Forcible repatriations continue with another late night police round-up but no clashes with authorities were reported

National Police have arrested and sent 12 failed Iraqi asylum seekers back to Iraq as part of the forcible repatriation agreement the nation’s government signed with Denmark.

The 12 men were being held at the Sandholm asylum detention centre in northern Zealand, when police came to fetch them late last night.

Most of the refugees’ mobile phones were confiscated, but one Iraqi managed to make contact with the Iraqi’s Kirkeasyl support group, who sent 200 demonstrators to the site.

Protestors blockaded the routes around the centre, but police circumvented the demonstrators and managed to transport the Iraqis to Roskilde Airport. Shortly before 7am, a flight departed for Baghdad with the dozen men on board.

This morning’s operation was not marred by the violence or accusations of police brutality that have become a common feature of clashes between police and protestors over the Iraqi repatriation issue.

‘The action was basically a peaceful one. Some officers had to push individual protestors away, but it wasn’t a particularly violent episode,’ said Kirkeasyl spokesman Rasmus Aastrup to Berlingske Tidende newspaper.

The repatriation agreement was signed with Iraq on 13 May and affects some 242 Iraqis whose applications for asylum have been rejected. Of those, 129 have travelled abroad or gone into hiding, leaving 78 facing forcible repatriation.

Prior to this morning’s operation, police had rounded up three groups of Iraqis and sent them back to Baghdad. The 12 men sent back today brings the total number of those returned to their home country to 47.