180 organisations have signed an open letter to leaders of all parties in response to the attack on Friday 10th February on a hotel in Knowsley where asylum seekers are housed. The letter calls on party leaders to ‘take a clear stand and condemn any further violence against those who come here to find safety’.
Coordinated by Together With Refugees, you can read the letter and full list of signatories below:
Dear Party Leaders
The scenes of hatred and violence against people seeking asylum on Friday were horrifying. We stand in solidarity with them and with all those who have come to the UK to find protection. These awful acts do not represent the people of Knowsley.
Those in the asylum system have already suffered terribly. Most have fled places like Afghanistan, Sudan, Syria, Iran and Eritrea due to war and persecution. They have made terrifying journeys to reach safety. And now, due to shocking delays and a failing system, they are forced to experience even more anxiety and fear, in a place they do not know, placed in accommodation not of their choosing, unable to work and with no control on where they live or what their future holds.
Their lives are in limbo as they wait, sometimes for years, for a decision on their asylum claim. And it is clear that these massive delays are directly leading to the use of hotels for people seeking asylum – a completely inappropriate form of accommodation and a glaring confirmation that the system is broken.
Having already experienced great hardship, these men, women and children who come here for protection are now faced with violence, fuelled by inflammatory language of ‘invasion’ and policies that demonise them. The responsibility to create a system that is fair and compassionate, and brings cohesion instead of division, lies with our decision makers.
With the high risk of more premeditated extremist attacks around the country, leaders of all parties must now take a clear stand and condemn any further violence against those who come here to find safety, and set out the action they will take to prevent it. Those who incite this anger and violence bring shame on this country, on the vast majority who are proud of our history of helping those in danger around the world. This does not reflect the people of Britain. This is not who we are.
Aderonke Apata, Founder and CEO, African Rainbow Family
Bobby Lloyd, CEO, Art Refuge
Ewan Roberts, Centre Manager, Asylum Link Merseyside (ALM)
Mabli Jones, Deputy Director, Asylum Matters
Kat Lorenz, Director, Asylum Support Appeals Project
Mark Goldring, Director, Asylum Welcome
Jimmy Zachariah, CEO, Baca
Sarah Byrne, Manager, Bayswater College
Lilian Geijsen, Director, Europe, Ben & Jerry’s
Joseph Goulding, Head Of Governance, Big Help Project
Emma Hawthorne, Chair, BIRCH (Birmingham Community Hosting Network)
David Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary
Barbara Forbes, Coordinator, Birmingham Schools of Sanctuary
Will Sutcliffe, Chair, Bradford City of Sanctuary
Maggie Pearse, Chair, Bradford Immigration and Asylum Support and Advice Network (BIASAN)
Matt Powell, CEO, Breaking Barriers
Dan Green, Managing Director, Bridges for Communities
Jo Benefield, Campaign Coordinator, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign
Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future
Yvonne Rendell, Chair, Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees
Catharine Walston, Trustee, Cambridge Refugee Resettlement Campaign
Eleanor Brown, CEO, CARAS
Clare Moseley, Founder, Care4Calais
Gavin Smart, Chief Executive, Chartered Institute of Housing
Thomas Martin, Director, City of Sanctuary Sheffield
Siân Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK
Mauricio Silva, IRD Coordinator, Columbans in Britain
Ako Zada, Chairperson of Community InfoSource, Community InfoSource
Jayne Mercer, Chief Executive Office/Immigration Lawyer, Community Integration and Advocacy Centre (CIAC)
Anthony Conway, Secretary, Coventry Against Racism
Toni Soni, Centre Director, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre
Sharron McGuinness, Director Crisis Skylight Merseyside, Crisis Uk
Kooj Chuhan, Director, Crossing Footprints CIC
Liz Ferrie, Community representative, Daughters of Charity, Province of Rosalie Rendu
