Professor Matthew Gibney, the RSC Director, has been interviewed by The Intercept for an article on the UK government’s use of deportation charter flights and the criminalizing of nonviolent protest, relating to the trial of the 'Stansted 15' (15 anti-deportation activists who tried to prevent what they believed was the unlawful deportation of a group of people at Stansted airport in March 2017). These activists were initially charged with aggravated trespass, but have been additionally charged with intentional disruption of services at an aerodrome, a charge which falls under a law intended to fight terrorism.
Professor Gibney commented on the lack of the right to appeal for certain groups of asylum-seekers, such as men from Ghana and Nigeria. He also noted a potential conflict of interest for the Home Office, in that “the Home Office is in charge of fulfilling the government’s demand that the number of people immigrating to the country is reduced, and it’s also in charge of granting asylum.”
Regarding the quality of Home Office decision-making, Gibney comments: “I would certainly be pretty scared if I had to apply to the Home Office, and I was actually facing persecution because I don’t necessarily think their judgments are always sound.”
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