he says. And obviously they’re not going to be on a boat in Portland harbor all the time, so what are they going to do? I don’t know, so I can only imagine the bad things that could happen.”

Munro reminds me that the island was home to thousands of young people when the Navy ran the port: “drink and do what young people do,” he says.

But he cites longstanding maritime connections and military police as reassuring counterweights.

Among the ironies accumulating on the island are the dilapidated ruins of a former naval accommodation block, facing the harbour.

A plan to house 750 asylum seekers was rejected 20 years ago.

I remind Munro of the thousands of visitors at the 2012 Olympics when Portland hosted the sailing regattas.

‘Those people were shopping at Waitrose, coming from Bath, traveling by train, taking rubbish home; they were all very cultured and nice people,” he says.

“Those are the ones who come to watch sailing in the Olympics. That’s not what we have now. We hope it turns out to be those nice, friendly people who don’t have a big impact on the local community. The only concern is the unknownthat’s all”.

“weird place”

The group Stand up against racism (Stand Up to Racism) runs its own campaign, “Refugees Welcome: No to the Prison Boat,” calling on protesters focus on politics and not on people.

Carralyn Parkes is a Labor Party alderman on the Portland City Council and currently serves as mayor.

“Our opposition has never targeted asylum seekers,” he says.

“These people will be treated with kindness, courtesy and respect and we will do everything we can to make you feel welcome”.

“It’s about the supply of living space, which is completely unsuitable for people with complex needs. It’s barbaric and inhuman.”.

The city council has been clear in its resistance, but also in its powerlessness to resist.

Back on Richards’ lawn, he tells me about the flyer that arrived at his house a few weeks ago, reminding residents that the Navy still occasionally uses the harbor as a backup berth for nuclear submarines.

The contingency plan informs everyone within a mile radius that they will be given iodine tablets if something goes wrong.

“Portland is a strange place,” he concludes.

“There’s a lot of weird stuff going on here.”

He tells me he is “not a true Portlandeño” because, although he was born here, his parents were foreigners or “kimberlins”.

And now there are 500 more “kimberlins” – the yet unknown asylum seekers – who have no voice and are destined to take refuge in Portland harbor with the storm around them.