More than a dozen human rights campaigners began gathering at the entrance to Derwentside IRC near Consett this morning, on Easter Monday. The campaigners are trying to stop the removal of Fatou Tamba, a woman from Gambia who has been living in the UK for 18 years. Fatou faces persecution if deported.
Fatou’s application for bail (so she could pursue her legal case for asylum) was refused by the Home Office at the last minute.
No To Hassockfield had already mobilised dozens of campaigners on Saturday to protest about the inhuman practice of locking up vulnerable women asylum seekers: they drew particular attention to Fatou’s urgent case.
Today’s action mirrors an action in June 2022 when campaigners blocked the road for 8 hours in an attempt to prevent the deportation of an unknown vulnerable woman to Nigeria.
What has happened to Fatou Tamba?
As most people in the UK celebrate the Easter holidays, women locked up inside Derwentside Immigration Removal Centre face deportation to countries they may not have lived in for over 20 years. These are countries where they no longer have family or friends and where international human rights norms are not respected. All of the women imprisoned in Derwentside are allegedly being ‘held prior to deportation’. In reality many will, if given the right legal support, win bail and ultimately the right to stay in the UK.
Right now, Fatou Tamba is imprisoned in Derwentside and is due to be removed from the UK imminently, having been refused bail. She has been living in the UK for 18 years and contributing to her local community.
Family members, activists, doctors, nurses, housing advocates, advisers and loving friends from her community in the UK have set up an urgent petition out of concern for her situation.
Fatou is not only a sister but a mother, a partner, an auntie and a cherished member of our community. She has a fiancé here in the UK and was planning for their future together. Her sudden detention has shattered that dream: Fatou is struggling with the harsh conditions. She is already deeply traumatised, and her mental health is deteriorating. Fatou has been denied timely medical care that she urgently needs. Her diet in detention in Derwentside is not suitable for her condition, and the environment is cold and inhumane.
Friends and supporters were understandably terrified for Fatou Tamba’s wellbeing in the UK. And now, she is being threatened with deportation to Gambia, a country where she faces certain persecution. Fatou and her brother have both received death threats due to their political views and activism. Fatou knows that her life is in danger if she sets foot in Gambia where she has no support network. Her parents are no longer alive. She has no home, no safe place to go. If she is sent back there she will be at risk of kidnapping, false imprisonment or death.
This kind, compassionate woman wants nothing more than to live in safety, as we all do. Fatou has actively contributed and volunteered with local organisations during her time in the UK. Under current UK laws she has been unable to work to support herself.
Fatou’s friend explains
Maggy Moyo from Right to Remain, an organiser with These Walls Must Fall Campaign and friend of Fatou, said:
“Fatou’s detention is yet another painful reminder of the cruelty and injustice embedded in the UK’s immigration system. As someone who has given so much to her community, supporting others through trauma, isolation and hardship, all while managing her own health challenges, including diabetes, and navigating the hostile environment as someone seeking asylum, it is heartbreaking to see her treated with such disregard.
“I have spent years campaigning against detention and working directly with vulnerable women. I have witnessed the deep, lifelong mental health impacts detention causes. I’ve seen women break under the weight of this system, stripped of their dignity, retraumatised, and silenced. Fatou represents everything that is good about grassroots organising: compassion, resilience, and unwavering commitment to her community. She should be protected, not punished.
Right to Remain, Migrants Organise, alongside organisations across Liverpool and beyond, stands firmly against the use of detention, especially for vulnerable women. We are not just calling for Fatou’s release, but for the release of all those currently held in immigration detention. This system is indefensible. What we need are communities of care, not cages. Enough is enough.”
What is the No To Hassockfield campaign?
Dr. Helen Groom from No To Hassockfield said:
“Women like Fatou are the reason an increasing number of us campaign by using protest, vigils, political work and by supporting the humanitarian groups that visit Derwentside, to shut down this IRC and others like it. The majority of the women imprisoned inside are not dangerous, are not going to abscond and, with the right legal support, can prove that they have a right to stay in the UK.
Many, like Fatou, have been in the UK for many years. No to Hassockfield called for Derwentside to be closed before it even opened. Even the government’s own Independent Monitoring Board have said Derwentside should be considered for closure, highlighting the isolated and remote location of the women’s immigration centre and its inadequate communications infrastructure. The IMB monitors – who visit the centre every week – report that many of the women detained at Derwentside are vulnerable, and suffering with mental health issues. These are al issues that Fatou is facing. We will continue to campaign until Derwentside is closed.”
Timeline of ‘Derwentside’
In early 2021, it emerged that the Home Office planned to open a new detention centre with capacity to detain 84 women at Hassockfield (renamed Derwentside IRC by the Home Office), in County Durham. Local people and campaigners united to resist the plans, including one local resident who mounted a legal challenge against the Home Office and local council.
In December 2022, HM Inspectorate of Prisons released their first inspection report on Derwentside. The report highlighted many extremely concerning findings, including a ‘use of force’ incident, and the ‘constant supervision’ of women by male staff – despite Home Office guidance prohibiting this practice.
In its 2022 and 2023 reports Derwentside IRC Independent Monitoring Board called for the government to consider closing the centre, stating “In the light of the issues and inequalities we have highlighted in this report, to reconsider the suitability of Derwentside as an IRC.” A further critical report was issued in 2024.
This article is based on a press release from the No to Hassockfield campaign group
Update from the No to Hassockfield campaign facebook page Monday 21 April 7pm
At 9am this morning, we received word that Fatou had been informed her removal from Derwentside IRC was imminent. Within 30 minutes, we mobilised and were on the ground outside the centre.
8 hours later, we are standing down.
During our presence today, we successfully blocked the removal van from entering the facility—preventing Fatou from being forcibly transported across the country for a removal flight. In that crucial time, her lawyer was able to take urgent legal action in an effort to halt her deportation.
We don’t yet know what will happen overnight or tomorrow—but today has been a success. One message, on a bank holiday, and we brought over 25 people to rural County Durham. That’s people power. That’s community in action.
We consider today a success. Fatou is not yet free—but she is still here. She was not taken from Derwentside. She was not forced onto that van.
Thank you to everyone who showed up in the cold and rain, who brought snacks and supplies, who supported from afar and donated. Your solidarity made today possible.
The fight continues.
*Free Fatou Tamba*
CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO OUR CROWDFUNDER
HELP US BECOME STRONGER SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DELIVER POWERFUL CITIZEN JOURNALISM!
