As leaders from all over the world prepare for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) and on World Refugee Day, over 170 organisations signed a letter (including KLS) to the Editor, published in today’s Independent.
These included groups led by refugees, human rights organisations, international development agencies, major faiths, women’s groups and regional and local service and campaign NGOs from all over the UK. You can view our letter and signatories below:
“Leaders from across the globe are preparing for the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting that starts in Rwanda today – World Refugee Day. Yet, in a contradiction to the vision of ‘a Commonwealth that is mutually respectful, resilient, peaceful and prosperous and that cherishes equality, diversity and shared values’ the UK government persists with its plan to send asylum seekers and refugees on a one-way flight to the same African state.
This disturbing new scheme to send those seeking safety in the UK to Rwanda in exchange for cash, targets people simply because of how they arrived here irrespective of their need for protection. Britain is not only flouting international law, but it is failing to protect its share of people fleeing other countries from around the world.
Rather than this outdated and offensive stance, Britain must step up as a leader, take responsibility on the global stage and end this shameful scheme, instead opening safe routes for asylum seekers and refugees to find protection in the UK and building a fair and orderly asylum system.”
Signed by,
Amanda Church-Mcfarlane, Co-CEO, Abigail Housing
Waad al-Kateab, Co-Founder, Action For Sama
Duncan McAuley, CEO, Action Foundation
Liz Windsor-Welsh, CEO, Action Together CIO
Fahim Zazai, Manager, Afghan Community and Welfare Centre
Chizobam Obumneme Ekenna, General Manager, African Community Centre
Aderonke Apata, Founder and CEO, African Rainbow Family
Imogen McIntosh, Director, Aid Box Community
Graeme Hodge, CEO, All We Can
Frances Walker, Head of English, Archway Learning Trust
Salma Zulfiqar, Founder and Director, ARTconnects
Ewan James Roberts, Centre Manager, Asylum Link Merseyside
Doreen Hengari, Director, Asylum Seekers And Refugee Support Sanctuary
Mark Goldring, Director, Asylum Welcome
Sarah Magill, Director and Trustee, Azadi Charity
Revd. Lynn Green, General Secretary, Baptist Union of Great Britain
Claire Clift, Chair of Trustees, Bath Welcomes Refugees
Fiona Vale, Service Manager, (Basic Educational Guidance in Notinghamshire)
Evie Booton, Communications and Campaigns Coordinator, Big Leaf Foundation
Dr David Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary
Nicole Port Louis, Teacher of Physics, Bluecoat Academy
Ivana Mancic, EAL Academic Coach, Bluecoat Aspley Academy
Andrew Wyatt, Lead Teacher of Mathematics, Bluecoat Wollaton Academy
Ros Holland, CEO, Boaz Trust
Amanda Mortimer, Volunteer, Bradford Immigration & Asylum Support & Advice Network
Matthew Powell, CEO, Breaking Barriers
Beth Wilson, CEO, Bristol Refugee Rights
Yvonne Rendell, Chair, Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees
Mary Stretch, Director, Calais Light
Amber Ray, Communications Specialist, Calderdale Valley of Sanctuary
Catharine Walston, Chair of Executive, Cambridge Convoy Refugee Action Group
Catharine Walston, Trustee, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
Dr Mohamed Ali, Chair, Canterbury Muslim Cultural Centre
Eleanor Brown, CEO, CARAS
Clare Moseley, Founder, Care4Calais
James Cartwright, Chair, Carlisle Refugee Action Group
Rachel Lesiter, Chorleywood4Refugees
Joanna Schüder, Refugee Networking Officer, Christian Concern for One World
Most Reverend Andrew John, Archbishop of Wales, Church in Wales
Rt Rev Dr Iain Greenshields, Moderator of the General Assembly, Church of Scotland
Bishop Mike Royal, General Secretary, Churches Together in England
Rachel Hattingh, Members Manager, Citizens of the World Choir
