An investigation began after racist messages about portable radio used by home office contractors at Asylum Processing Centers have been reportedly “blown up.”
“Fuck your nigger and go back to where you came,” the deep, aggressive broadside reportedly was asked on the Manston processing site about the arrival of the small boat in Kent.
The home office and its contractor Matty denounced the language used.
It is understood that a meeting was held in Manston last Friday and was held to discuss the message. This has been accused of being racist and unprofessional. Due to the type of radio used, it is not clear who will identify it.
A source working in Manston said, “When someone blew through the radio fuck around 3pm, it was about three days when you came back to where you came.
A home office source confirmed that planned upgrades to Manston’s contractor radio have been expedited as a result of the reported incident. New radio will allow messages to be tracked.
I don’t know how many new asylum seekers have heard the message. Many of those who arrive in Manston after crossing the waterway by small boats suffer from issues like gasoline and hypothermia. Many have experienced traumatic experiences such as torture and human trafficking in their home countries.
While asylum seekers arriving in Manston have had a variety of experiences, many from countries such as Sudan and Eritrea have made particularly long and difficult journeys that often pass through Libya, where persecution of refugees is prevalent.
A spokesman for the home office said, “We completely condemn this language and behavioral use. We hope that contractor Mitty will quickly investigate this claim.”
A Mitie spokesperson said: “The language is unacceptable and we expect the highest standards from those working on the field, and we took immediate steps to investigate the allegations as soon as we realised.
Manston has been the subject of criticism from Watchdogs, including HM Prison inspectors, the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, and the European Commission for the prevention of torture. In 2022, it was dangerously overcrowded, with claims of difteria and sycosis development and attacks by security guards.
An independent investigation into the catalogue of failures in Manston began last month in 2022. The format of the inquiry has not been determined yet.
It’s not the first time a Mighty contractor has been accused of racism. In 2021, the Employment Court said it was “deeply interested” about Mighty contractors who deported people on behalf of their home offices that used the racist term “cotton picker” to describe their black colleagues, but dismissed allegations of discrimination over race and disability.
In 2022, Mighty admitted that he received complaints from some staff members of the WhatsApp group two years ago about racist comments, but could not “escalate.” Mighty is one of the government’s biggest contractors.
Louise Calvey, director of Charity Asylum Issues, said, “This is a horrifying report. The people of Manston have arrived in our country new to seek our help. This is not the first report of this type of rights abuse that will benefit greatly from our asylum system.
“People are seeking potential abuse that has been freed and endured, free and endured, with freedom and support for asylum seekers, said Maddie Harris, director of the Rights Network, which provides support to asylum seekers released from Manston, revealing that they have been subjected to extreme physical violence, witnessing deaths and violent incidents, and are detained in detention facilities and prisons. We look up and provide support to help them recover.”
