Actor Juliet Stevenson has asked the Conservative MPs, who voted on Wednesday in the controversial government immigration bill, to “be brave and vote with your heart, not your party card”.
Stevenson called on lawmakers who support the bill on nationality and borders instead of supporting the amendments in support of refugees.
Stevenson was one of a group of celebrities and refugees who boarded a boat on the Thames on Wednesday morning, decorated with blue and yellow buntings in solidarity with Ukraine, orange hearts in support of refugees and a large blue-and-yellow banner reading “Vote for protection not to punish refugees. “
Refugees from Ukraine and other conflict zones have been joined by celebrities, including Stevenson, Robert Rinder, model Lily Cole, author Cathy Lett and comedian Deborah Francis-White.
The boat was sailing around a section of the Thames that is being ignored by the House of Parliament, hoping to catch the eye of lawmakers and persuade them to turn around at the last minute and not vote in favor of the bill later Wednesday.
The boat was sailing around a section of the Thames surrounded by the Houses of Parliament. Photo: Graham Robertson / Guardian
Stevenson, who is hosting a Ukrainian refugee named Darza and her six-year-old daughter Orissa, both of whom joined her on board, is a longtime refugee rights activist.
She said that while the government is on a “downward trajectory” in terms of attitudes towards refugees, the public is clearly in the opposite direction.
“The Nationality and Borders Bill is the most brutal piece of legislation ever passed by parliament,” she said.
Stevenson, Darza and Orissa say the two families get along well and have bonded with the family dog Millie. Stevenson said doing something as practical as hosting helps “process the horror” of what is happening in Ukraine.
Darza said: “It was a great relief to come to the UK with my little girl and to know that we are safe from the terrible war in our country. Of course, it’s not easy and I worry all the time about everyone coming home. But my family there and I are so grateful to Juliet and her family that they opened their doors to us. I can only hope that no one should experience what we are now, but this welcome is a great consolation at such a terrible time. “
Robert Rinder, whose grandfather survived the Holocaust, said protecting and welcoming refugees was “an absolutely essential part of British values.”
“We need to have a humane, reasonable and fair refugee policy,” he said.
Wednesday’s event was organized by Together with Refugees, a coalition of more than 400 organizations across the country that supports refugees fleeing war and persecution. The coalition is calling for a better approach to refugee support that allows people to seek safety in the UK, no matter how they come here, and ensures that people can live with dignity while waiting to find out if they will be granted asylum.
Together with Refugees, calls on MEPs to vote in favor of amending the bill, including removing the proposal to punish refugees arriving in the UK by boat across the English Channel or in the back of a truck.
MEPs are also urged to agree that the government should publish an annual target for the number of refugees it will resettle in the UK. Campaign participants would like to see at least 10,000 refugees from around the world each year.
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