Times letter: Over 150 organisations demand UK Gov helps Afghan refugees now!
Safe Passage and Together With Refugees coordinated a letter from over 150 organisations published in the Times today, demanding the UK Government urgently helps Afghans to reach safety in the UK and reunite with their loved ones.
Here’s the letter and full list of signatories:
It is one year today since Kabul fell to the Taliban and despite the initial evacuation efforts, the government has since only delivered broken promises to get others to safety - betraying so many vulnerable groups of Afghans whose lives continue to be at risk.
Those who were evacuated to the UK have been left feeling abandoned, with thousands of families still living in hotels unable to rebuild their lives. The promised safe routes for those left behind are too slow and too restrictive, meaning that Afghans fearing for their lives are forced to take dangerous journeys to reunite with loved ones and find safety here. And now, those who make it to the UK are cruelly threatened with banishment to Rwanda.
The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme was heralded by the government as 'one of the most generous resettlement schemes in our country's history', yet one year on it is failing to deliver what was promised. The government must urgently help those already here and ensure Afghans can safely reach the UK and their family, as it has rightly done for Ukrainian refugees.
Fuad Mahamed, CEO, ACH (Ashley Community Housing)
Duncan McAuley, Chief Executive Officer, Action Foundation
Anahita Fazli, Women Empowerment Project, Afghan association of london,
Shamim Sarabi, Community Engagement & Research Lead, Afghan Pro Bono Initiative (joint project from Refugee Legal Support & Safe Passage International)
Dr Neelam Raina, Co-Founder, Afghan Solidarity Coalition
Aderonke Apata, Founder & CEO, African Rainbow Family
Faith Gakanje-Ajala, CEO, African Women’s Empowerment UK
Zarlasht Halaimzai, Founder and CEO, Amna Refugee Healing Network
Bobby Lloyd, CEO, Art Refuge
Miranda Reilly, Director, Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees
Maja Moller, Coordinator, Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Network St Thomas Church Lancaster
Ewan Roberts, Centre Manager, Asylum Link Merseyside
Paul Hook, Director, Asylum Matters
Mark Goldring, Director, Asylum Welcome
Joseph Seaton, Founder, At Risk Teachers (Former English Manager & Deputy Director at British Council Afghanistan 2016 - 2020)
Zita Holbourne, National Chair & Co-founder, BARAC UK
Claire Clift, Chair of Trustees, Bath Welcomes Refugees
Fiona Vale, Service Manager, BEGIN (Basic Educational Guidance in Nottinghamshire)
Kayte Cable and Vicki Felgate, Co-Founders, Big Leaf Foundation
David Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary
Anna Bielenberg, President, BPP Student Action for Refugees
Matt Powell, CEO, Breaking Barriers
Sarah Cooper, Manager, Bristol City of Sanctuary
Jo Benefield, Campaign Coordinator, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign
Katie Lee, Fundraising & Communications Manager, Bristol Refugee Rights
Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future
Yvonne Rendell, Chair, Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees
Bernard Emblem, Secretary, Bury Fairtrade
Eleanor Brown, CEO, CARAS
Steven Martin, Co-founder & Director, Channel Rescue
Josie Naughton, Co-Founder and CEO, Choose Love
Rachel Lesiter, Director, Chorleywood4Refugees
Joanna Schüder, Refugee Networking Officer, Christian Concern for One World
Tess Berry-Hart, Director, Citizens of the World Choir
Sian Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
Jayne Mercer, CEO & Principal Immigration Advisor, Community Integration and Advocacy Centre (CIAC)
Colette Batten-Turner, Founder, Conversation Over Borders
Almir Koldzic, Director, Counterpoints Arts
Toni Soni, Centre Director, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre
Angie Pedley, Co-ordinator, Craven Refugee Support Network
Kooj Chuhan, Director, Crossing Footprints CIC
Fran Wood, Chair, Darlington Assistance for Refugees (DAR)
Alex Vessis, CEO, Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support
Jess McQuail, Director, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the UK (Just Fair)
Simon Barrow, Director, Ekklesia
Jeannie Tweedie, Director, Elmbridge CAN
Stephanie Habib, Project Development Manager, English for Action London
Linda El-Miligy, Chief Executive Officer, Esolperth English Language Lessons
Lewis Garland, Chair, Fences & Frontiers
Maire Helena Greaney, Secretary & Trustee, Flintshire City of Sanctuary
Aryan Sanghrajka, Founder & Managing Director, Forced To Flee
Amber Bauer, CEO, forRefugees
Steve Crawshaw, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Freedom from Torture
Katie Gibbs, Chair, Friends of Refugees London
Anna Pincus, Director, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group
Naomi Webb, Executive Director, Good Chance Theatre
Traci Kirkland, Head of Charity, Govan Community Project
Denise McDowell, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)
Amreet Johal, Development Coordinator, Haringey Migrant Support Centre
Margaret Smith, Trustee, Harrogate District of Sanctuary
Polly Gifford, Co-Chair, Hastings Community of Sanctuary
Ailsa Dunn, Secretary Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees
Angus Clark, Chief Executive, Herts for Refugees
Roger van Schaick, Vice-Chair, Host Nottingham
Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch
Yasmin Khan, Chairperson, Humanity Aid
