First asylum seekers return to Bibby Stockholm barge

Asylum seekers have been forced to return to the Bibby Stockholm barge in Dorset more than two months after it was evacuated following the discovery of legionella bacteria in the water supply.

About 50 local people and campaigners gathered at the gates of Portland port to protest against the men being returned to the facility, but also to welcome them back into their community.

Just Stop Oil protesters briefly caused the coach to stop on its approach.

Some of the men who have returned said they were frightened at the prospect of being made to live on the barge but were concerned that their asylum claims may be rejected if they resisted.

One told the Guardian: “I am worried and afraid. I do not want to go to the barge, but I don’t have the courage to disobey. I am literally helpless.

“I don’t know what is waiting for me. What will the government’s next pilot plans be for the men they are putting on the barge? We feel like pawns in their game, guinea pigs in their experiments. What experiment will they enact on us next? What is at the end of this devastating and crazy wait? Will I be able to save my life and my family?”

It is thought that about 30 men were on a bus that arrived at the port on Thursday lunchtime. Another 45 are believed to be arriving on Friday and Monday.

One of those at the port gates to greet the men, Candy Udwin, of Dorset Stand Up to Racism, said the home secretary, Suella Braverman, was making a political point by forcing them to come back.

She said: “It’s not practical. It’s going the most expensive asylum seeker accommodation ever with the money they’re having to spend on it.”

The accommodation, which the government says is part of a package to reduce the £8m-a-day cost of putting up asylum seekers in hotels, has been beset with problems.

Legionella bacteria was discovered onboard the day asylum seekers arrived on 7 August. Concerns were also raised about fire safety and about far-right activity in the area. The barge was evacuated four days after 39 asylum seekers boarded.

Udwin said: “It’s not surprising they are scared to return. There are still those who think it is a potential floating Grenfell.” She said in the four days the men were onboard in the summer, some never left it because it was hard to get on and off. “It felt like a prison,” she said.

Members of the Portland Global Friendship Group prepared welcome packs for the men including toiletries, a map of the island, a notebook and a postcard with the group’s contact details. They greeted the bus with welcome signs and bunches of flowers.

One of the group members, Heather, said: “The guys have been through so much. It’s been so unsettling for them.”

In the four days that the men spent on Portland in August, the group began to make links with them. “I’ve never met so many educated, skilled, lovely, brave people,” said Heather, who asked that her full name not be used because she had received threats for helping the asylum seekers.

“There are electrical engineers, pharmacists, architects. It’s a disgrace we’re spending all the money on this but if we processed them quickly and humanely this wouldn’t be happening.

“We are a poor community but we are a really kind community and where the government fails, we will stand up. We have so many volunteers – hairdressers offering to give haircuts, teachers offering to give lessons, people with mental health backgrounds. We don’t want the barge but they will be part of our community.”

The mayor of Portland, Carralyn Parkes, said: “The whole idea is to be as cruel as possible to deter people from claiming asylum. They are human beings and they are welcome on Portland.”

The bishop of Salisbury, the Rt Rev Stephen Lake, wrote a welcome letter to the men promising a “humane” reception from locals. “Jesus was a refugee and received the care of others,” he said.

When the Bibby arrived in Portland in July, police had to step in after members of a group called No to the Barge claimed that women and children on the island would be put in danger by the men being housed there. No members of the group were present for the men’s return.

Only one local man, Danny, said he supported its presence. “We need a deterrent. A five-star hotel isn’t a deterrent. And Portland is a safe place. There’s little underground crime they [the asylum seekers] could be tempted into,” he said.

Asked why he thought they might be drawn into crime, he said: “These guys are trying to live an illegal way, getting into the country on small boats.”

The Home Office has issued fresh guidance, “Failure to travel to the Bibby Stockholm vessel”, saying that support will be terminated for those who “fail to take up the offer of accommodation on the vessel”.