The solidarity shown with Gary Lineker over his right to criticise this government’s appalling anti-refugee plans has been a rare moment...

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Hi John,
The solidarity shown with Gary Lineker over his right to criticise this government’s appalling anti-refugee plans has been a rare moment of hope for all of us.

Now we need to make sure all this attention boosts awareness of the government’s plans to deny the human right to asylum to people seeking safety in this country, and mobilise as many people as possible to stop it.

Can you write to your MP now and demand they oppose this Refugee Ban Bill?
Write to your MP ([link removed])
In all the furore of the last few days the details of the bill have been overshadowed. The Conservative government plans to remove the right to claim asylum from anyone who makes the dangerous crossing of the Channel, or arrives by any other irregular route, including unaccompanied children.

This is despite the fact that, for people from the majority of countries, there are no safe routes for refugees to apply for asylum in the UK.

The UNHCR says this would “amount to an asylum ban – extinguishing the right to seek refugee protection in the United Kingdom for those who arrive irregularly, no matter how genuine and compelling their claim may be, and with no consideration of their individual circumstances.”

The bill is being rushed through parliament – MPs will get their first chance to vote this afternoon, with further votes in the coming days.

There are so many of us who oppose this brutal crackdown on people who are simply seeking a safe life for themselves and their families. But with fearmongering media outlets like the Daily Mail cheering the Tory plan on, we need to make our voices heard to MPs at this critical moment.

Can you write to your MP now and demand they oppose this Refugee Ban Bill?
Write to your MP ([link removed])
Criminalising people seeking safety is the wrong way to stop people taking life-threatening journeys across the Channel. The government could end these crossings tomorrow if they introduced safe routes to seek asylum – such as humanitarian visas or a way to apply from outside the UK.

We know that more than half the people who applied for asylum last year were from Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan or Syria. And we know that 80% of people from these countries are currently successfully granted refugee status. So Rishi Sunak’s sickening plans will deny many refugees their rights which date back to the Refugee Convention of 1951.

Already there has been unease even among some Conservative MPs over this government’s plans and rhetoric. Former chancellor George Osborne said: “Personally, I think some of the language used on immigration by some Conservatives – not all – is not acceptable.” Former Home Office minister Caroline Nokes has said “I’ve made that clear to my whip, I can’t vote for this.” Even the famously hardline Priti Patel is reported to have misgivings about elements of the bill.

If every one of us who has been outraged by Gary Lineker’s treatment over the weekend takes the next step and speaks up against this bill, we can turn the course of this debate. Can you write to your MP today, of whatever party, to make your voice heard on this plan to ban refugees?
Write to your MP ([link removed])


** Emergency protest today
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If you’re in reach of London, an emergency demonstration is taking place in Parliament Square at 6pm today to oppose this bill. Please be there if you can and share the details on social media:
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As Gary Lineker tweeted this morning, “we remain a country of predominantly tolerant, welcoming and generous people.” Now we need to make our voices heard.

Thank you,
Jonathan Stevenson
Campaigner at Global Justice Now

More info

1. Statement on UK Asylum Bill ([link removed]) , UNHCR, 7 March 2023
2. What does the UK government’s bill on illegal immigration propose? ([link removed]) , Guardian, 7 March 2023
3. Illegal migration bill is ‘cruelty without purpose’, says Archbishop of York ([link removed]) , Observer, 12 March 2023
4. George Osborne Says Language Used By Some Tories On Immigration Is 'Not Acceptable' ([link removed]) , Huffington Post, 12 March 2023; Tory ex-cabinet minister urges rethink over child detentions in small boats plan ([link removed]) , Guardian, 12 March 2023
5. Suella Braverman confronted by Holocaust survivor over 'invasion' rhetoric ([link removed]) , BBC News, 15 January 2023
** The fight for a fairer future depends on committed and passionate people like you.
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