by Ken Olende
Around 20,000 people marched through central London today, Saturday, in support of refugees and in opposition to the British government and the EU punishing people for fleeing from persecution. The protest came a day after the EU agreed a deal with Turkey to return all refugees who arrive in the Greek islands.
At least 3,500 marched in Glasgow, led by a contingent of 200 Eritrean refugees. Another 300 protested in Cardiff.
The march finished with a rally in Trafalgar Square.
Actor Vanessa Redgrave reminded the crowd that as late as December 1938 there were attempts to stop Jewish people fleeing Nazi Germany from entering Britain and said how dangerous it was to abandon refugee agreements that were set up after the Second World War to make sure that never happened again.
Diane Abbott, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, slammed Fortress Europe for turning away refugees.
Children’s author Michael Rosen said, “We have to stand together, friends, comrades, we are all migrants”.
Catherine West MP highlighted the problem of 10,000 refugees who are unaccompanied children.
Amyna, a young woman from Mosul in Iraq, showed the reality of life for refugees when she described her escape and her journey to Britain via Calais.
Sabby Dhalu, joint national organiser of Stand Up to Racism, said, “This year’s protest is bigger than last year’s, which was bigger than the year before. But we can’t stop organising. As long and the government scapegoats refugees we have to organise in every town to stand up against racism.”
Weyman Bennett, Stand Up to Racism’s other national organiser referred to the deal the government made yesterday, saying, “People are dying on the borders as these decisions are made. It is a cynical and disgusting abandonment of human sympathy. David Cameron talks about ‘breaking the business model’ of the human traffickers, but what this scheme does is break the refugees.”
Protester Jake Shepherd from Harlow in Essex said, “My grandparents’ generation was bombed. It’s not hard to imagine having to run. When we see refugees we should think that it could have been us. How would we want to be treated?”
Sally Bourton from the charity Refugee Action in York said, “I abhor what the government is doing, supposedly in my name. I’m here to show most people don’t agree with what they say.”
Isabella Was, a Muslim who originally came from Poland, said, ‘Islamophobia is everywhere. Often I wonder if it is safe to go out in the evening wearing a headscarf. The media is so biased against Muslims that I wanted to come and show we are not like that.”
Laura Miles came with We Are Wakefield. She said, “We are here to express solidarity. We have been collecting for Calais. Also as an LGBT person I want to show solidarity between different oppressed groups.”
Stand Up to Racism marches each year to mark UN anti-racism day. Similar protests will be held in Athens, Amsterdam, Paris, Vienna, Copenhagen, Dublin, Barcelona, Zurich, Warsaw and Nicosia—and another seven cities across Greece.
If you support today’s demos please donate towards the costs at the crowdfunding page: bit.ly/standuptoracism