Steve Cooke and Julie James, Managers, Derbyshire Refugee Solidarity
Jonathan Ellis, Project Director, Detention Forum
David Packwood, Director, DPC
Patricia Durr, Chief Executive Officer, ECPAT UK (Every Child Protected Against Trafficking)
Jeannie Tweedie, Co-Director, Elmbridge CAN
Stephanie Habib, Executive Team, English for Action London
Tanja Pagnuco, Programme Manager, English National Opera
Lucila Granada, CEO, Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)
Alan Strang, Partner, For refugees Birmingham
Aryan Sanghrajka, Founder & Managing Director, Forced To Flee
Amber Bauer, CEO, forRefugees
Sonya Sceats, Chief Executive, Freedom from Torture
Traci Kirkland, Head of Charity, Govan Community Project
Denise McDowell, CEO, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit
Mrs M Smith, Trustee, Harrogate District of Sanctuary
Polly Gifford, Co Chair, Hastings Community of Sanctuary
Jane Grimshaw, Convener, Hastings Supports Refugees
Ailsa Dunn, Secretary, Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees
Martin McDonagh, Chair – Healthwatch Knowsley, Healthwatch Knowsley
Kat Hacker, Director of Legal Protection, Helen Bamber Foundation
Roger Wilson, Trustee, Hope and Aid Direct
Helen Hodgson, Operations Director, Hope at Home
Jonny Brennan, Pastor, Hope Church Wirral
Rosie Carter, Director of Policy, Hope not Hate
Philip Davis, Director, Hope Projects
Anneke Elwes, Director, HostNation
Maddie Harris, Director, Humans for Rights Network
Mary Solomon, Founder, Humans of Wolverhampton
Jenni Regan, CEO, IMIX
Jabbar Hasan, Director, Iraqi Association
Sarah Teather, Director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK
Jill Kent, Chair, Justice And Peace Scotland
Emma Hutton, CEO, JustRight Scotland
Dr Razia Shariff, CEO, Kent Refugee Action Network
Sarah Thwaites, Chief Officer, Laridae CIC
Patricia Donald, Volunteer, Larne House Visitor Group
Gisela Valle, Director, Latin American Women’s Rights Service
Jenny Willison, Secretary, Leeds Destitute Asylum-seekers Support (LEDAS)
David Forbes, Manager, Lifeline Options CIC
Anne Thwaite, Director, Liverpool Arab Arts Festival
Seana Roberts, Administrator, Liverpool City of Sanctuary Group
Suba Das, Creative Director, Liverpool Everyman & Playhouse Theatres
Margaret McAdam, Secretary, Liverpool Trades Union Council
Liz Hibberd, Strategic and Partnership Lead, Manchester City of Sanctuary
Aderonke Apata, Founder and Chairperson, Manchester Migrant Solidarity
Sarah Jones, Chief Executive, Mencap Liverpool & Sefton
Hilary Travis, Company Director/Social Worker, Mental Health Counts Ltd
Janet Coe, Director/Solicitor, Merseyside Law Centre
Seana Roberts, Manager, Merseyside Refugee Support Network
Helen Dickson, One of the founder members, Merseyside Solidarity Knows No Borders
Jenny Porter, Interim Director, Metal Culture
Revd Graham Thompson, President of the Methodist Conference, Methodist Church of Britain
Sebastian Rocca, Founder and CEO, Micro Rainbow CIC
Nazek Ramadan, Executive Director, Migrant Voice
Bridget Young, Director, NACCOM
Owen Temple, Chair, No To Hassockfield
Debbie Royle, Deputy Director, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum
Salma Ravat, CEO, One Roof Leicester
Angela Mcleary, Spokesperson, One Strong Voice
Pauline David, Head Teacher, Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Primary School
Amos Schonfield, Founder & CEO, Our Second Home
Heather Lafferty, UK Government Relations Adviser, Oxfam GB
Paul Gauntlett, Board Member, Treasurer, Pendle New Neighbours
Elaine Fraser, Charity Co Founder, People in Motion
Marzena Zukowska, Co-director, Polish Migrants Organise for Change (POMOC)
Robina Qureshi, Chief Executive Officer, Positive Action In Housing
Sally Daghlian OBE, CEO, Praxis
Catherine Margham, Member of QARN Steering Group, QARN (Quaker Asylum & Refugee Network)
Leila Zadeh, Executive Director, Rainbow Migration
Nick Beales, Head of Campaigning, RAMFEL
Ana Asatiani, Expert by Experience Co-ordinator, RAS Voice
Tim Naor Hilton, CEO, Refugee Action
Shari Brown, Partnership and Development Manager, Refugee and Migrant Centre (West Midlands)
Mrs Lorri Dawson, Chair of Trustees, Refugee and Migrant Network Sutton
Enver Solomon, CEO, Refugee Council
Efi Stathopoulou, Programmes Manager, Refugee Legal Support (RLS)
