Last night we had a very special victory. In the face of a government hell-bent on deporting people seeking refuge to Rwanda, campaigners and lawyers 

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Hi John,
Last night we had a very special victory. In the face of a government hell-bent on deporting people seeking refuge to Rwanda, campaigners and lawyers managed to get the first flight to Rwanda stopped.

This is a wonderful moment, but it is only the beginning. We know that the government is not going to back off from its cruel and abhorrent proposal. In fact, given the flight yesterday was only prevented by a last minute ruling of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the government is already hinting it will pull us out of ECHR. In other words, this is becoming a full frontal attack on the human rights of all of us.

On Sunday I went down to Gatwick airport to join a protest outside the immigration removal centre where many of the refugees due to be sent to Rwanda were being detained. We got close enough to speak to, and protest with, the refugees themselves, over fences and barbed wire. It was an emotional moment, and one that obviously brought home the real people whose lives are being thrown into further turmoil by this government.

It is particularly shocking that many of those facing deportation were from the Middle East – a part of the world which has been repeatedly destabilised by the British government. In fact, when you look at the desperate situations which people are fleeing, whether it be war and political persecution or poverty and dispossession, Britain is in many cases responsible for fuelling, if not creating, the conditions which people are seeking safety from.

That’s why we must stand up for the rights of those seeking a safer life here. It’s the other side of the coin from the campaigning we do to stop the British government and British corporations fostering conflict, poverty and inequality around the world. Given this, the colonial notion of getting low-income countries like Rwanda to meet our human rights obligations is sickening.

We’ve only been a small part of the campaign to stop the deportations. So many activists, campaign groups and lawyers have made this week’s victory possible. I’m particularly proud of the part Global Justice Now’s youth network has played in the campaigning. But we’re going to have to do much more, because this is only the start.

This week people around the country are marking ten years of resistance to the hostile environment. I’d like to encourage you to get involved in one of the many activities going on around the country:
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We’ll get back in touch with the next stages of the campaign soon. But for now thank you for being part of this. We can’t give up now.

In solidarity
Nick Dearden
Global Justice Now
** The fight for a fairer future depends on committed and passionate people like you.
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