Thomas Martin, Director, City of Sanctuary Sheffield
Stella Barnes, Creative Director, Community Arts North West
Colette Batten-Turner, Founding Executive Director, Conversation Over Borders
Almir Koldzic, Director, Counterpoints Arts
Laura Marziale, Founder and Director, Creating Ground
Sally Hyman, Founder and trustee, CRIBS International
Patrick Coyle, Chair of the Board, Cytûn Churches Together in Wales
Riana Brown, Group Communications Manager, Daughters of Charity Services
Jonathan Ellis, Project Director, Detention Forum
John Arnold, Bishop, Diocese of Salford
jan foster, Trustee, Doncaster Conversation Club
Jeannie Tweedie, Director, Elmbridge CAN
Stephanie Habib, Project Development Manager, English for Action London
Awder Ahmed, Share Tawe Project Officer, Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales
Trish Chipman, Committee member, Farnham Help for Refugees
Dr Valerie Jeffries, Trustee, Faversham and Villages Refugee Solidarity Group
Maire Greaney, Secretary & Trustee, Flintshire City of Sanctuary
Amber Bauer, CEO, ForRefugees
Sonya Sceats, CEO, Freedom From Torture
Elizabeth Slade, Chief Officer, General Assembly of Unitarian and Free Christian Churches
Naomi Webb, Executive Director, Good Chance Theatre
Richard Hargreaves, Editor, Grassington and District Peace Group
Denise McDowell, CEO, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)
Caroline Burnett, Founder, Guildford Refugee Aid
Polly Gifford, Co-Chair, Hastings Community of Sanctuary
Jane Grimshaw, Convener, Hastings Supports Refugees
Ailsa Dunn, Secretary, Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees
Angus Clark, CEO, Herts for Refugees
Roger Wilson, Trustee, Hope and Aid Direct
Philip Howell, Drop in leader, Hope cafe refugee drop in
Phil Davis, Director, Hope Projects
John Weaving, Member, Human race
Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch
Maddie Harris, Director, Humans for Rights Network
Mary Solomon, Chair, Humans of Wolverhampton (HOW)
Nicole Francis, CEO, Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association
Laura Kyrke-Smith, UK Executive Director, International Rescue Committee
Sophie Cartwright, Senior Policy Officer, Jesuit Refugee Service UK
Aaron Barbour, CEO, Katherine Low Settlement
Jo Taylor, Chair, Kent Kindness
Brad Collier, Director, Larner Associates
Rose McCarthy, Volunteer, Leeds City of Sanctuary
Jean Gould, Trustee, Lewes Organisation in Support of Refugees and Aasylum Seekers
Rosario Guimba-Stewart, CEO, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network
Rabbi Charley Baginsky, CEO, Liberal Judaism
Paul Streets, CEO, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales
Mariam Yusuf, Management Committee Member, Manchester Migrant Solidarity
Alexander Leeson Francis-Palmer, General Advice Coordinator, Manchester Refugee Support Network
Nicola Monk, Trustee, Marlow Refugee Action
Jonathan Wttenberg, Senior Rabbi, Masorti Judaism
maureen sier, Director, Maureen Sier
Nina Houghton, group member, Merseyside Solidarity Knows no Borders
Revd. Ian Rutherford, City Centre Minister, Methodist Central Hall Manchester
Revd. Sonia Hicks, President of the Conference, Methodist Church in Britain
Nazek Ramadan, Executive Director, Migrant Voice
Frank Kamau, Manager, Mojatu Foundation
Lis Murphy, Creative Director & Founder, Music Action International
Zara Mohammed, Secretary-General, Muslim Council of Britain
Bridget Young, Director, The No Accommodation Network
Lord (Indarjit) Singh of Wimbledon, Director Network of Sikh Organisations UK, Network of Sikh Organisations UK
Rachel McPeake, Project Administrator, North East Law Centre
Mishka Pillay, One Strong Voice
Marian Pallister, Chair, Pax Christi Scotland
Rose Caldwell, CEO, Plan International UK
Natalia Byer, Programme Manager, Polish Migrants Organise for Change
Josephine Whitaker-Yilmaz, Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Praxis
