Hundreds Protest UK's New Asylum Bill Outside Parliament

(MENAFN) Hundreds of people gathered outside the UK parliament in London to protest against the government’s new asylum bill and to show solidarity with people seeking refuge in the country. The protest was backed by the Fire Brigades Union, the Muslim Association of Britain, human rights charities and opposition politicians.

The UK government's new plan to stop small boat migrants has been met with criticism from human rights organizations and refugee advocates who argue that it violates international law and the UK's obligations under the Refugee Convention. The plan includes detaining the majority of those arriving on small boats for the first 28 days without bail or judicial review and preventing them from making claims to stop deportation until after they have been removed.

The crowd, who came together in front of Winston Churchill's state statue outside the parliament, were chanting slogans such as "Who built the NHS? Migrants built the NHS” and “Refugees welcome here: blame austerity, not migrants." They were showing their opposition to the bill that seeks to attack some of the most vulnerable people in society.

Scottish National Party's Westminster leader Stephen Flynn expressed his concerns about the bill, stating that in any safe and compassionate society, the right of any person is to be protected. He said that he will be voting against the bill, hoping that his colleagues would do the same. He emphasized that the government should listen to organizations across the world to see that the bill is wrong. The problem is that they won't listen because they don't care about the people who are making these perilous journeys.

Tom Marshall, one of the organizers of the protest and a member of the Socialist Workers Party, said that the government will see more people trying to cross over to this country through unsafe means. He added that the bill will result in more families being ripped apart, and countless people drowning in the English Channel. He underlined that the government will use this issue as a scapegoat to divide everyone in the country against each other and play the migrant card for all their issues.

Amnesty International has stated that the rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers are protected by international law, regardless of how and why they arrive in a country. The UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR, has expressed concern over the matter, saying that if passed, the legislation would amount to an "asylum ban." The protestors were expressing their solidarity with the people seeking refuge in the UK and their opposition to a bill that violates international law and human rights.

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