Harvie demands emergency action to stop asylum evictions
Scottish Green Party parliamentary co-leader and MSP for Glasgow, Patrick Harvie, has demanded emergency action to stop people being made homeless as a result of Serco’s announcement it will resume evictions of people who have sought asylum.
Mr Harvie blasted Serco and the UK Government for the inhumane asylum system but also said the Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council had failed to deliver emergency housing despite previous commitments to do that.
Patrick Harvie MSP, Scottish Green Party MSP for Glasgow, said:
“Last summer Glaswegians came out in force to stop some of their most vulnerable neighbours being made homeless and destitute. Sadly, today’s news means the city will need to rally round them again.
“The culpability for this horrific situation lies squarely with the UK Home Office, whose entire approach to the asylum system is designed to break people and strip them of their dignity and rights. But Serco are also complicit, and having taken on the contract they bear a moral responsibility toward the people in their care. This is a company with multi-billion-pound revenues, which has been willing to cause mass destitution to save themselves a tiny fraction of that amount.
“The Scottish Government and Glasgow City Council have questions to answer too. It’s over a year since the Government accepted the recommendation of its own homelessness task force to establish emergency accommodation for people facing this exact scenario. But despite assurances given to me by the First Minister and despite pressure from the city’s Green councillors, that’s not happened. The court decision in favour of Serco in April should have been a wake-up call that emergency action was needed. It’s vital that message is heard now and measures are put in place urgently to stop a humanitarian crisis on the streets of Glasgow.”