GLASGOW'S Red Road residents today staged an early-morning protest against dawn raids on asylum seekers.

GLASGOW'S Red Road residents today staged an early-morning protest against dawn raids on asylum seekers.

The Sighthill community held a vigil from 6.30am to 8.30am to highlight the plight of a Pakistani family targeted earlier this week.

Mohammed Arshad, wife Kishwer and children Ali, 19, Fatima, 18, and Rashid, 16, were taken from their beds on Tuesday morning and are being held at Dungavel detention centre.

Their neighbours in Red Road are campaigning for their release and to block their deportation, planned for Monday morning.

The family have lived in Scotland for six years but their asylum application was turned down.

Dozens of asylum-seeking families live in the Red Road flats and several have been subjected to controversial dawn raids by the Home Office.

Other residents are outraged at the Home Office's treatment of their neighbours.

A spokesman for the Unity Centre, which supports Glasgow's asylum seekers, said: "Residents held a meeting after the dawn raid and it was decided to hold vigils."