Target: Sir Lindsay Hoyle, Speaker of the UK House of Commons
Goal: Stop inhumane mass deportation that would target asylum seekers.
After the Civil War, some lawmakers lobbied a Back to Africa campaign to send freed slaves to the African continent. Because they deemed the presence of these individuals in the United States suddenly undesirable, these politicians believed it would be a good idea to deport thousands of human beings from the only home they had known to a place they had never been. Now, the United Kingdom (UK) is poised to launch its own African relocation campaign.
This time, the targets for “relocation” are asylum seekers. The UK entered into an agreement with the government of Rwanda to deport some asylum seekers to one of the nation’s major cities. While some of the asylum seekers would be from other African countries (but not from Rwanda itself), many would be from nations like Ukraine. The UK government has designated Rwanda as a safe haven, but plenty of critics – and terrified asylum seekers – strongly disagree. The fear of a return to persecution has compelled many asylum seekers to flood into neighboring regions like Ireland.
Critics are calling for the UK government to approach immigration in a more thoughtful and humanitarian way. Sign the petition below to echo calls for a reasoned and humane approach.
PETITION LETTER:
Dear Sir Hoyle,
The very name of the Safety of Rwanda Act feels like an overreach to convince skeptics of an assertion that is very debatable. Why else would the act’s language state time and again that Rwanda’s status as a safe nation cannot be questioned, legally or otherwise? Stifling a divergent viewpoint will not quell the real concerns that advocates have about this supposed “safe haven.”
Reaction to this policy has already created a strain on the resources of your neighbors and fulfilled the claims of critics that this party refuses to engage in a meaningful discussion on multiculturalism and immigration. Please bring more voices into the discussion and form a coalition to better address immigration issues. And make serious revision or abolition of the Rwanda policy a top priority.
Sincerely,
[Your Name Here]
Photo Credit: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 & GFDL
151 Signatures