Hundreds protest government’s ‘hateful, inhumane and cruel’ illegal migration bill

Hundreds of people including MPs protested outside the House of Commons against the ‘cruel’ and ‘inhumane’ Illegal Migration Bill yesterday.

The rally, organised by Stand Up To Racism, a refugee charity and a top trade union, saw chants of ‘refugees are welcome’ while MPs debated the bill inside.

For them, the bill is, among other things, ‘hateful’, ‘inhumane’ and ‘cruel’, a Labour MP and a refugee rights group told Metro.co.uk.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn was among those speaking, joining four members of the Socialist Campaign Group of opposition MPs.

The bill, which was introduced earlier this month, would ban people entering the UK illegally from ever claiming asylum in the UK.

The more than 200 demonstrators filled London’s Parliament Square and called for an amendment to the legislation for a safe passage visa scheme.

Rather than a crackdown on so-called ‘irregular routes’, such as crossing the English Channel by boat, the scheme would offer a secure way to seek asylum in the UK.

Banners handed out by the Socialist Workers Party read ‘open the borders, no deportations’.

Corbyn told protesters that the Conservative government’s proposals are ‘illegal, will imprison children, will deport people to Rwanda, will imprison people who have sought a place of safety’.

The Islington North MP blasted the ‘salacious headlines’ around immigration in the UK that say asylum seekers are an ‘invading army’.

Among those speaking was Dawn Butler, the Labour MP for Brent Central.

‘You cannot pick and choose who has human rights. No one is born illegal – in fact, the only likely illegal thing is this Tory Government’s hateful Illegal Migration Bill,’ she told Metro.co.uk.

‘The Tory Government is doing this to test our resolve, to test whether we have love in our hearts or whether we have hate. This Government shows only hate and contempt for refugees – we cannot be like them.  

‘Refugees are people. They are fleeing war and persecution and it is inhumane to lock up pregnant women and children.

‘It’s time to say no more hate and no more cruelty. Now more than ever we must speak out and show that we are a compassionate, caring country.

‘That’s why I will continue to say it loud and clear: refugees are welcome here.’

The protest was also organised by Care4Calais and the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents civil servants.

PCS deputy president Martin Cavanagh told the crowd the government was ‘sending people to their deaths’ with the ‘absolutely racist and abhorrent piece of legislation’.

‘It started off, didn’t it, with the pushback policy on the Channel, and let’s get this right, comrades. What that policy was all about was sending people to their deaths,’ he said.

‘It wasn’t about trying to make people safer or fairer or do the right thing for the working class in this country. It was racist, it was abhorrent and it was murder.’

According to Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s new law, those entering the UK illegally would be detained within the first 28 days without bail or judicial review.

Those crossing the perilous English Channel would be automatically expelled from the UK, barred from re-entry and unable to petition for citizenship.

Only those under 18 would be able to petition, as would those medically unfit to sly or at ‘reak risk’ from harm in the country they are removed to.

Parliament will also cap the number of refugees the Home Office would accept from new ‘safe and legal routes’ drawn up by the Government.

Braverman previously told the Commons: ‘They will not stop coming here until the world knows that if you enter Britain illegally you will be detained and swiftly removed back to your country, if it is safe, or a safe third country, such as Rwanda.

‘And that is precisely what this bill will do. That is how we will stop the boats.’

But campaigners quickly branded the bill the ‘Refugee Ban Bill’ and raised questions over whether it would violate international human rights laws.

The number of people crossing the Channel via small boat has been on the up for years. Nearly 1,200 migrants made the trip in January, per Ministry of Defence figures.

Though, refugee rights groups say the crossings are low by international standards.

Nearly 35,000 people have crossed the Mediterranean to continental Europe, according to the UN’s refugee agency. In 2021, there were just eight applications for asylum for every 10,000 Brits.

Nor do asylum seekers have many other options, given that there are no ‘safe and legal ways’ to seek sanctuary, said the Migrants’ Rights Network.

‘The “Illegal Immigration” Bill is an abhorrent piece of legislation that will effectively criminalise anyone seeking safety via an unauthorised route,’ the group told Metro.co.uk.

‘We are extremely concerned by the repercussions of this Bill because it is already driving fear into some affected members of our community.’

The Channel, a narrow stretch of sea, is known for its turbulent weather, waves and currents.

At least 44 people, including three children, either died or went missing and are presumed dead in 2021, according to the UN migration agency’s Missing Migrants Project.

Many are thought to have drowned in the freezing waters.

Migrants’ Rights Network added: ‘We applaud the demonstrations taking place to oppose this Bill, and we must continue to be vocal against this Bill because those bearing the brunt are unable to protest through fear and reprisals to their application decisions.

‘We need this Government to be fully aware that these public displays of solidarity will continue as long as they continue their attack on people seeking safety, and until we have safe routes for all nationalities.’

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