On 13 May 2021, Glasgow’s southside diverse community came together in their hundreds that day to block a raid by UK immigration officials. Their action was celebrated internationally and became a byword for community spirit and activism. The successful action saw the two detained Indian men – Sumit Sehdev, a chef, and Lakhvir Singh, a mechanic, suspected of overstaying their visas – released to rapturous cheers after an eight-hour standoff.
Police Scotland arrested and charged a 23-year-old woman and two men, aged 31 and 32, for public order offences and sent a report to the procurator fiscal. The state intends to proceed with prosecutions, with trial dates set for early August.
One protester, who witnessed and filmed the arrests, explained, “The protesters who got arrested did absolutely nothing different to the rest of us,” they said. “It seemed like the police just picked a few people at random to remind everyone that they could, and very much would, arrest us. It seemed unnecessary and brutal as the whole thing was completely peaceful.”
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