Scottish Catholic Observer

Created by parish media group Sancta Familia Media, who are based at Holy Family Church, Mossend, created the video with Justice and Peace following their recent solidarity outside Dungavel Detention Centre with the Ayrshire Hope Not Hate group, where numerous asylum seekers are housed.

The video hears from Justice and Peace members, MSPs, Glasgow Night Shelter, Scottish Detainee Visitors, Global Justice Glasgow, Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, and those who have experienced first-hand the immigration process at Dungavel.

“The continued existence of the Dungavel Detention Centre is becoming a real problem for Scotland,” said Daniel Sweeney of Justice and Peace. “Now we’re being told different things about its closure, about its remaining open, and still we have an American private company profiting off the misery of people who have come to the UK seeking sanctuary, looking for safety, and trying to make a better life for themselves away from conflict, away from persecution.

“The Bible consistently tells people we must remember we were slaves in Egypt, and we must welcome the stranger.”

East Kilbride MSP Linda Fabiani described it as ‘Scotland’s shame.’

“This used to be an open prison, and it seems to me that since it became a detention centre, then an immigration removal centre, it’s less open than it ever was,” she said.

The video also features testimonies from individuals describing it as ‘evil’, with an anonymous man speaking of how it impacted negatively on him, both physically and mentally.

Justice and Peace Scotland and Sancta Familia Media heard from Lord, who previously detained at Dungavel, and spoke of his ‘vivid’ memories of the place.

“The horrible experience about Dungavel was when I got in straight away, and I saw a family with little kids and even a baby,” he said. “I was very upset about that because a detention centre is an evil place.

“Even adults are not able to withstand the stress and all the horrible experiences we have there, let alone children.”

President of Justice and Peace Scotland, Bishop William Nolan of Galloway, shared his views on Dungavel, a ‘blot on the Scottish landscape’ and the need to welcome those seeking refuge in the UK.

“The humane thing to do is to welcome these people and care for them in the community while their case is being heard – not lock them up in what was an open prison, but is now even more a prison than it ever was before,” he said.

The full video can be found online at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cBj6xOhYGU