Crowds walking to the demonstration site chanted “Serco out of Glasgow” and “Housing is a human right”.
- Around 100 protesters walked to Serco owned Clyde House for the demonstration
- Living Rent Glasgow say they will continue to take direct action against the company
- The chain was removed by the campaign group after the march
- Serco begun the process of evicting 300 asylum seekers in Glasgow last week
HOUSING rights campaigners tied a chain in front of Serco’s Clyde House for protesters to attach padlocks to in a symbolic act against lock change evictions threatening 300 asylum seekers.
Some of the padlocks being attached by @Glasgow_LR pic.twitter.com/5nXbsMS9L9
— CommonSpace (@TheCommonSpace) 27 June 2019
The protest on Thursday evening, organised by the Living Rent Tenants’ Union, came as the outsourcing giant began the process of evicting 300 asylum seekers last week.
Serco claim that they will only evict those who have exhausted their asylum process, but campaigners argue that residents have received lock change notices who still have the right to appeal the court decisions on their right to remain in the UK.
READ MORE: Exclusive: Serco apologises for sending asylum seeker false eviction letter
In protest at the planned evictions, Living Rent also read out a 21 day eviction notice against Serco as part of their “Lock Serco out” campaign to around 100 demonstrators.
One Living Rent Member who wished to remain anonymous told CommonSpace: “It’s been a year since the public in Glasgow were completely outraged at the fact that Serco proposed this method of lock changes. Now we cannot believe that it’s got to the point that they’re proposing it again.
READ MORE: ‘On the offensive’: Tenants’ union to target Serco ‘business interests’ as evictions set to begin
“We want to call out Serco, and Mears as well for their involvement in deferring responsibility back to Serco back to the contractors, and we’re going to do everything in our power to stop these evictions and prevent them from happening. We have solidarity with everyone who is having to go through the complex asylum process at the moment, we know that people are afraid, we know that they’re terrified.
“There is a place they can get in touch with and there are people they can get in touch with if they want to have someone who can give them some support. Living Rent as a union is bringing together tenants in the city as it always does. Over this issue we’re going to see some change and we’re going to kick Serco out of the city.”
.@Living_Rent heading to take symbolic action with padlocks against Serco pic.twitter.com/XHK2VmyubK
— CommonSpace (@TheCommonSpace) 27 June 2019
Organisers now reading out their 21 day eviction notice to Serco @Living_Rent pic.twitter.com/aVhJqvHbdW
— CommonSpace (@TheCommonSpace) June 27, 2019
