The Campaign
Refugees abandon their homes to escape war and persecution. They have to seek safety elsewhere. The right to do so, set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention, has protected millions worldwide for decades.
Today in the UK, the anti-refugee laws have destroyed that basic right. These pieces of legislation undermine the international system of protection that has been in place since the second world war. They give the UK Home Secretaries the power to act in ways that could contravene the rule of law and breach the rights of people seeking safety including refugees, children and survivors of human trafficking. Unless we fight back, Britain’s day as a safe haven could be over
In July 2023, the Illegal Migration Act was passed in Parliament, following the passage of the Nationality and Borders Act in 2022, turning anti-refugee bills into anti-refugee laws. The Government chose to punish refugees rather than protect them. It’s a tragedy that must be put right.
When the anti-refugee laws are repealed, it won’t be a second too soon, but it will be too late for many of the lives ruined by this legislation.
Our Pledge below lays our what this campaign and it’s supporters are committed to: a just and compassionate approach that welcomes and supports refugees.
The Pledge
We believe that people seeking protection from war and persecution should be welcomed and that everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly.
We believe that the UK should offer sanctuary to those who need it. That’s why we’re taking a stand against the anti-refugee laws. We pledge to:
Defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK
Speak out against attempts to criminalise and punish those who make their own way to safety
Challenge the anti-refugee laws which will risk the lives and well-being of people
Work towards a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion.
The anti-refugee laws
The anti-refugee laws destroy the right to seek asylum in the UK. They will leave tens of thousands of people in permanent limbo, and allow the Government to massively expand detention. They permit the offshore processing of people seeking asylum and the creation of warehouse-style reception centres on UK soil, ripping up internationally recognised rights for people fleeing war and persecution, and criminalising thousands of refugees.
They will be costly to implement and ineffective – creating ever-longer backlogs and delays in the asylum process that will leave people facing homelessness and destitution.
Rather than breaking the business model of people smugglers, the new laws will leave people vulnerable to exploitation and reliant upon criminal gangs in order to reach safety.
Missing from the legislation is any attempt by the Government to introduce new routes for people fleeing war and persecution to claim asylum in the UK, such as a long-term and ambitious commitment to refugee resettlement or expanded family reunion schemes. It’s the lack of such safe routes that drives people to risk their lives to cross the dangerous Channel in flimsy boats.
Refugee rights are human rights and by taking away these fundamental protections, the anti-refugee laws violate the principle that human rights belong to us all. It’s time to stand up for human rights and fight the anti-refugee laws.
Testimony of people seeking safety
“The anti-refugee laws would have meant I would never have been reunited with my wife. We could not have rebuilt our lives, and we wouldn’t have had our daughter.” – Akram, Birmingham
“With these anti-refugee laws, the Government is closing their eyes and throwing people back to war and persecution.” – Kidist, Leeds
“Due to a political problem I was forced to leave Afghanistan and travel to the UK through different countries. These laws will mean people in my situation will have no chance to claim asylum.” – Asimgul, Walsall
“Due to a political problem I was forced to leave Afghanistan and travel to the UK through different countries. These laws will mean people in my situation will have no chance to claim asylum.” – Asimgul, Walsall