Jenni Regan, CEO, IMIX
Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Founder and CEO, International Civil Society Action Network
Sarah Teather, Director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK
Dave Smith, Refugee Network Coordinator, Jubilee+
Jill Kent, Chair, Justice and Peace Scotland
Alison Bell, Co-chair, Lewes Organisation in Support of Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Rosario Guimba-Stewart, CEO, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network
Paul Streets OBE, Chief Executive, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales
Philip Ishola, CEO, Love146
Liz Hibberd, Strategic and Partnership Lead, Manchester City of Sanctuary
Nicola Monk, Trustee, Marlow Refugee Action
Liane Coia, Operations Manager, Maryhill Integration Network
Sebastian Rocca, CEO, Micro Rainbow
Maude Casey, Volunteer, Migrant English Project
Nazek Ramadan, CEO, Migrant Voice
Francesca Valerio, Community Programme Director, Migrants Organise
Julia Tinsley-Kent, Policy Manager, Migrants' Rights Network
Lis Murphy, Creative Director, Music Action International
Fadi Itani OBE, CEO, Muslim Charities Forum
Bridget Young, Director, NACCOM (No Accommodation Network)
Nazee Akbari, CEO, New Citizen's Gateway
Jake Rose-Brown, Lead, Norfolk Schools of Sanctuary
Debbie Royle, Deputy Director, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum
Amos Schonfield, Director, Our Second Home
Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB
Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain
Elizabeth Allen, Clerk General Meeting for Scotland, Quakers in Scotland
Gianluca Palombo, Research Assistant and Volunteer, Queen Margaret University, CodeYourFuture
Barbara Redmond, Secretary, RADAR (Rochdale Action with Destsitute Asylum seekers and Refugees)
Leila Zadeh, Executive Director, Rainbow Migration
Anna Jones, CEO & Co Founder, RefuAid
Tim Naor Hilton, CEO, Refugee Action
Nick Beales, Head of Campaigning, Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL)
Lorri Dawson, Chair of Trustees, Refugee & Migrant Network Sutton
Becky Snaith, Chairperson, Refugee Compassion
Enver Solomon, CEO, Refugee Council
Catherine Gladwell, Chief Executive, Refugee Education UK
Efi Stathopoulou, Programmes Manager, Refugee Legal Support
Rupert Blomfield, Manager, Refugee Support Devon
Paul Hutchings, Chief Executive, Refugee Support Europe
Hari Reed, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Refugee Support Group
Nick Harborne, CEO, Refugee Support Group and Reading City of Sanctuary
Elizabeth Long, Partnerships Coordinator, Refugee, Asylum seeker and Migrant Action, Colchester
Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive-Director, René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights
Eiri Ohtani, Director, Right to Remain
Elli Free, Director, Room to Heal
Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO, Safe Passage International
Richard Williams, Chair, Sanctuary on Sea: Brighton & Hove City of Sanctuary
Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns, Save the Children
Sabir Zazai, CEO, Scottish Refugee Council
Moses Seitler, Director, Screen Share UK
Christopher Desira, Director, Seraphus
Liz Morgan, Trustee & Treasurer, Side by Side Refugees
Bobby Curtis, Youth Casework Manager, South London Refugee Association
Tara Topteagarden, Director, South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice
Nikki Walters, Chair, Southampton Action
Liz Needham, Chair of Trustees, St Albans for Refugees
Helen O'Shea, Chair, St Vincent de Paul Society
Sara Robinson, Director, St. Augustine's Centre
Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch
Emily Crowley, Chief Executive, Student Action for Refugees
Suzanne Fletcher, Housing Stream Convenor, Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Aws Jubair, Founder and Executive Director, The Aman Project
Rev Karen Hendry, Acting Convener of the Faith Impact Forum, The Church of Scotland
Mark Seymour, Refugee Project Manager, The Gap Wales
Dr Edie Friedman, Executive Director, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE)
Paola Uccellari, Interim Executive Director, The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
Anthony Boateng, Vice-President, The Methodist Church
Alex Kempton, Director of Operations and Campaigns, The Refugee Buddy Project
William Nicholas Gomes, Director ,The William Gomes Podcast
Bonnie Cassidy, Childrens Advocacy Worker, The Women's Centre Derry
Sue Williams, Trustee, Thousand 4 £1000 CIO
Amy Lythgoe, Trustee, Together Now
Nick Watts, Director, Together with Migrant Children
Sue Lacey, Founder, Together100
Katie Hope, Head of Operations, Trauma Foundation South West
Pauline Mary Ruth, Chair of Trustees, Trinity Safe Space
Neil Jameson CBE, Director, UK Welcomes Refugees
Christina McAnea, General Secretary, UNISON
Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary, United Reformed Church
Mel Steel, Director, Voices in Exile
Sonja Miley, Co-Executive Director, Waging Peace
Florence Andrews, Chair of Trustees, Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees
Andrew Harwood, Project Manager, Welcome Group Halesowen
Harriet Protheroe-Soltani, Head of Communications and Engagement, Welsh Refugee Council
Hannah Barnes, Director, West End Refugee Service
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women
Rachel Kelly, Chief Executive, Women's Health Matters
Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive, World Jewish Relief
Colette Batten-Turner, Development Organiser, Xenia