This is a form for organisations, faith groups, charities, community groups, businesses, trade unions and others to sign the pledge to fight the 'anti-refugee' laws contained in the Illegal Migration Act 2023 and the Nationality and Borders Act 2022. This legislation is designed to punish, not protect, people seeking safety, and shows that it's more important than ever to keep speaking up for an alternative.
The pledge was drafted by Asylum Matters and Refugee Action, in partnership with a number of organisations working on asylum and refugee issues across the UK. The statement and its signatories are hosted on the website
https://fighttheantirefugeelaws.org/.
We will be in touch with signatories to the pledge periodically to update you on our plans to use the pledge for campaigning purposes and to invite you to opt into related initiatives.
For any questions, please contact info@asylummatters.org.
The pledge can be read in full here:
"We believe that people seeking protection from war and persecution should be welcomed and that everyone’s claim for asylum should be treated equally and fairly. We believe that the UK should offer sanctuary to those who need it.
That’s why we’re taking a stand against the anti-refugee laws. We pledge to:
- Defend the right to seek safety from war and persecution in the UK;
- Speak out against attempts to make it harder to be recognised as a refugee, and criminalise and punish those who make their own way to safety;
- Challenge the anti-refugee laws which will risk the lives and well-being of people;
- Work towards a refugee protection system that treats all people with dignity and compassion."