Fight against migrant detention
Protests in London against Rwanda deportation
May 2, 2024, 6:09 p.m
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The Tories recently pushed the controversial Rwanda plan through Parliament. The first migrants are already to be deported to the East African country. Those affected should be arrested beforehand. Activists are trying with all their might to prevent this.
In London, activists protested against the arrest of migrants for subsequent deportation to Rwanda. Dozens of demonstrators tried to block a bus that they said was taking asylum seekers from accommodation in the southeast of the capital to the English south coast. Activists also organized protests in other cities across the country against the government’s announced arrests of migrants.
Last week, the British Parliament passed a controversial law that allows people who arrived illegally to Rwanda to be deported without their origin or their asylum application being examined beforehand. For this reason, Rwanda was classified as a safe third country. The deportees’ asylum applications will then be examined by the government in Kigali. If approved, the refugees will have the right to reside in the East African country and will not be allowed to return to Great Britain.
The British government wants to deport 5,700 people to Rwanda by the end of the year. On Wednesday, London announced for the first time that migrants had been arrested so that they could be deported. “A series of nationwide operations” are underway, the Interior Ministry said. The police will “quickly arrest those people who have no right to be here so that we can let the flights take off,” said Interior Minister James Cleverly.
Record levels of illegal entries
The number of people entering Great Britain illegally has recently risen sharply. Daily arrivals on Wednesday were the highest since the start of the year, according to the latest official figures. 711 people who tried to cross the English Channel from northern France were brought ashore. With more than 8,200 arrivals since the beginning of the year, the number of people entering the country has reached record levels. It should be noted that the choice of words “illegal entry” suggests a criminal offense, which it is not according to the Geneva Refugee Convention, which the United Kingdom has also signed. According to this, people fleeing in particular must not be punished for entering the country without permission. Consequently, entry that is not penalized is not a crime.
The British government sees its deportation law as a deterrent measure. Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is under pressure after ongoing infighting within his party. His Tories were predicted to suffer major losses in the local elections. In the second half of the year, Sunak’s position in the general election will be at stake.