Category: Campaigning letters we have signed

11 December 2023: Diocese of London: Faith leaders call on Home Office to re-examine seven-day evictions practice

Leaders from faith and belief institutions across London have come together to jointly call on the Home Office to re-examine a recent change in practice which has meant that, since August, refugees are having much less notice that their asylum support will end than the stated policy of 28 days. Some are given seven days or less to leave their accommodation.

Many have been in asylum accommodation for months or even years, with no opportunity to work or build networks. They are now being given only days to navigate the various systems and authorities necessary to plan their next steps.

Many faith and belief organisations work together with those of all faiths, beliefs and none to support refugees and asylum seekers in a number of ways.  Across London, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, synagogues and temples open their doors to receive asylum seekers and refugees. They are seeing demand for this support grow, overwhelmingly with the need to help those with new refugee status find accommodation.

The letter to the Immigration Minister, coordinated by the Bishop of London, the Rt Revd & Rt Hon Dame Sarah Mullally DBE, calls on the Home Office to:

10 May 2023: Quakers in Britain and the Quaker Asylum and Refugee Network have signed a joint solidarity statement with 174 other organisations on the ‘Illegal Migration Bill’.

The statement calls on the government to withdraw the bill immediately on the basis that it is effectively a ban on asylum, extinguishing the right to seek refugee protection in the UK. Liberty sent the statement to all members of the House of Lords ahead of a key debate on the bill on 10 May.

The signatories span sectors including human rights, migrant rights, violence against women and girls, LGBTQI+, disability rights, health, racial justice, criminal justice, arts, international development, environment, and democracy. In the statement they said:

“We all deserve to live safe from harm and to be treated with compassion, dignity, and respect. But this shockingly cruel and inhumane Bill turns our country’s back on people fleeing war and persecution, blocking them from protection, support, or justice at a time they need it most.”

“In stripping the most basic rights from people seeking safety and a better life, the Bill dismantles human rights protections for all of us,” the statement continues.

10 March 2023: [QARN has signed this statement] JPTI: Church Leaders from JPIT’s denominations have signed a joint statement expressing opposition to the government’s new ‘Illegal Migration Bill’:

We are appalled by the proposals in the government’s ‘Illegal Migration Bill’ to detain, punish and reject thousands of people seeking safety. They are completely incompatible with our Christian conviction that all human beings are made in the image of God, and are therefore inherently worthy of treatment which honours their dignity. Instead of dignity, these plans will foster discrimination and distrust, and cause immeasurable harm to people already made vulnerable by conflict and persecution. If ever there was a contemporary example of ignoring our neighbour and walking by on the other side, this is it.

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.”

29 January 2022: Migrant Voice letter: QARN has signed this:

Today (27 January 2022), a coalition of community groups has sent an open letter signed by more than 100 organisations and individuals to the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, asking for the removal of Clause 9 from the Bill.

The letter was sent this morning to the Prime Minister and will also be copied to members of the House of Lords, who will be debating the Nationality and Borders Bill in Committee today.

Clause 9 extends the powers of the Home Secretary to remove Citizenship from British nationals. If the Bill passes with the clause still in place, the Home Secretary will not have to notify any individual whose British citizenship they may decide to revoke.

The coalition was convened by Nazek Ramadan, Executive Director of Migrant Voice and Councillor Khaled Noor, Chairperson, The Muslim Professionals Forum.

19 January 2022: You can sign the Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants – JCWI letter as an individual or organisation – QARN has signed this letter: ‘We also want to be safe’ – Sign our open letter

Faced with COVID, the Government should have done everything in its power to ensure everyone had support. Everyone needs a way to earn a living, access to the public safety net if they need it, safe accommodation, and access to vaccines and the NHS.

But Hostile Environment policies cut undocumented migrants off from these basic rights. Because they don’t have the right piece of paper in their passport, people without status have been left destitute, homeless, and afraid or unable to get help during the pandemic.

We need accountability, and change. The public inquiry into the Government handling of COVID is getting underway now. We are calling on the Chair to make sure the experiences of all migrants, including those without status, are part of her investigation.

Scroll down to add your name to our open letter today, to be part of the movement calling for change. 

Read more and sign here: https://www.jcwi.org.uk/migrants-covid-inquiry