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Be as smart as Gary – Protest the Illegal, Migration Bill : Add your name to our local petition.

SIGN OUR PETITION HERE

NB… you do not need to sign in to a google account to take part.. Just ignore the message at the top

We hope you are aware of the Government’s intention to make claiming asylum in the UK almost impossible, to detain them on arrival, and the threat to deport unsuccessful applicants (including children) to Rwanda or other third countries. Even the Home Office thinks the legislation may be illegal under international law. At Preston City of Sanctuary we think the proposals are both cruel and illegal, as well as being unworkable. We agree with Gary Lineker that the language used by the government to stoke up hatred against vulnerable people who are fleeing war, famine and persecution in their home countries is dangerous and alarming.

There are many online petitions circulating asking the government to think again. The point of this one is to build a community of solidarity locally in Preston and the surrounding area. If you agree with us and Gary please add your name to our campaign by 31st March.

We intend to present our petition to our two local Councils and local MPs, to the local media to ask them to support our campaign and then to the Home Secretary.

SIGN OUR PETITION HERE

There is more information on campaigns (such as detention, support rates that mean poverty, and Lift the Ban on the right to work) on the website of our partners at Asylum Matters  

The RWANDA policy is still being argued in the courts. There is a recent briefing here  and another here

Care 4 Calais are leading a campaign on Safe Passage for Asylum Seekers

Other Current local concerns – please contact your councillors and MPs

Afghan Families still not properly housed:  Nearly nine months after evacuation from Kabul airport and being granted refugee status several large families are still in unsuitable temporary hostel accommodation.

Asylum Seekers dumped in Leyland hotel  large numbers of asylum seekers are now housed in a hotel, with no provision for social life, access to English classes or other service, limited access to transport and living on a pittance.

Homes for Ukraine Sponsorship Scheme   People across Lancashire have responded magnificntly in offering hospitality and support to people fleeing the war. The LCC Refugee Resettlement Team are working beyond the call of duty to support the scheme. However, the programme is ill thought out with many  bureucratic hurdles and incompetncies preventing people getting visas and permission to travel, and schools for children and benefits when they arrive. There are also concerns about the random matching of hosts and guests, and over safeguarding, while some placements are not working out well in tems of expectations and personal relationships. The programme has been in place for nearly a year and some guests are being asked to move on and finding it difficult to find appropriate housing or new hosts.

The Anti-Refugee Act – a national cause for shame

It is with great regret and sadness that we heard about  the passing of the widely condemned Nationality and Borders Bill at the end of April. The implications of the Bill as it now becomes law, are draconian, expensive and acknowledged by many to be unworkable.
It allows the Home Secretary to now send men, women and children fleeing war and persecution to an unknown future in Rwanda- a country acknowledged by Amnesty International to have an unacceptable human rights record.
While the Bill is a sad and shameful reflection of this government’s approach to refugee protection it also undermines established international treaties and conventions. In short this new law by now criminalising those who arrive on our shores serves to add to the very real suffering and hardship of those seeking sanctuary.
PCOS will continue to stand in solidarity with those seeking sanctuary and campaign for a more compassionate approach asylum seekers and refugees.
Dawn Judd
Chair Preston City of Sanctuary

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There is more information on this and other current campaigns on the website of our partners at Asylum Matters

We were members the coalition campaigning on the bill : Together With Refugees 

An excllent article on the immorality of the Bill  by Caroline Gregory (from a Christian perspective) appears here