The United Reformed Church, along with over 250 other organisations from across the UK, has signed an open letter to the Prime Minister following the government鈥檚 Rwanda Act being approved by Parliament.
In an open letter to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, the organisations say the Bill breaks international law and 鈥渁bandons our duty to share in the global responsibility towards those forced to seek safety鈥�.
The letter in full says:
Dear Prime Minister,
We write to express our shared outrage at the passage of the misleadingly named 鈥楽afety of Rwanda Act鈥�. This is a shameful and performatively cruel law that will risk people’s lives and betray who we are as a society.
We all want to be safe – and we want that safety for each other, too. As a country, we are proud to uphold our responsibility to support refugees. Given the chance, communities across our country go the extra mile to welcome those in need. The wider public do not support the Rwanda plan.
But this law would enable the government to forcibly expel people seeking asylum – including children and survivors of trafficking and modern slavery 鈥� despite concerns they could be put at grave risk of harm and human rights abuses. The Rwanda plan will force people who have fled violence and persecution into detention centres where they may face abuse and mistreatment, with no time limit. They will then be removed to a country to which they have no connection, despite our country’s Supreme Court ruling that it is unsafe for them. Through this law, the Government will put them at grave risk of mental and physical harm, and of being returned to danger in the countries they fled.
Despite the clear ruling from the Supreme Court, the government is rewriting the facts so they can shirk our responsibilities to refugees. In doing so, the government would break international law and further shatter the UK鈥檚 commitment to justice and the rule of law. While this is a targeted attack on refugees and migrants, an attack on one group’s rights is an attack on all of us.
Outsourcing our asylum system to other countries is never acceptable. It abandons our duty to share in the global responsibility towards those forced to seek safety. Instead of continuing down this dangerous path, the government must guarantee that asylum claims will be heard fairly on our shores, and open safe routes so that people are not forced to take dangerous journeys.
As organisations working towards a better future for all, we believe in kindness and compassion. The government must listen to the people, abandon this deplorable deal with Rwanda and similar plans with other countries, and protect those who need sanctuary.
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The Revd Dr Tessa Henry Robinson, Moderator of the United Reformed Church General Assembly, also joined with leaders of other churches in renewing their commitment to caring for the most vulnerable, as legislation to enable asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda was approved by Parliament.
In a joint statement with leaders of the Church of England, Roman Catholic, Methodists, and Baptists, the leaders pay tribute to all those who 鈥渓ive out Jesus鈥檚 call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.
The statement voices concern that asylum seekers and refugees have been used as a 鈥減olitical football鈥� and that the kindness of churches and charities towards people fleeing war, persecution and violence has been 鈥渦njustly maligned by some for political reasons.鈥�
The statement in full:
鈥淲e retain deep misgivings about the Safety of Rwanda Bill, passed in Parliament last night, for the precedent it sets at home and for other countries in how we respond to the most vulnerable. This includes victims of modern slavery and children wrongly assessed as adults, whom we have a duty to protect.
As leaders in Christian churches we wish to express our profound gratitude to those who live out Jesus鈥檚 call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, through their work with asylum seekers and refugees, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.
We note with sadness and concern the rise in hostility towards those who come to these islands seeking refuge and the way in which the treatment of the refugee and asylum seeker has been used as a political football.
We are disappointed that the kindness and support offered by churches and charities to the people at the heart of this debate – those fleeing war, persecution and violence trying to find a place of safety – has been unjustly maligned by some for political reasons.
In their response to the tragic attack in Clapham earlier this year, some former Home Office ministers, MPs and other commentators sought to portray churches and clergy as deliberately facilitating false asylum claims. It was for this reason, at the request of Anglican leaders, that representatives of our Churches met the Home Secretary in February.聽 When asked, neither he nor officials could provide evidence to support the allegations of widespread abuse. Home Office Ministers have since confirmed this in a written parliamentary answer, and on questioning by the Home Affairs Select Committee. Follow-up meetings have since been agreed to promote closer cooperation and co-working between the churches and the Home Office.
Like so many in this country, we seek to support a system that shows compassion, justice, transparency and speed in its decisions. We grieve the appalling loss of life in the Channel today. There may be differences between our churches and Government on the means by which our asylum system can be fair, effective and respecting of human dignity, but we do agree that borders must be managed and that vulnerable people need protection from people smugglers. We have pledged to continue to work with the Home Office, and we do so in good faith.鈥�
The Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, Moderator of The United Reformed Church General Assembly
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby
The Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell
The Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees
The Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
The Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun
The Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain
The Revd Gill Newton, President of the Methodist Conference
Image: Jametlene Reskp/Unsplash.