18 Iraqi men who were detained at Brorson Church in Copenhagen on Wednesday night have gone on hunger strike and have not eaten since they were detained, according to Agri Kurdistani, a family member to one of those arrested.

“They are neither drinking nor eating and will continue as long as they have the courage and energy. They say they are willing to go all the way,” Kurdistani says.

The group, which is made up of rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers, was detained by the police in an operation at the Brorson Church where the group and other Iraqis had sought sanctuary from forced repatriation.

Both the church’s vicar and the Parish Council gave their blessing to the occupation which began in May this year. Women and children were not detained by the police, although several of the families have also had their asylum requests denied.

The concept of ecclesiastical sanctuary is not part of the Danish legislative complex.