Fight the power – in your pyjamas: the film about the day Glasgow kicked out immigration enforcers

2026-02-24 - 14:53

A neighbour in nightwear, a local imam, a schoolkid, the activist known as Van Man – they and many more stood firm. The director of a prize-winning film about the battle of Kenmure Street reveals how he’s atoning for his absence It was a clear spring morning in May 2021 when UK Immigration Enforcement picked the day of Eid al-Fitr to swoop on a property in the most diverse area of Glasgow and detain two men living there. Eight hours later, the men were released back into their community following one of the most spontaneous and effective acts of civil resistance in recent memory – after hundreds of local people surrounded the van, preventing it from driving away. Five years on, with attitudes to migrant detention hardening across the UK and violence towards protesters spiralling in the US, the documentary Everybody to Kenmure Street, directed by Felipe Bustos Sierra, tells the story of that extraordinary day. Continue reading...