Meirion Morris, General Secretary, Presbyterian Church of Wales
Dawn Judd, Chair, Preston City of Sanctuary
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
Elizabeth Allen, Clerk, General Meeting for Scotland, Quakers in Scotland
Jabeer Butt OBE, CEO, Race Equality Foundation
Anna Jones , Co-Founder and CEO, RefuAid
Tim Naor Hilton, CEO, Refugee Action
Sarah Fenby-Dixon, Trustee, Refugee Aid Network
Nathan Sperry, Operations Manager, Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex & London
Ruhi Akhtar, Chairperson, Refugee Biriyani & Bananas
Rich Snaith, Treasurer, Refugee Compassion
Enver Solomon, CEO, Refugee Council
Efi Stathopoulou, Programmes Manager, Refugee Legal Support
Nick Harborne, CEO, Refugee Support Group and Reading City of Sanctuary
Jonny Willis, CEO, Refugee Youth Service
Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive Director, René Cassin the Jewish voice for human rights
Jeremy Thompson, Manager, Restore – a project of Birmingham Churches Together
Haytham Alhamwi, Manager, Rethink Rebuild Society
Eiri Ohtani, Director, Right to Remain
M.H.Khan, Founder & CEO, Rohingya Youths for Society Change-RYSC
Daisy Jacobs, Co-Founder and Director, Routes
Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO,Safe Passage International
Gwen Hines, CEO, Save the Children
Karen Dobson, CEO, Scotswood Garden
Bishop Mark Strange, Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness, and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church, Scottish Episcopal Church
Sabir Zazai, CEO, Scottish Refugee Council
Angie Pedley, Treasurer, Settle Area Refugee Support group
Chris Hix, Trustee, Sevenoaks Welcomes Refugees
Margaret Roche, Manager, Share Knowsley
Liz Morgan, Trustee/Treasurer, Side by Side Refugees
Ruth Cape, Development Manager, South East Integration Network
Nikki Walters, Chair, Southampton Action
Mark Courtice, Chair of the Trustees, Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
Liz Needham, Chair of Trustees, St Albans for Refugees
Abigail Martin, Manager, St Chad’s Sanctuary
Maja Moller, Coordinator, St Thomas Church Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Network Lancaster
Amber Ray, Communications Manager, St. Augustine’s Centre Halifax
Bernadette McAliskey, Co-Ordinator, South Tyrone Empowerment Programme
Sandra J Morton, Chair, Swansea Asylum Seekers Support
Kathryn Williams, Secretary, Swansea City of Sanctuary
Nicola Wood, Charity Manager, Swindon City of Sanctuary
Revd Louis James Johnson, Assistant Curate, Team Parish of St Luke in the City, Diocese of Liverpool
Satinder Collins, Chair, Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Anna Lagoyianni, Volunteer Coordinator, The Grewoenhouse Multi Cultural Arts and Play Project
Elaine Ortiz, Founder-Director, The Hummingbird Project
Dr Edie Friedman, Executive Director, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE)
Barbara Easton, Vice-President, The Methodist Church in Britain
Revd S M Slaney, Chair of District, The Methodist Church in Scotland
Bethany, Head of Music, The Nottingham Emmanuel School
Iris Lightfoote, CEO, The Race Equality Centre
Nicolas Hatton, CEO, the3million
Sue Lacey, Founder, Together100
Archie Ford, Moderator, United Free Church of Scotland
Revd Clare Downing, Moderator of General Assembly, United Reformed Church
Dr Moira Dustin, Lecturer, University of Sussex
Mel Steel, Director, Voices in Exile
Sonja Miley, Co-Executive Director, Waging Peace
Florence Andrews, Co-chair, Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees
Emily Shepherd and Sue Butler, Joint CEOs, Welcome Churches
Mr Andrew Harwood, Project Manager, Welcome Group Halesowen
Susie Ventris-Field, CEO, Welsh Centre for International Affairs
Andrea Cleaver, CEO, Welsh Refugee Council
Hannah Barnes, Director, West End Refugee Service
Mary-Ann Stephenson, Director, Women’s Budget Group
Rachel Kelly, CEO, Women’s Health Matters
Paul Anticoni, CEO, World Jewish Relief
Jo Cobley, CEO, Young Roots