Protesters from Action Against Detention and Deportation chanted and banged metal containers outside the site in Thanet, which is at the center of a political row after it became dangerously overcrowded. Protesters chanted “shut down Manston”, while some unfurled a red banner reading: “The enemy doesn’t arrive by boat – he arrives by limousine”. Several people held up placards reading ‘no one is illegal’, ‘refugees welcome’ and ‘[home secretary Suella] Out now Braverman.’ Videos posted online by protesters showed a couple with a young baby waving to them from inside the facility. It comes after it was revealed that the former military base, which opened as a processing center for asylum seekers in February with the intention of hosting a maximum of 1,600 people for 24 hours at a time, had housed around 4,000 people for weeks. Some asylum seekers have described conditions at the airport, which provides tent accommodation, as “prison”, with reports of a diphtheria outbreak. On Wednesday, a young girl threw a bottle containing a letter over the perimeter fence at a PA news photographer. The letter said there were pregnant women and sick prisoners inside the facility. By Friday, Downing Street said the number of people in Manston had fallen to 2,600. Meanwhile, the Observer has revealed that the Home Office is hiring asylum decision-makers from customer service and sales roles at McDonald’s, Tesco and Aldi as part of a recruitment drive to clear the huge backlog of asylum applications. Recruits, recruited through online advertising and recruitment agencies, have no previous experience or knowledge of the asylum system. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Despite being promised comprehensive training, decision-makers reported being “left to fend for themselves” after two days and having to conduct complex interviews and make “life-or-death” decisions. A Home Office spokesman said: “The allegations made here are unfounded. We have increased our recruitment of asylum workers by 80% since 2019… All recruits must meet minimum civil service recruitment standards and be supported with extensive training and support from senior trainers and technical experts. “Our processes are underpinned by a strong framework of safeguards and quality controls, which ensure that claims are properly examined, decisions are made and that protection is provided to those who really need it.”
