"The closure of the camp is a day of very mixed emotions for everyone who has been involved in supporting the residents."
"For all of us, it has been completely life-changing in a positive way."
"However, the camp itself, the buildings, the shambolic management, have left their mark on those that stayed there."
Napier barracks in Folkestone opened in September 2020 and accommodated about 400 asylum seekers. The site experienced a mass Covid outbreak that infected roughly 200 men, alongside far-right protests, fires, hunger strikes and a high court ruling that found minimum standards were not met. Kent county council launched a safeguarding inquiry over conditions. Stays were initially indefinite before the Home Office imposed a 90-day limit, which residents said made life more bearable. Support services provided advice amid chaotic early months that included no drinking water, furniture salvaged from stable blocks, dormitory sleeping and some sleeping outdoors in sub-zero temperatures.
Read at www.theguardian.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]