Masked protesters pop tyres of coach trying to take migrants to Bibby Stockholm barge after forming a human chain outside hotel

A group of masked protesters have surrounded a Bibby Stockholm bound coach sent to collect a group of asylum seekers being housed in Peckham. 

The demonstrators surrounded the coach in a human chain shortly after it arrived at Peckham Road bus stop at around 8am and have blocked all entrances and exits to the vehicle. 

The organised group has been chanting 'we will not be moved' and 'refugees are welcome here' whilst police attempt to defuse the situation.  

The migrants scheduled to be moved to the government's floating compound in Dorset have been told to remain in the Best Western hotel until the situation has been resolved.  

It is believed the coach was set to collect other passengers on its route to Dorset. 

The asylum seekers had  been told they would be collected on Thursday morning by coach to relocate to the Bibby Stockholm moored at Portland in Dorset.

Explaining their actions, one protester said: 'We are trying to stop police deporting migrants.

'These are human beings who don't deserve to be moved around like cattle. It's state-sponsored human trafficking, that's why we are here.

'Today they are moving them to Bibby Stockholm. We are going to block the method of transporting them.

'We will find any way to stop the coach from moving, whatever that looks like.'

Kojo Kyerewaa, a coordinator for the protest, told the Guardian: 'Our friends who are at a Home Office hotel got notification that they were going to be taken to the Bibby Stockholm today.

'We know that the residents don’t want to leave and we know that the Bibby Stockholm is a dangerous place to put anyone.

'It’s unsanitary and one person has taken their own life being there and there’s been multiple attempts of suicide by people told that they’re going to the Bibby Stockholm.'

According to Kyerewaa, the protest was inspired by a similar one in Margate last week, where a coach was prevented from taking 22 asylum seekers to the barge.

The action follows a series of Home Office operations that saw dozens of migrants  set to be deported to Rwanda detained.

The Home Office said a series of operations took place across the country this week, with more activity due to be carried out in the coming weeks.

Officials have not yet said how many people have been detained, or where they were taken into custody.

Women are understood to be among those detained by Home Office enforcement officers in a series of raids this week after being picked to be sent to Rwanda.

Department officials refused to say how many people had been held so far, arguing that ongoing operations prevented them from doing so. They confirmed more than two people had been detained, with both men and women in custody.

Enforcement action is said to have taken place throughout the UK - in England, Wales and Scotland as well as Northern Ireland - since midday on Monday.

Children are not expected to be detained as part of the operations

Meanwhile more than 700 migrants arrived in the UK yesterday after crossing the  - a new record for the year so far.

The Home Office said 711 people made the journey in 14 boats on Wednesday, suggesting an average of 51 people per boat.

It takes the provisional total for the number of arrivals this year so far to 8,278.

Channel crossings had already hit a new record high for the first four months of a calendar year, jumping 34% on 2023 when 6,192 were recorded and up 19% on the total at this stage in 2022 (6,945).

Last year 29,437 migrants arrived in the UK, down 36% on a record 45,774 arrivals in 2022.

Since the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Act became law after receiving Royal Assent on Thursday last week, 1,611 migrants have made the journey in 32 boats.