Why we must not forget the Rwanda plan
One year ago today, five refugees sat in an airfield waiting to be forcibly deported to Rwanda. The government wanted them to be a kind of showpiece, the first refugees sent to Rwanda under the new scheme which had been announced that April. Under the brutal plan, any refugee who came to the UK but was deemed “inadmissible” by the government could be deported to Rwanda with no chance of ever returning to the UK. Since May 9 that year, we had been aware of 130 shocked and traumatised people being taken into detention. Our team worked closely with many …
Miriam Margolyes says #StopRwanda
Outrageously good news! We are absolutely thrilled this morning to see the legend that is Miriam Margoyles OBE joining our #StopRwanda campaign. In her 50-year acting career Miriam has had umpteen unforgettable roles in theatre, TV and film, including, of course Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and Mother Mildred in Call The Midwife. She’s a fully-blown national treasure, and so brilliantly full of life and energy, and so passionate in her support for justice for other people, that she will be a magnificent boost for the campaign. We’d like to say that with her on board, the Government might as …
Kamal’s Story
Today we had some truly brilliant news. Kamal, a 22-year-old Sudanese refugee whose been in detention for two months under threat of being sent to Rwanda, has finally been freed. For two months Kamal has lived in constant fear and anxiety as he worried about was going to happen to him. He knows of atrocities committed by the regime in Rwanda, and even now he’s been released, the thought of being sent there makes him physically shake. It will probably give him nightmares for months. “I spent 18 months travelling through Africa trying to find a way out. In every …
Rwanda Update
In just two weeks we will be back in court to challenge the lawfulness of the Government’s cruel Rwanda policy. To have any chance of stopping this, the time to act is now. We’ve recently learned that the Foreign Office warned Priti Patel that refugees should not be sent to Rwanda due to human rights concerns, including that they could be forced to join the country’s army and sent to fight in neighbouring states. Following this disclosure, the Government has been ordered by the court to deliver more documents next week that had previously been redacted. What else could they …
Imelda Staunton says #StopRwanda
Yas queen! Today we’re royally proud to proclaim that the wonderful Imelda Staunton is supporting our #StopRwanda campaign. Imelda is not only one of our most distinguished actors, she’s also a British icon – a CBE and OBE, and soon to appear on our TV screens as the Queen in Season Five of The Crown. With national icons such as this denouncing the Rwanda Plan, you really know it isn’t wanted. Imelda has dozens of major stage and film credits to her name, including her lead role as Vera Drake, and as Dolores Umbridge in two Harry Potter films – …
Heather Small says #StopRwanda
We’re moving on up! It’s absolutely brilliant to see Heather Small – The Voice Of M People, UK soul star and former @M-People lead singer, supporting our #StopRwanda campaign. To have the backing of someone like Heather means everything to us – and to the refugees we’re campaigning for. Thanks to Nineties hits like One Night In Heaven and Search For The Hero, Heather sold more than 10m albums with M-People. She went on to have more hits as a solo star, and her song Proud has become a classic, known by people around the world as the theme to …
Ben & Jerry say #StopRwanda
We’ve got the coolest news! We’re udderly euphoric to say that the planet’s coolest ice-cream makers, Ben and Jerry of Ben & Jerry’s are today supporting our #StopRwanda campaign. These two guys are have become global icons through their ethical campaigning, and their support really shows that the whole world is now turning against the UK Government’s brutal Rwanda plan. To have them on board makes us happier than a bucketful of their chocolate chip cookie dough flavour. Ben and Jerry have been making ice cream since 1978, when they started out in a disused petrol station in Vermont in …
Ken Loach says #StopRwanda
What a fantastic inspiration this is! We’re bowled over this morning to see Ken Loach, one of the UK’s greatest-ever film directors and a famous champion of ordinary people, joining our our #StopRwanda campaign. When such a respected veteran campaigner for social justice lends his support, you know this fight really matters. Since the 1960s Ken has directed many modern classics for cinema and TV, including Cathy Come Home, Kes, The Wind That Shakes The Barley and I, Daniel Blake. Along the way he’s worked with actors including Cillian Murphy, Robert Carlyle and even Eric Cantona. He’s also one of …
The Doctor says #StopRwanda (again)
Today we are delighted to have the fabulous Peter Capaldi supporting our #StopRwanda campaign. We have to say we never expected to sign up one Dr Who never mind two. Peter was the twelfth Doctor and played Malcom Tucker In The Thick Of It, but who would expect Mt Curry from Paddington to support refugees? However Peter has spoken out many times about the need to show compassion and has visited a refugee camp in Jordan, after which he said “What you have to keep reminding yourselves is that we are incredibly lucky not to be in that position”. The …
Our supporter Amber says #StopRwanda
Our supporter Amber is making sure the #StopRwanda message is heard far and wide! We love these pictures she sent to us while on her trip around North, Central and South America. On starting her journey, Amber said, “I reflect on how lucky I am to have been born in a country that allows me the freedom to travel. The freedom I have to speak my own mind, and be free from fear, is a precious gift.” Unfortunately, this isn’t the case for those who are most in need of freedom to travel for refuge. The government’s candidates for …