We support the call by charities including Save the Children, Amnesty International and the Refugee Council demanding that the British government take a lead on international cooperation to “handle a sudden increase in the number of people forced to flee”.
The UN believes that up to 5 million people may be forced to flee the war.
There is an existing wall at the Belarussian Polish border, where non white refugees fleeing the war are being blocked. This wall must come down
We must stand up to racism in Ukraine, where African and Asian people trying to flee Ukraine are pushed back and white Ukrainians are prioritised. Everyone fleeing war has a right to leave and seek safety.
We oppose the government’s approach ‘to support British nationals and their families in Ukraine’ – while stating that ‘people fleeing persecution should seek safety in the first safe country they reach’.
Once again the British government is failing in its international obligations – just as it failed to respond appropriately to the crisis in Afghanistan.
In one of the largest conflicts in Europe since World War II drastic measures to ease the humanitarian crisis are required now.
The Nationality and Borders Bill presently working its way through Parliament reflects the government’s ‘Hostile Environment’ for refugees. This Bill must be scrapped.
We call on the British government to reverse its present stance and allow Ukrainians and others to seek asylum in Britain.