Fight Anti-Refugee Laws

QARN has signed this pledge: Sign the Pledge to Fight the Anti-Refugee Laws

Sign the Pledge to Fight the Anti-Refugee LawsThis is a form for organisations, faith groups, charities, community groups, businesses, trade unions and others to sign the pledge to fight the ‘anti-refugee’ laws contained in the Nationality and Borders Act 2022.

The pledge has been drafted by Asylum Matters and Refugee Action, in partnership with a number of organisations working on asylum and refugee issues across the UK. The statement and its signatories will be hosted on the website: FightTheAntiRefugeeLaws.org, and will be used to secure media coverage.

We may be in touch with signatories to the pledge periodically to update you on our plans to use the pledge for campaigning purposes and to invite you to opt into related initiatives.

For any questions, please contact Paul Hook at paul@asylummatters.org and Mariam Kemple Hardy at MariamK@refugee-action.org.uk.

The pledge can be read in full here:

“We believe that people seeking protection from war and persecution should be welcomed and that everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly. We believe that the UK should offer sanctuary to those who need it.

That’s why we’re taking a stand against the anti-refugee laws. We pledge to:
– Defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK;
– Speak out against attempts to make it harder to be recognised as a refugee, and criminalise and punish those who make their own way to safety;
– Challenge the anti-refugee laws which will risk the lives and well-being of people;
– Work towards a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion.”

Rwanda: “A serpent in place of a piece of fish”

UK’S UNGODLY ACTION

The UK’s forcible transportation to Rwanda of asylum seekers declared “inadmissible” because they have entered without a visa has rightly been deemed “ungodly” by Justin Welby. It is a basic infringement of the Golden rule of love of God and love of neighbour. Today, we often prefer other less theological language notably “concern”, “care”, “protection from harm” language which has become enshrined in the general notion of “human rights”. Nevertheless examples from Jesus’s parables such as  the neighbourliness of the Good Samaritan, the father’s unconditional love and care for his Prodigal Son survive in the public consciousness.

Continue reading “Rwanda: “A serpent in place of a piece of fish””

Open letter to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary about plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda

QARN has signed this letter created by Liberty:

Open letter to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary about plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda

Dear Prime Minister and Home Secretary,

As people with lived experience of the asylum system, refugee and migrants’ rights, anti-trafficking, human rights and civil liberties, access to justice, children’s rights, violence against women and girls’ (VAWG), arts and culture, international development, racial justice, criminal justice reform, democracy, data privacy and technology rights, disability rights, religious and faith, environment justice, and LGBTQ+ rights organisations and groups, we resolutely oppose the Government’s announcement regarding its plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda. This plan is fundamentally out of step with widespread public support for refugees in the UK. We demand that you scrap this plan, abandon the Nationality and Borders Bill, cease plans to overhaul the Human Rights Act and instead create humane and effective solutions for the protection of refugees.

Continue reading “Open letter to the Prime Minister and Home Secretary about plans to send people seeking asylum to Rwanda”