Thanks so much for joining us for Scotland: Together With Refugees.
Hundreds of people gathered at the Trades Hall in Glasgow to show the world that Scotland welcomes refugees.
The event was part of a week of action organised by Together With Refugees, a coalition of 300 organisations from across the UK. We have joined forces to call for a better, fairer and more humane approach to supporting refugees and people seeking asylum.
Meetings, marches and rallies were held all over the UK in protest against the UK government’s Nationality and Borders Bill.
In Glasgow, people added words of welcome and support to a special message board, signed a petition calling for Boris Johnson to scrap the Nationality and Borders Bill and took part in a powerful placard demonstration.
Welcome Home – a song written and performed by MIN’s Joyous Choir in response to the events at Kenmure Street – was also shown.
Addressing the crowd, our CEO Sabir Zazai said: “Refugees are no different to anyone else. The only difference is that they’ve lost everything that they once had through no mistake of their own. It’s men women and children who are seeking protection from regimes like the Taliban.
“Sadly, we have a bill going through parliament that tells us people arriving through irregular routes are criminals and should be locked away. It’s not right and it’s not something that goes with our traditions of welcome and hospitality. We have to remind our politicians that their policies are not in our name and we will stand up to them.”
Speakers included Pinar Asku from Maryhill Integration Network (MIN), Hugh Grant from Forth Valley Welcome and Dr Becky MacFarlane from Glasgow Asylum Destitution Action Network (GlADAN)
You can show your support for people seeking safety by adding your name to the Refugee Action petition calling for Boris Johnson to have a heart and scrap the Anti-Refugee Bill. Take action here.
