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The bunk bed cargo ship "Bibby Stockholm" in the port of Portland: "Living spaces the typical size of a car park"

Photo: ANDREW MATTHEWS / AFP

The British government had long announced the drastic measure – now it is being put into practice. For the first time, asylum seekers will be accommodated on a three-story barge off the coast. As several media reported, the first men arrived at the port of the southern English city of Portland. There, several people protested against the anchorage of the ship called "Bibby Stockholm", others against the asylum policy of the conservative government.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak wants to deter migrants with the new measure: Anyone who enters the country without permission will be taken into custody, deported as soon as possible and will no longer be allowed to apply for asylum in the UK – regardless of personal circumstances.

The number of irregular arrivals rose to 45,000 last year, despite Conservative forces announcing that Brexit would reduce migration. However, since then there has been no readmission agreement with the EU.

With the measure, Sunak wants to solve a space problem in the accommodation of those seeking protection as well as avoid high costs due to hotel rooms. Up to 500 men between the ages of 18 and 65 will soon be waiting for the outcome of their asylum proceedings on the »Bibby Stockholm«. The government wants to use other similar barges soon.

Human rights activists and firefighters warn

"It seems that this government will do everything it can to make asylum seekers feel unwelcome and unsafe in this country," said Steve Valdez-Symonds of the human rights organization Amnesty International. He warned against the "retraumatization" of refugees who have escaped war and displacement. There should be a lot of concern about restricting each person to living spaces the typical size of a car parking lot," Valdez-Symonds said. The refugee aid organization Care4Calais said that appeals by lawyers had prevented several asylum seekers from having to board.

The »Bibby Stockholm« was last used as a floating shelter for oil workers. In the mid-nineties, it had also accommodated asylum seekers and homeless people in Hamburg. At that time, it was designed for about 200 occupants. As the BBC reported, the capacity has now also been increased to 500 with the help of bunk beds. The firefighters' union therefore warned of risks.

As a deterrent, the government also announced that it would significantly increase fines for companies and landlords who employ or accommodate irregularly arrived migrants. Undeclared work and illegal rentals are major attraction factors for people who cross the English Channel, mostly in small boats. The penalties are to rise from 15,000 to 45,000 pounds (52,000 euros) per illegally employed worker. Apartment owners are to pay 1000,10 pounds per unauthorized tenant instead of 000 pounds in the future.

mrc/dpa