Protesters block Edinburgh immigration detentions
- Published
The crowd gathered outside restaurant near Nicolson Square
More than 100 campaigners gathered in Edinburgh to block what they said was an "immigration raid".
The large crowd assembled amid reports that two immigration vans had arrived at Nicolson Square on Thursday evening.
Posts on social media said officers were attempting to detain people from a nearby restaurant.
Protesters claimed Home Office staff had agreed to leave but the Home Office later said the protest had no impact on its operation.
A BBC reporter at the scene said the crowd was loud but mostly good-natured with a bagpiper playing.
Police officers allowed Home Office staff out of the restaurant
At one point, a line of police officers formed to allow Home Office enforcement staff to leave the restaurant.
The protesters booed and jeered at them with chants of "shame on you".
Once the immigration officers left, the crowd began to disperse.
A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: "Around 6.45pm on Thursday May 5, police were called to an address on Potterrow, Edinburgh, following reports of a large protest outside a property.
"Officers are currently in attendance at the location and inquiries are ongoing."
A Home Office spokesperson said: "It is unacceptable for people to attempt to block legitimate actions of law enforcement as they work to remove those with no right to live or work in the UK."Through our Nationality and Borders Act we are taking steps to fix the broken system to make it fair to those in genuine need and firm on those who seek to abuse it. An operation was carried out in Edinburgh today and to suggest that protesters had an impact on the outcome is wrong."
Protesters cheered as the "raid" came to an end
The incident was reminiscent of a protest in Glasgow a year ago when hundreds of people thwarted an attempt by the Home Office to detain two men "suspected of immigration offences".
After a six-hour stand-off in Kenmure Street, the men were released.
Last year an immigration operation in Glasgow attracted a huge crowd of protesters