Join us in protesting against the Nationality and Borders Bill on 21st & 22nd March

On 21st March we’re hosting a Day of Action to protest against the Nationality and Borders Bill. At 11.30am our local MP, Marsha de Cordova, is joining us to speak out against the Bill. We will display orange hearts on the front of our building, with messages about what it means to be safe, written by our members from refugee backgrounds. And then on 22nd March we’ll be meeting in Westminster Square at 1pm to protest against the Bill. Do join us.

Here’s a bit more detail about why we should all know about the Nationality and Borders Bill and fight against it.

This bill would make it easier to take people’s British citizenship away from them.

The government will have the right to take away people’s British citizenship of:

• People born in this country with one or more parents born with a non-British citizenship
• People with dual nationality from any country

They can do this without warning if they consider a person to be a serious threat to national security or if they believe it is in the public interest to do so.

This could affect up to 6 million people in the UK and will apply disproportionately to people from non-white ethnic backgrounds.

In numbers this would be:

• 2 out of 5 people from an ethnic minority

Compared to

• 1 in 20 people from a white background

The bill wants to make it much more difficult for people to claim refugee status in the UK.

• It removes your right to asylum, based on HOW you get into the country.
• Unless you have filled out the correct forms you will not be allowed to enter the country
• More asylum seekers will be kept “offshore” and in detention camps for longer periods
• Refugees will not get long-term status in the UK

The government claims this is because:

• Recently we have been ‘overwhelmed’ with the amount of refugees coming to this country.

This is not true:

• In 2001 – 31,641 people were granted asylum
• In 2021 – 13,210 people were granted asylum

The government claims that the main reason people choose to come to the UK as refugees is because we make it too easy.

However, research (by the Home Office itself) shows it is far more complicated than that, but that people often choose the UK for 3 main reasons:

• Their family and friends are in the UK
• They understand English
• The UK has a reputation for upholding human rights

The government claim the bill will be a deterrent to “illegal’ people coming to the country. However:

• Great Britain is an island. It is impossible to get here without travelling through other countries
• It will make people more reliant on the people smugglers. More people will die in the channel.
• When you are fleeing for your life, you do not have time to stop and check new legistlation.

Claiming asylum is a human right; and it’s enshrined in international law by the UN.

Take Action 

You can join us and others calling on the Government to scrap the Borders Bill. Write to your local MP and ask for their support in scrapping the Bill and ensuring the UK offers safe passage for refugees fleeing conflict, war and persecution. You can find your local MP here.