The UK Government launched its scheme today to move people seeking asylum from the UK to Rwanda, 4500 miles away. It’s a one way ticket. It’s for offshore processing of people who have fled their countries because of conflict and persecution; like those we meet each month in Calais and in Kent. They will be imprisoned in a country with its terrible record of human rights abuse. They will be separated from family, open to exploitation, stuck in limbo.
We agree with the many other voices today (refugee groups, legal experts, politicians) that this scheme is cruel, unethical, inhumane and much more expensive than dealing with asylum claims within UK borders. It abdicates our responsibility to people who are seeking safety. It will not prevent refugees from risking dangerous journeys across the English Channel in search of safety in the UK.
Instead of pursuing these plans, the Government must welcome those seeking safety here, providing safe routes for them to do so, and a fair asylum system once here. And we must continue to ensure dignity and social justice for people seeking sanctuary within our country.
From all at Art Refuge