Saturday, January 31at 2:00pm - 5:00pm
Home Office, 2 Marsham St, London SW1P 4DF
Facebook event page
SYRIAN REFUGEES WELCOME HERE!
Since the beginning of the conflict in Syria almost half of all Syrians have been forced to leave their home and flee for their lives in search of safety.
Thousands of refugees are struggling to stay warm and protect their shelters as heavy snow storms bringing freezing temperatures, fierce winds, and lashing rain hit Lebanon and Jordan.
Some 800,000 people, many who fled their homes in terror with just the clothes on their backs, are in need of assistance.
In addition, many desperate Syrians have decided to risk their lives to reach Europe by boat and up to October, 2014, 3,800 of those lost their lives at sea, including many women and children.
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2014/sep/18/desperate-syrian-refugees-europe-mediterranean
WHY YOU SHOULD COME
Under mounting pressure the government has reluctantly agreed to take "several hundred" of the "most destitute" Syrian refugees. But this is nothing when compared to either the scale of the refugee crisis or the commitments made by other nations.
BRITAIN'S SHAME
The UK government has not joined the United Nations High Commission for Refugees re-settlement programme but has instead set up its own programme providing minimal assistance. Compare its commitment to Germany who has pledged to take 20,000 Syrian refugees as part of the UN effort. Even much smaller countries, like Sweden and Norway, have agreed to take 1,300 and 1,000 refugees respectively, and the United States has placed no limit on the number it is willing to take.
GLOBAL SOUTH
We also recognise that despite international efforts the burden of dealing with the refugee crisis has overwhelmingly been borne by the much poorer countries bordering Syria. We call on the government to dramatically increase its commitment to take Syrian refugees who are fleeing war and persecution.
REFUGEE RIGHTS
We recognise that their reluctance to countenance this step reflects a wider climate of persecution of migrants and refugees, who have been scapegoated for the affects of the capitalist crisis. This has fuelled the rise of the racist UKIP part. We are determined to stand together against racism and for international solidarity with migrants and refugees the world over.
OUR DEMANDS
1. Expand UK refugee programme
2. UK must cooperate with EU Mediterranean rescue scheme
3. End to fortress Europe policy and creation of safe routes for Syrian refugees through Europe to claim asylum in Northern European countries