Jacqueline Adusei, CEO, Refugee Resources
Paul Hutchings, Chief Executive, Refugee Support Europe
Nick Harborne, CEO, Refugee Support Group Berkshire
Comfort Etim, Director, Refugee Women Connect
Mandy Littlewood, Director, Refugees & Mentors CIC
Lauren Scott, Executive Director, Refugees at Home
Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive-Director, René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights
Kate Brown, CEO, Reset
Philomene Uwamaliya, Project Lead, Resource Hub for Professionals who support Asylum Seekers, Refugees & Migrant Populations, Liverpool John Moores University
Jeremy Thompson, Restore Manager, Restore – a project of Birmingham Churches Together
Nicola David, Chair, Ripon City of Sanctuary
Emily Mott Duncannon, Trustee, Rural Refugee Network
Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO, Safe Passage
Pervin Ahmad, Strategic Development Manager, Saheliya
Kate Madia, Principal, Saint Thomas More
Indre Lechtimiakyte, Legal and Migrant Support Manager, Samphire
Gwen Hines, Chief Executive, Save the Children
Afrah Qassim, CEO & Founder, Savera UK
Sabir Zazai, CEO, Scottish Refugee Council
Margaret Roche, Manager, SHARe Knowsley
Amanda Jones, CEO, Shropshire Supports Refugees
Liz Morgan, Trustee/Treasurer, Side by Side Refugees
Adele Spiers, MD & Senior Art Psychotherapist, SOLA Arts
Alexa Netty, CEO, SolidariTee
Nikki Walters, Chair, Southampton Action
Mark Courtice, Chair, Southampton and Winchester Visitors Group
Pauline Nandoo, Director, Southwark Day Centre for Asylum Seekers
Tyler Fox, Acting Director, Springboard Youth Academy
Liz Needham, Chair of Trustees, St Albans for Refugees
Tara Roughneen, Religious Education and Catholic Life, St Anne’s Catholic Primary School
Sara Robinson, Director, St Augustine’s Centre, Halifax
Abigail Martin, Manager, St Chad’s Sanctuary
Anna O’Driscoll, Teacher and lay chaplain, St Thomas Aquinas School
Daniel Sohege, Director, Stand For All
Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch
Bernadette McAliskey, CEO, STEP (South Tyrone Empowerment Programme)
Stephanie Neville, Project Manager, Stories of Hope and Home
Rebecca Didi, Trauma informed Therapist, Survivors Manchester
Revd Dr Louis Johnson, Assistant Curate, Team Parish of St Luke in the City
Samsoudini Abdou Moussa, Co-Chair of Tees Valley of Sanctuary, Tees Valley of Sanctuary
Miranda Reilly, Director, The Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees
Charlotte Hu, Digital Marketing Manager, The Bike Project
Ros Holland, Chief Executive, The Boaz Trust
Lycy Bracken, Co-Director, The Happy Baby Community
Elaine Ortiz, Founder and Director, The Hummingbird Refugee Project
Dr Edie Friedman, Executive Director, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE)
Marc Wadsworth, Co-Founder, The Liberation Movement
Monique Hawkins, Interim Co-CEO, the3million
Amy Lythgoe, Trustee, Together Now
Alex Fisher, Community Development Worker, Together Wirral Churches Forum
Felicity Dobrushi, Toxteth Women’s Centre Manager, Toxteth Women’s Centre
Katie Hope, Head of Operations, Trauma Foundation South West
Pauline Mary Ruth, Chair of Trustees, Trinity Safe Space Charity
Rev Fiona Bennett, United Reformed Church General Assembly Moderator, United Reformed Church
Revd Geoff Felton, Moderator of Mersey Synod of the URC, United Reformed Church Mersey Synod
Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive, Upbeat Communities
Jane Way, Founding Member, Upper Wharfedale Refugee Support Group
Siobhan Taylor-Ward, Solicitor, Vauxhall Community Law and Information Centre, Liverpool
Aidan Jolly, Collective Member, Virtual Migrants
Jonathan Senker, Chief Executive, VoiceAbility
Jamal Chouhaib, EAL Teacher, Washwood Heath Academy
Andrew Harwood, Project Manager, Welcome Group Halesowen
Andrea Cleaver, CEO, Welsh Refugee Council
Alan Alexander, Chair, West Cumbria Refugee Support Network
Rev Dominic Robinson sj, Chairperson, Westminster Justice and Peace Commission
George Reiss, Vice Chair, Wolverhampton City of Sanctuary
Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women
Hannah West, Project Lead, Women’s Health Matters
Claire Cooke, Project Worker, Women’s Support Project (Rights & Choices)
Jo Cobley, Chief Executive, Young Roots