Pollokshields immigration raid: What we know so far as protesters block Home Office

Hundreds have gathered in the South Side street to prevent an immigration raid and a man forced himself under the immigration enforcement van holding two detainees to stop it driving away.

There have been violent clashes between police and protesters and our reporter on the scene saw three people being arrested.

A lot of anger from the crowd who gathered to stop the raid was centred around it taking place on Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan and the Islamic equivalent of Christmas. It’s understood the household are Sikhs, so would not be celebrating the festival today, though many who had gathered were.

There were violent scenes as cops attempted to move a car which was parked on the junction with Leven Street. It is not known why the car was being towed but it caused an outcry among the crowd. Some were hit by cops and pushed onto the pavement.

Who are the men?

Tania Candido, 63, who has lived in the area for 32 years is a neighbour of the men who were raided.

She said it was an older man and his 20-year-old son who lived in the flat, with another male flatmate. It is not known which of the three is being held in the van. She described them as lovely people who she could not say a bad word about.

Why is the raid being opposed?

Protesters are stopping the raid because they view the practice as unjust. A young man celebrating Eid, who did not wish to be named said: “They are coming out and trying to deport people.

"What’s the reason they are escaping from their countries, it must be because something is not okay. They were a nice family, who had stayed here for a while.

“They are a family, they should have some kind of rights in this country.”

Many of those gathered heckled police, who were guarding the van, telling them to quit their jobs and go home.

Why are Police Scotland there?

Immigration is a reserved matter, so it has nothing to do with the Scottish Government. Police at the scene said they were there to keep people safe.

A spokeswoman for the force said they were assisting colleagues from the UK Border Agency, which is a part of the Home Office. Community liaison officers attempted to negotiate with protesters sitting at the back of the van but were shouted down by the crowd and met with chants of “Don’t talk to blue cops,” referencing their blue vests.

What are people saying about it?

Allison Thewliss, the area’s MP, has contacted the UK government demanding they call off the raid.

As of earlier this afternoon, she told the Glasgow Times she had not heard back from the Home Office.

Her Westminster SNP colleague Chris Stephens, who represents Glasgow South West addressed protesters at the event and called for the men to be released.

He told the Glasgow Times afterwards that he thought the protest had a “very good chance” of succeeding, and protesters said they were prepared to stay “as long as it takes” for the detainees to be freed. Some brought food to be shared out among those who have created a barrier around the van.

An immigration lawyer at the scene, who did not wish to be named because of his role, described the Home Office as “lousy” but did not rate the chances of the protest being successful. Mohammad Asif, a refugee leader, of the Afghan Human Rights Foundation is protesting against the raid.

He said it was carried out on Eid al-Fitr, a Muslim holy day, to “inflame tensions”. While the detainees are not Muslims, many who have turned out today are.

He added: “These are our neighbours. This is our community.”

He told the crowd through a megaphone: “When you tell me to go home - where is my home? You bombed my home.”