PROTESTERS claimed to have thwarted a Home Office immigration raid in Edinburgh on Thursday in scenes reminiscent of the Kenmure Street action in Glasgow one year ago. 

Around 100 people surrounded two Home Office immigration removal vans in the Potterrow area of the city after activists released a callout on social media at around 6.30pm warning of a potential immigration raid on a restaurant.  

Protesters also blocked the road and climbed onto the vans parked outside the Beirut restaurant on Marshall Street. Crowds chanted: “Immigrants and refugees are welcome here.”

At around 9.30pm, the Home Office immigration officials eventually drove off empty-handed. The action was hailed today as a “huge victory.”

Activist group Edinburgh Anti-Raids posted on social media: “We turned out to protect our neighbours [and] sent the Home Office away in shame.”

However the Home Office said it was wrong to suggest that protesters had an impact on the outcome of the “pre-planned and intelligence-led operation.” 

It said two people were found to be in breach of immigration laws and were placed on immigration bail.

But one protester, who preferred not to be named, told the Star that the large numbers of officials at the scene and police back-up highly suggested a raid was due to take place.

“I think any claim that the protest was insignificant to what was going to happen is false, from what I’ve understood,” she said. 

The University of Edinburgh student said she joined the action in order to oppose the government’s “increasingly dystopian” refugee and immigration policies. 

“I think if there’s no change in the way the laws are going to operate, one change that is possible is making these laws unenforceable,” she said.

“We showed again that resistance to these cruel policies and the inhumane treatment of people is definitely possible.

“These are people’s neighbours and the people will turn up to defend them and defend their rights.”

The action comes almost a year to the day when a Glasgow community famously forced the Home Office to abandon an immigration raid on Kenmure Street, preventing the detention of two Indian nationals. 

A Home Office spokeswoman said: “It is unacceptable for people to attempt to block legitimate actions of law enforcement as they work to remove those with no right to live or work in the UK.”