Stroud District Together with Refugees and Stroud Against Racism held a protest in Stroud High Street on Saturday morning to show their opposition to the Government’s recently passed Illegal Migration Act.
“We’re protesting today against the Illegal Migration Act that the Government has passed this week, saying that immigrants or asylum seekers are not welcome in this country,” said Michelle Chatham from Stroud Against Racism.
Miranda Pole, representing Stroud District Together With Refugees said: “one of the issues is that people coming in through routes that they deem illegal will be detained and potentially deported and the issue for me anyway is that there is no safe, legal route for the majority of asylum seekers to seek asylum.
“Schemes like the Ukrainian visa scheme meant those people were able to come safely to the country but people from the majority of countries, including war-torn countries, have no safe route for getting here so then they come by illegal means and then there’s no way for them to seek asylum and actually, that’s a breach of human rights and international law.”
Michelle added: “The concern is that England is the first country to pass this law and the other countries might follow suit, therefore ripping up all human rights henceforth. Actually, these human rights are in place to protect the most vulnerable people in our society who are fleeing persecution and war, and famine and impossible situations in their own countries.
“It is so important that they have safely legal routes to get here and are protected because otherwise we’re putting them at risk of further abuse, further persecution, further danger, further risk for their lives and it’s just not acceptable.”
Pictures and video by Matt Bigwood
