Trade unions call for Safe Passage
Trade unions call for Safe Passage Open letter on refugees and campaigning against racism The continued demonisation of refugees and the dangerous rhetoric employed by senior government figures is now spreading the risk to life beyond the Channel. The disgraceful mobilisation on 10 February 2023 by the far right to terrorise refugees in Knowsley is a direct consequence of the words and actions of the government. Fascists have become emboldened. The government must change course to prevent them advancing further. In December 2022, four people died in the English Channel whilst attempting to cross in a small boat. This tragedy …
“Safe Routes Now” say UK public
The majority of the UK public (58%) support safe routes for refugees to travel to the UK in order to apply for asylum, according to a new YouGov poll commissioned by the refugee charity Care4Calais. An amendment to the Illegal Migration Bill calling for Safe Passage will be debated in Parliament today. Support for safe routes rises to 77% amongst Labour voters and 78% amongst Liberal Democrat voters. The YouGov poll also shows that 65% of the UK public are sympathetic towards refugees seeking a safer life for themselves and their families. And 70% of the UK public believe £40.85 …
Emergency Appeal: Snow in Calais
Today Calais woke up with snow covering the frozen ground, and bitter gales hammering the sites where refugees are living in flimsy tents. The conditions are horrific and likely to get worse. Right now there are nearly 2,000 women, men and children sleeping rough here in northern France, many of them without adequate clothing, footwear or shelter. The nights are cold, and the days little better. The ground is heavy, wet mud, and to make things worse, unexpected police evictions have forced people to flee some sites, leaving tents and possessions behind. When it’s this cold it takes clothes days …
Rishi’s new (?) plan for small boats
Tomorrow the Government is expected to launch its most draconian anti-refugee legalisation yet, as Rishi Sunak bids to make the UK off-limits to any refugees other than those his government hand-picks. It is anticipated that under the new laws, people arriving on small boats will: • Have their asylum claims made automatically ‘inadmissible’ • Be subject to mass detention • Be removed to a third country as soon as practicable • Be permanently banned from returning to the UK • Be unable to use family rights laws to stop deportation This raises immediate practical issues. • Firstly, mass detention may …
We could bring almost nothing with us. No clothes, no friends.
When we arrived for our distribution today, small children wearing flimsy clothes and flip-flops were standing outside, waiting for us in the cold. My heart went out to them, and to the adults hovering behind, also dressed in t-shirts and other clothes far too light for a wintry English day. Fortunately, we brought hundreds of winter coats and shoes for them. We had to do the distribution outside, so we set up and got cracking as quickly as we could. It was so busy! We give people the chance to change their first choices, and we know how appreciated this …