It looks just like Scotland's highest security Penitentiary for the mentally insane, at Carstairs, also in Lanarkshire, which holds the most dangerous, deranged and seriously disturbed mental patients in the country. Except, asylum seekers are neither lunatics or criminals. Tear down the barbed wire fence and set the prisoners free!

Address:

Dungavel House Immigration Centre
Strathaven,
South Lanarkshire
ML10 6RF

to find location:  http://multimap.com

the original call for the rally at Dungavel:
 http://indymedia.org.uk/en/regions/scotland/2003/08/275083.html

Article on ImcGermany:
 http://germany.indymedia.org/2003/09/61105.shtml

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3085374.stm
 http://www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30100-12763115,00.html
 http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13379429_method=full_siteid=86024_headline=-SHUT-IT-name_page.html
 http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/content_objectid=13381737_method=full_siteid=89488_headline=-SNP-PLAN-DUNGAVEL-ATTACKS-name_page.html
 http://www.thescotsman.co.uk/index.cfm?id=980812003
 http://www.news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=986322003


related articles-

 http://www.theherald.co.uk/news/archive/8-9-19103-0-17-44.html
 http://www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/5019011.shtml
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/3082164.stm
 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3082298.stm

For a start where do you propose to put these people if you are successful in your bid to close Dungavel? The protests are all fine and well but at the end of the day there are enough asylum seekers coming into this country each year to consititute another town, the country cannot sustain this amount on influx every year. The Scots people complain about high taxes, costs they can't pay, not enough jobs but they want to add to these costs by letting all and sundry enter the country, not knowing their background or crimal history. I for one used to work in Dungavel House Removal Centre as a Detention Custody Officer, I have had alot of contact with the people there and the staff are doing as good a job as possible in the circumstances. I have now left Dungavel and I am married to an ex-detainee who I love dearly but he has the same opinions on shutting these establishments as I do. As for the issue of children, the children are there at the parents request, they cannot be detained without their parents and there is the option to leave them with a responsible adult so who is to blame for the kids being in detention... THEIR PARENTS!!!!!!!!!!!! the home office can't take children into detention, it is the parents choice where the children reside. Therefore I think it is high time that people like yourselves get down from your soap box and start looking at the real world, views like the ones you hold are going to cripple this country, the people at Dungavel are well cared for and have more than some Scots with regards to 3 meals a day, computers, televisions, etc. If we close units like Dungavel then what happens when a rapist or child murderer arrives in this country??? These are the sorts of people you want on our streets?? Not all of them are criminals but how are we to know who is and who isn't if they can just walk into the country and stay without any restraints whatsoever..... i think you are all mad... have a nice day

Why stop with locking up asylum seekers in case they turn out to be rapists or child murderers? After all, we have plenty of home-grown ones too, so maybe we ought to imprison our entire population to make sure we don't miss any of them?

There is a fundamental principle in justice that a person is inncocent until proven guilty. The fact that a person originates from outside our country does not change that. *IF* they are at some point found guilty of something, it is of course reasonable to detain, deport or otherwise penalise them in accordance with the demands of justice and the law. It is utterly wrong though to detain anybody, regardless of their origin, in case they turn out to be criminals.

Why are asylum seekers being locked up like criminals when their only 'crime' has been to come to Scotland in search of hope for a better life? These people are not criminals and should not be treated as such. Do people honestly believe that these people seeking asylum were perfectly happy leaving their home, family, friends, job, in fact their whole life behind to come to a foreign country where they are completely alone? These people are arriving in a foreign country with absoloutely nothing. Not through choice, but because they had to leave their home country. How many British people would remain in Britain if they knew they were going to face pesecution for whatever reason? Not very many i'm sure.
Should our country not be treating these people the way we would want to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot? I'm sure if British people were being treated the same way in which we are treating asylum seekers the country would be up in arms. So why then is the treatment of these people being so widely accepted? Suerly we should be offering help and support to these people, not making life more difficult for them than it already is. Asylum seekers are human beings and should be treated humanely and fairly.
Would British people not hope that they would receive help from another country if it was them that was seeking asylum? i'm sure the answer to this is 'yes'. So why then as a nation are we so reluctant support these people who are obviously desparate and in need of help.

We are not treating refugees fairly? what is Dungavel house then, a shanty-town?

Refugees are treated with consideration in this country, they have been provided with a roof over there head, three meals a day and access to what I consider to be luxuries ie. computers, tv etc. they pay nothing for this, nor would I expect them to do so.

Dungavel House exists to house the people who have had there applications for asylum turned down, they have then refused to leave so what do we do? say OK?... No, they are kept where they can be found and removed when all appeals have been exhausted. A fair system I think.

I have read the comments regarding Dungavel and i would like to know where people get their facts. The asulym seekers are treated with respect,dignty and their religion is catered for at all times. They are human beings and are giventhe core conditions such as;empathy. I would also like to add that our country is overcrowded and although i have much sympathy for the people and the often horrific lifestleys that they had to endure in their country.It has to be said that there has to be some control. There is no easy answer however shutting Dungvel certainly isn't one.

I totally agree with the comment above from Janice, as someone who was a Detention Custody Officer in Dungavel I spent much time with the detainees and married one 2 years ago. This country cannot survive the onslaught of all the asylum claims every year. I know the facts, I worked there, lived with it constantly. My husband was detained for 15 months, he had done nothing wrong, but he understands why he was in Dungavel, he was not poorly treated and had more luxuries than some working class Scottish citizens. He did not see any of what you are talking about, no ill treatment etc, yes I do disagree that it is unfair to hold children but would you rather have to chase these people around the country if their claims fail, would you prefer to have people here working ilegally the obvious answer is no, but that is what will happen if Dungavel closes, it's not pleasant to have a place like Dungavel but it is necessary.

What happened to being treated with dignity,choice and equality? Didnt we do away with institutions for people in need? These people need integration rather than marginalisation,this is a disgrace in this day and age not good enough! Stop talking and start walking!