Campsfield: Protesters gather at immigration detention centre

Protesters gathered at the Langford Lane entrance to Campsfield

A protest has been held at an immigration removal centre which is set to reopen under government plans.

Campsfield in Kidlington, Oxfordshire, closed in 2018 but is due to reopen later this year with increased capacity.

About 50 protesters gathered at the Langford Lane entrance on Saturday.

The Home Office previously said the accommodation would be "modern, decent and secure" and that detainees would be treated with "dignity and respect".

But protesters chanted: "No human is illegal, keep Campsfield closed."

The demonstration was called by the Coalition to Keep Campsfield Closed and Oxford Student Action for Refugees.

The detention centre closed in 2018

One of the protest organisers, Bill MacKeith, said: "No planning application has been received for new buildings at Campsfield, and the Supreme Court has declared the Rwanda deportations plan to be not legal.

"Now is the time for the government to return to the reform policy in force before 2022 - detain fewer people under immigration law, for shorter periods, and look at community-based alternatives to detention."

During its time open, the centre saw hunger strikes, self-harm and suicides, before closing in 2018.

The Home Office said the site would house 400 men who were "foreign nationals liable for removal from the UK - foreign national offenders and immigration offenders".

The Home Office previously said: "Detention and removal are essential parts of effective immigration controls.

"It is vital these are carried out with dignity and respect, and we take the welfare of detained individuals in our care very seriously."

Follow BBC South on Facebook, X, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].