FROM today, refugees fleeing war and persecution will be denied the right to claim asylum in the UK as key elements of the “inhumane” Nationality and Borders Act come into effect.
The widely condemned legislation was forced through Parliament in April despite warnings from the United Nations refugee agency that it “undermines established international refugee protection law.”
As some of the most contentious parts of the Act come into force, rights groups warned that today effectively marks the end of Britain’s participation in the Refugee Convention after 70 years.
The government’s new immigration proposal risks creating a society where rights are earned, not guaranteed, warn feminist groups Project Resist and FiLiA in a joint statement
Britain’s proud asylum history, from sheltering the Kindertransport escaping Hitler to Basque children fleeing fascist Spain, required tireless campaigning against persistent opposition — and it’s up to all of us to do our part today, writes SABINA PRICE