Over 100 asylum seekers organise ‘one in, one out’ demonstrations at detention facilities 

Over one hundred and thirty asylum seekers detained at two immigration detention facilities have launched overnight protests against the UK’s controversial plan of one in, one out with France.

Riot shielding officers, dogs, and tear gas came to suppress the demonstrations. The inaugural flight of 2026, one out, is known to have been cancelled on Thursday morning after a flight was cancelled last week.

Asylum seekers detained in the context of the one-in-one scheme to be removed to France have come up with four reports that have recorded their grievances with the scheme, as well as their detention conditions.

The Wednesday night protests were arranged at the two main detention centres where people were detained in the scheme, Harmondsworth, which was close to Heathrow and Brook House, which was close to Gatwick.

They expressed their concern over what they view to be a random nature of the one in one out arrangement, where most passengers in a dinghy boat are given a chance to have their asylum claims heard in the UK, whilst a minority is held in readiness to be forcibly transported to France. The scheme has been described by its proponents and opponents of asylum seekers as ineffective.

On Thursday, the day before the flight, 193 people were forcefully deported to France and 195 to the UK, respectively. Although no more than 32 individuals have crossed the Channel this year, a phenomenon that is believed to be due to bad weather, 803 individuals crossed the Channel in 13 boats on 20 December, a few months after the introduction of one in, one out, which suggests that the scheme was not yet acting as a deterrent as the government intended.

Wednesday detainees, in the first message, describe the reason behind their protest and stated: “We are asylum seekers, we are not criminals, we are not animals. Between 41,000 people who crossed the Channel, why are just we 200 persons are in detention? End the detention of asylum seekers. End our pain.”

Initially, the demonstration was peaceful, and the asylum seekers posted a message and said: “All is good. More than 60 here (at Harmondsworth) and 50 at Brook House, all protesting in a very nice and safe way. We are in the hall they locked the doors. We can’t go to the toilet, have a rest, or eat and drink. We don’t know what they gonna do next. Please help us. Do whatever you can for us”.

Libby Kane of the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants (JCWI) said: “This cruel UK-France scheme ultimately amounts to state-sanctioned human trafficking. We stand in complete solidarity with them and their demands. ” Home office refused to comment.