Last week, mock notifications of immigration measures began appearing on message boards of Home Office interior officials, including photos of the Paddington bear stating that he was wanted so he could be sent on a flight to moving to Rwanda.
Elsewhere, officials noticed a rash of refugee stickers affixed to interior office printers and furniture in departmental buildings across the country.
The organizer of the protest group “Our Internal Office”, which unites officials who oppose the deportations in Rwanda, said that the concern about the proposed removals has prompted officials from all over the government to take subversive action.
“This is still a small low-level campaign, but it is growing and is now linked to offices across the country,” said the group’s founder, who asked not to be named to defend his work in the department. “The announcement of the transport plan in Rwanda was a really important moment for many officials, who were quite shocked by how barbaric the proposal was, especially the way it seems to be against the refugee convention and the principles we are trying to uphold fairly. attitude towards people. “
In the last few days, more rolls of welcome stickers have been published for staff members who have contacted the protest group’s website, the organizer said. “No one expects the work of the Interior Ministry to be easy, but it has pushed many people to the brink,” the official said.
Refugee welcome stickers began appearing in the interior office buildings. Photo: Twitter
Staff members have also put up posters reformulating the official statements of the ministry’s mission, so that one reads: “Brave: we have the backbone to say ‘no, minister’. Not the hostile environment, not the closure of democracy, not the racist deportations. “
Internal discomfort over Rwanda’s policies has already been expressed during internal online sessions. The PCS union, which is part of the Interior Ministry’s staff, is also involved in legal actions challenging the legality of the policy.
A spokesman for the Interior Ministry said it was the responsibility of civil servants to serve the government of the day and that employees found to be violating internal rules would face disciplinary action.
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“Thousands of civil servants are working tirelessly every day on priorities that are important to the British people, and the Home Office is working hard to be so constructive and open with staff on our policies,” he said.
“We call on all civil servants to use the mechanisms at their disposal to provide feedback. It is disappointing that some employees are taking actions that are detrimental to the department and we will take action when necessary. “
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