14 June 2022
Responding to the imminent deportation flight of asylum seekers to Rwanda under the government’s asylum policy, Adrian Ramsay, co-leader of the Green party, said:
“The government’s plan to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda today is utterly abhorrent and has been widely condemned, from the UN and human rights lawyers to bishops and campaign groups. As Greens we join the chorus crying, Not in Our Name, and call for a humane policy of official and safe routes for refugees to come to this country and claim asylum.
“The strong public opposition to this policy and determined efforts of lawyers to fight deportations on a case-by-case basis reveals that at heart the UK is a compassionate country.
“Greens fully support all efforts to try and prevent the wheels leaving the tarmac tonight – a plane that could end up flying a handful of asylum seekers 4,500 miles away, which makes no economic or environmental sense.
“In 2021 The government spent £11m on deportation flights [1]. This money should be spent instead on supporting thousands of refugees fleeing war, poverty and oppression. We need to open safe routes instead of deportation routes.”
Notes
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