Xenophobic attitudes are promoted, with human beings placed in a hierarchy of value, says one former resident of the Napier barracks
I was held in Napier barracks from September 2020, through a Covid outbreak, during which I joined nearly 200 of my fellow detainees – many of whom were survivors of torture – in contracting the disease (Inspectors condemn Covid safety of barracks used to house asylum seekers, 8 March). We were given no support whatsoever in freezing January temperatures.
The Home Office has announced that it will continue to use the barracks (Report, 16 March). Furthermore, it intends to build more mass accommodation for people like me who are seeking asylum, and this week we learned that they are seeking to locate these offshore (UN official raises concerns over UK offshore asylum plan, 18 March). There seems to be misinformation being spread across the country to justify such harsh measures.
