- This topic is empty.
-
Rwanda asylum plan ‘shames Britain’ – church leaders
All the bishops in the UK’s upper house of parliament, the House of Lords, have written a letter to the British Times newspaper saying that the government’s policy to deport migrants who entered the country illegally to Rwanda “shames Britain”.
Before every play SLOTXO Don’t forget to check. The amount of every bet is done, and don’t hit the spin on the spin. Online Slots Now
The first deportation flight taking migrants to Rwanda will leave on Tuesday.
In their letter, the bishops said:
“Whether or not the first deportation flight leaves Britain today for Rwanda, this policy should shame us as a nation. Rwanda is a brave country recovering from catastrophic genocide. The shame is our own, because our Christian heritage should inspire us to treat asylum seekers with compassion, fairness and justice, as we have for centuries.
“Many are desperate people fleeing unspeakable horrors. Many are Iranians, Eritreans and Sudanese citizens, who have an asylum grant rate of at least 88%.
“We cannot offer asylum to everyone, but we must not outsource our ethical responsibilities, or discard international law – which protects the right to claim asylum. We must end the evil trafficking; many churches are involved in fighting this evil.”
The plan has caused outrage, been criticised by senior figures including the Archbishop of Canterbury and even, reportedly, the heir to the throne, Prince Charles.
Campaigners challenged the decision in court but two court rulings – including one on Monday – gave the green light for Tuesday’s flight to go ahead.
The government says the scheme will discourage dangerous journeys across the English Channel and therefore undermine smuggling gangs, but charities, religious leaders and opposition parties have criticised it.
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
