Statement on newly revealed rooms as part of the Rwanda plan

Our Humanity is Not Illegal

This weekend, Suella Braverman visited Rwanda to further bolster the government's migration plan to deport people to Rwanda, encouraging her critics to visit Rwanda before making assertions against the plan.

It seems the government needs to be reminded that it is not just the critics they need to answer to but the people who will be directly impacted by their plans. Their plans and the statements made by Braverman - that vulnerable people would be lucky to be sent to Rwanda - further demonstrate that they have lost sight of the human beings at the heart of their policies. As has been said elsewhere, refugees and migrants are not pawns on a global chessboard. “Vulnerable” does not mean passive and without freedom of choice. The governments efforts to send people to Rwanda and push through the Illegal Migration Bill further strips the autonomy of individuals who have already had their home taken from them and takes away any say that they have over their own lives.

To try to remove these people will be a violent process.

Miranda Reilly, Director of AVID said:

We have already seen the damage it will cause by previous attempts to remove people to Rwanda which led to fears of suicide and self-harm. The harm cannot be compensated for by any investment from Rwanda because it is a harm that is caused at the very basic level of human dignity and respect. If we were to meet people as fellow human beings, we would engage with the reasons they have come to the UK and look to invest into our own communities. We would reckon with our own position on the global stage and our responsibility to others in relation to that position and history. We would recognise our privilege and that citizens of the UK have one of the most powerful passports in the world, affording us the right to move freely whilst others must risk their lives to do so. We would not turn our back and feign care as we send people like cargo to another country.

Meanwhile the behaviour of the Home Secretary during her visit to the so called ‘homes’ built in Rwanda, as reported by The Telegraph, were criticised widly as 'deeply troubling'. She was observed making jokes about the interiors and laughing. 

Our Policy and Communication Manager, Gee Manoharan, had something to say about the Home Secretary, Suella Braverman’s Rwanda design joke.

“It is entirely inappropriate and insensitive for a public figure to make light of the struggles and challenges faced by individuals who have risked lives to seek asylum in the UK...'

He added that she is mocking those who have lost so much and are hoping to rebuild their lives. Still, she's also disrespecting the compassionate people of this country who have a proud history of welcoming those in need.

• Read the article on his full response here on - INews