AFTER hearing the news of a dawn raid experienced by a 67-year-old friend and his family on April 23, we knew we had to be organised.

We have seen over the years the strength of the unity – people coming together to protect neighbours and friends who have been seeking sanctuary within our communities.

Unfortunately, with Priti Patel and the hostile environment, there are serious questions to be raised in relation to human rights and people’s dignity.

The practice of dawn raids should never be allowed in any society. People should never be subjected to such trauma.

What we have witnessed in Kenmure Street last week was the strength of people power. We did not question people’s religion, nor country of origin – we just wanted our friends and our neighbours to be free. And we achieved this through people power and unity.

The same day, Home Office carried out another dawn raid. Sadly, we did not hear about this and currently this person is in the Dungavel detention centre.

READ MORE: Home Office ‘cowards’ refused Scottish ministers calls on Kenmure St protest

The UK is the only country without a time limit on detention, meaning people can be held for months or years in prison-like conditions.

This reminded me of my own and many others’ experience. I was detained twice, in Dungavel and then followed by Yarl’s Wood in England.

When I think about it, it makes me angry. Why did we have to experience a dawn raid? Why was our freedom taken away from us? We were not illegal: the state actions were illegal.

The timing of the raid in Kenmure Street – and the one on April 23 – is not a coincidence. The Home Office is planning a new Immigration Bill which is an insult to people’s freedom and value of the human rights.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the UN Refugee Convention, which says we should understand and value rights.

Instead people are being subjected to dawn raids, detention, and deportation. It is an insult to Glasgow and to Scotland – we strongly oppose the hostile environment and use of such methods and we were very clear of this with our unity and solidarity.

We also remember that May marks the anniversary of Adnan Walid Elbi – a life, a future, and a friend lost last year at one of the hotel accommodations in Glasgow.

We remember that people are still in hotel accommodations and subjected to the hostile environment daily.

We remember Adnan; we remember Badreddin Abadlla Adam, who was shot dead by police after he attacked people at another hotel last June; and we remember Mercy Baguma. We also remember many others who continue to be subjected to such treatments.

The Home Office needs to understand it has messed with the wrong city. We will continue to unite, come together, act together and defeat the hostile environment.

We do not want to be part of a system that destroys lives and creates a platform of trauma and hopelessness. We want a system, a society based on human rights, justice and fairness.

Pinar Aksu is a development officer with Maryhill Integration Network. Her family was detained twice when she was a child.