You may have noticed that we’ve been sharing an orange heart on social media recently. Here’s why we’re doing it – and why you should get involved.
We’re proud to be one of the founding members of Together With Refugees, a coalition of more than 300 UK organisations calling for a better approach to supporting refugees.
Refugees have always been part of the UK. Its who we are.
The UN Refugee Convention sets out in international law our obligation as a country to shelter people fleeing from conflict and persecution. It was drawn up in the aftermath of the Second World War and the horrors of the Holocaust. By signing the Convention, we made a promise to protect refugees.
But the UK Government’s Nationality and Borders Bill threatens to break that promise. If it is made law, this anti-refugee Bill will undermine the core principles of the Convention by judging a person’s right to refugee protection, not on their need, but on how they travelled to the UK. Too often, people fleeing war, persecution or violence, are treated with hostility rather than compassion.
We want an asylum system that is more effective, fair and humane.
This means standing up for people’s ability to seek safety in the UK no matter how they came here, and ensuring people can live in dignity while they wait for a decision on their asylum application. It means empowering refugees to rebuild their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities. And it means the UK working with other countries to do our bit to help people who are forced to flee their homes.
Will you Show Your Heart and help us make a stand?
Join us in showing your support for people seeking safety – and your opposition to the anti-refugee Bill – by sharing an orange heart. We need to work together to show politicians that people across the UK want to see a kinder approach to refugees. The heart is a symbol that we can all stand behind. It uses the colours of the refugee nation flag, which were inspired by a lifebelt, representing hope.
There are loads of ways to Show Your Heart. Here are just a few ideas:
- Share an emoji or Together With Refugees graphic on social media
- Make a poster or make a banner to put in your window
- Come together as a school, faith group or local community to create a big orange heart display
- Collect messages of support for refugees from local people
- Bake cakes decorated with orange hearts to show people from refugee communities a warm welcome
- Take a selfie with an orange heart
However you choose to take part, please remember to share a photo on social media, tagging us and using the hashtag #TogetherWithRefugees so we can find and share your posts.
Together, we can spread a message of hope and solidarity ?
