LONDON, 25 June. - (ANA) - Celebrities, many with heritage from African countries in the Commonwealth including Sophie Okonedo, Martins Imhangbe, Lucian Msamati and Anita Asante, are today (25 June 2022) urging Commonwealth leaders attending CHOGM in Rwanda this week to take a stand against the UK government’s new policy to deport refugees to the same African state.

 

The open letter, organised by campaign coalition Together With Refugees and signed by more than 20 high profile names which also include Olivia Coleman CBE, David Harewood MBE, Robert Rinder MBE, Juliet Stevenson CBE, Dame Emma Thompson and Benjamin Zephaniah, is addressed to leaders of the Commonwealth and calls on them to speak out.  It says: “As you meet in Rwanda, the Commonwealth cannot – must not – stay silent on this offensive scheme. Your voices would be a crucial and powerful force to help bring it to an end – and focus instead on genuine solutions.”

 

It states: “The message is loud and clear – the prospect of being transported to Rwanda, and African countries like it, is enough to put off even the most desperate people fleeing war and persecution from coming to the UK. This tells us much about the British government’s colonial and insulting view of Africa, as a place that is no better than a dumping ground for things – in this case people - it considers a problem.”

 

Anita Asante, Amnesty Ambassador, former England footballer and member of Team GB at the 2012 Olympics signed the letter. She said: "I'm proud to have represented England and Great Britain in football. But as someone with Ghanian heritage I am disturbed by the UK's view that sending refugees to Rwanda, or countries like it, is a deterrent to people fleeing war and violence from coming here. It's an insult to Africa. And shames Britain."

 

The letter highlights how the new UK government policy, included in the Nationality and Borders Act that was passed in April this year, applies to refugees seeking protection in the UK who have not been able to come via a safe route but came via small boat or the back of a lorry.  It means that they can be sent to Rwanda with no chance to have their claim heard in the UK and their need for protection will have no bearing on this decision.

 

Together With Refugees, a campaign coalition with a membership of more than 400 national and local organisations, is calling for the UK government to uphold international law on refugees, and to take responsibility for its share of those who are forced to flee their homes due to war and persecution with a compassionate, fair and orderly approach.

 

  

 

 

Together With Refugees is a coalition of more than 400 national and local organisations representing refugees and people from all walks of life who believe in showing compassion to refugees fleeing war and persecution. The coalition is calling for a better approach to supporting refugees that: allows people to seek safety in the UK, no matter how they came here; ensures people can live in dignity while they wait to find out if they will be granted protection; and enables refugees to rebuild their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities. It also wants the UK to work with other countries to do its bit to help people forced to flee their homes.

 

 

This is the list of the signatories:

 

 

Anita Asante

 

Benjamin Zephaniah

 

Dame Emma Thompson

 

Dame Harriet Walter

 

David Harewood MBE

 

David Morrissey

 

Deborah Frances-White

 

Gillian Slovo

 

Juliet Stevenson CBE

 

Kathy Lette

 

Lemn Sissay

 

Lucian Msamati

 

Martins Imhangbe

 

Natasha Walter

 

Nazanin Boniadi

 

Olivia Colman CBE

 

Ore Oduba

 

Robert Rinder MBE

 

Simon Rix

 

Sita Brahmachari

 

Sophie Okonedo CBE

 

Vijay Mistry

 

 

AB/ANA/25 June 2022 — - -