Statements and joint letters

Joint statement on the Illegal Migration Bill

Asylum seekers are not illegal and, nor are they a problem to be swept aside in breach of well-established international law. Seeking asylum is a right under Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Refugee Convention of 1951.  

Supporters, volunteers, and members of WERS are united in their view, asylum seekers and refugees are human beings fleeing persecution and seeking sanctuary, and we welcome them with open arms. Newcastle is a City of Sanctuary and Newcastle City Council supports sanctuary seekers.  

We strongly believe the #IllegalMigrationBill is not only immoral and illegal, but ultimately unworkable.  

Human beings should not be forced to risk their lives to seek asylum, and implementing safe passage is the only solution. Propagating discriminatory rhetoric is dangerous and inhumane. We need to oppose the so-called Illegal Migration Bill and instead provide safe and legal pathways for those seeking refuge. The tragic deaths of so many in the Mediterranean highlight the desperation and risks that people are willing to take to avoid persecution, secure safety and a better future. It is our duty to provide safe and legal pathways to end this unnecessary loss of life. 

Those seeking sanctuary are not to be feared. Solidarity comes in all sizes, and we can all play our part in standing against hate and fear. The UN states that everyone has the right to seek asylum in another country and that forced migration is not a legal concept under international law. All people on the move have human rights which should be respected, protected and fulfilled. Refugees and asylum-seekers have "specific needs and rights that must be protected under a particular legal framework". (see here) Let's establish safe routes for asylum seekers and refugees #openarms #RefugeesWelcome #StopTheBill 

Small boats are not the problem, small minds are. 

Take Action! 

Write to your MP about the Illegal Migration Bill. You can use this handy online tool by Refugee Action.

Sign the pledge to fight the Refugee Ban Bill.

Sign the petition by Freedom for Torture. 

Sign the parliamentary petition.

Joint statement on the Rwanda deportations

The WERS Community Campaigns Group condemns Priti Patel’s abhorrent plans to deport people seeking asylum to Rwanda. Over 100 people from Syria, Sudan, Afghanistan and Kurdistan who came here for a safe and peaceful future are now detained in appalling conditions, some on hunger strike, as they face forced removal to Rwanda on 14th June. 

The Government claims that Rwanda is a ‘safe third country’, yet LGBT+ people and activists face persecution and imprisonment. Only last year, the UK Government raised concerns about torture and extrajudicial killings in Rwanda. This Government is giving people an impossible choice: either be sent to Rwanda, or be returned to face the horrors they fled. 

The Government claims that the people it wants to deport are single men. In reality, most of those detained are husbands, and many are fathers. In one case, an elder Syrian brother is facing deportation and will be forced to leave his 16-year-old brother behind. This brutal and unjustified plan means families will be separated, with no prospect of ever being together again. 

Everyone has the right to seek asylum and to rebuild their life. Priti Patel claims that she wants to stop human trafficking, but what is this cash-for-people agreement if not human trafficking?

The UK Government should not outsource its responsibilities to people seeking sanctuary to Rwanda, or anywhere else. This is a cruel and racist policy that does not reflect the compassion of communities in Newcastle and across the UK.

We call on the UK Government to abandon these plans and build an asylum system based on compassion and justice. We urge all members of the WERS community to stand with us and take action to stop these deportations.

Take Action!

Write to your MP using Choose Love’s online tool 

Write to Privilege Style and Ibero Jet and tell them not to deport people 

Call Privilege Style and Ibero Jet using Freedom from Torture’s online tool (please note that both numbers are Spanish phone numbers and the tool only works on mobiles)

Sign AllOut’s petition against sending LGBTQ+ people to Rwanda

Sign this parliamentary petition

Donate to Detention Action and Care 4 Calais’ legal funds

Joint statement on the anti-refugee Bill

There are many problems with the UK’s asylum system. We wait in uncertainty and fear for months and years, waiting for a decision on our case. While we are waiting, we are denied the right to work, and instead must live on £39.63 a week. Many people experience homelessness. These are things that could be fixed, and would benefit everyone.

Despite this, the Government’s anti-refugee Bill does nothing to tackle these problems. Instead, it will only make things worse. People will be punished and criminalised for making ‘irregular’ journeys, but those journeys are the only way they have to reach safety. People could be moved and have their claims processed ‘offshore’, in places where their rights would not be upheld. Putting people in reception centres would cause a mental and physical health crisis. People could be stripped of their citizenship with no notice. The ‘inadmissibility’ rules force people into even longer periods of waiting and limbo, and could then tear people away from the communities they have started to build trust in.

We believe a better system is possible. We call on the Government to throw out this Bill, and create a system that truly allows people to rebuild their lives. This includes ensuring that people have enough financial support to meet their needs, and that everyone has the opportunity to work and study. Together, we stand against the Government’s anti-refugee Bill and call for an asylum system that upholds our rights.

Take Action!

There are lots of ways that everyone can take action to stand up for the rights of refugees and people seeking asylum.

Write to your MP about the anti-refugee Bill. Asylum Matters has put together a short guide on how to get in touch with your MP. You can also use Refugee Action’s simple e-action to message your MP.

Sign this petition against proposals that would allow the Government to strip people of citizenship. 

Support the campaign to Lift the Ban on people seeking asylum working. You can find out more about the case for change here and find ways to get involved here.