To mark the 112th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, we handed in a petition on behalf of parishes and individuals across the UK, calling on Andy Burnham to defend the right to asylum and uphold the dignity of people seeking refuge.
Along with friends from the SVP, JRS UK and Caritas Plymouth we handed in the petition which called upon the government to:
- Restore the right to asylum
- Place dignity and protection at the heart of the asylum system
- End immigration detention
After delivering the petition to number 10 we joined with Catholics and CSAN member organisations from across the UK outside the houses of parliament to demonstrate solidarity with migrants and refugees facing hostility, racism and injustice.
The hand-in was the culmination of our Welcome the Stranger: Defend Asylum campaign, which was launched with JRS UK and the SVP at Pentecost and involved conversations in parishes, events and festivals throughout the summer exploring the governments’ direction on immigration policy and it’s fundamental conflict with catholic social teaching and the gospel.
We delivered the petition at a time when the right to seek asylum continues to be eroded through restrictive policy and legislation. An absence of safe routes, the halving of refugee protection from 5 years to 30 months, the criminalisation of people seeking sanctuary, the ending of refugee family reunion and a significant increase in the use of immigration detention, have been accompanied by increasingly harsh and dehumanising rhetoric in political debate.
Fiona Ranford, Senior Migration Officer at CSAN said:
“Pope Leo XIV, in his message for World Day for Migrants and Refugees, has called for a supportive response to refugees which guarantees protection, welcome and support for those who migrate.
Catholic communities across the UK are playing a crucial role in providing this supportive and welcoming response. But now they are calling on the UK government to play their part in building a society where everyone can live in safety and can build a future for themselves and their families, instead of having their future determined by where they were born or how they travelled to the UK.”
Read our resource and call to action for World Day for Migrants and Refugees
