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Sunak and Braverman have learnt nothing from asylum seekers’ deaths

OPINION: Britain and Australia have legacies of colonial violence. Of course those seeking their asylum are dying

By Nadine El-Enany
Sunak and Braverman have learnt nothing from asylum seekers’ deaths
Guards remove a migrant who was attempting to speak to journalists at Manston detention centre, Kent | PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
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I woke up on Sunday to a headline I’d been dreading for months: “Man being processed at Manston detention centre in Kent dies.”

Detainees, activists, NGOs and some in Parliament have been raising the alarm about the dangerous conditions at the camp for weeks. Newspapers repeated warnings about overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and outbreaks of highly contagious diseases including diphtheria, scabies and MRSA – as well as inadequate healthcare and no beds, means of communication, fresh air, exercise or privacy.

There was warning after warning after warning. But what are warnings for if not to prevent the worst from happening? What are alarm bells for? What would it take for a warning to be heeded?

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