Via @jodelka on Twitter, the group which smashed the windows of a branch of Barnardo’s in Brixton during the Monday night celebration of Margaret Thatcher’s death has released a statement about why they did it. The “Informal Anarchist Federation (FAI)” writes on Indymedia:
On the celebration of Thatcher’s death, we smashed a window of Barnardo’s ‘charity shop’ in Brixton using a concrete slab from a bin on the street. And it was easy. We would of done more if it weren’t for self-proclaimed pacifists violently attempting to arrest us.
This action was in solidarity with all migrants detained, deported and struggling to cross borders. Barnardo’s was targeted because they fund and administrate Cedars detention centre in Croydon. They detain children, families and individuals who merely seek freedom from poverty, persecution, murder, rape and other oppression the borders.
Barnardo’s do not, in fact “fund and administrate Cedars detention centre”.
The group provides welfare services to children detained in the facility, which is officially “pre-departure accommodation” housing families due to be deported from the UK. A Barnardo’s spokesperson told Civilsociety.co.uk:
Barnardo’s simply provides welfare and social work services there. We believe every family and child should be treated with dignity and respect and be able to access high-quality support.
There is a pressure group, Barnardo’s Out, who feel that this is too much. When Barnardo’s took the contract, the group set out seven “red lines” which would prompt it to “raise concerns… speak out and ultimately if we have to… withdraw our services”, and Barnardo’s Out argues that those red lines have been crossed without prompting action from the charity.
It should be noted that there’s no hint of a direct link between Barnardo’s Out and FAI. In fact, maybe if there was, the latter wouldn’t have made quite such a ludicrous claim in their statement.
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