Crowd forces release of ‘illegal immigrant’
A SUSPECTED illegal immigrant was arrested then released on bail yesterday after 200 protesters blocked a police van that was taking him away.
Footage showed a crowd sat on the road, shouting ‘let him go’ and eating ice lollies.
It is understood the man is Nigerian and suspected of overstaying his visa.
At least a dozen officers arrived at the scene after the Metropolitan Police was called at 1.30pm ‘to a report of protesters obstructing immigration officers’ in Peckham, south London. The man was released several hours later.
Protester Eleanor Janega, 39, said: ‘We were alerted that there was an immigration raid in process so locals came down to block it.’ An activist with the south London arm of the group Stand Up To Racism, who gave her name only as Nicola, said police ‘gave up’ trying to arrest people at the scene.
Labour councillor Reginald Popoola said demonstrators had ‘encircled the van peacefully’ but claimed some were shoved.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘Preventing immigration enforcement teams from doing their job is unacceptable.
‘Blocking or obstructing them will not deter them from undertaking the duties that the public rightly expect them to carry out.’