Birmingham group mobilises in support.
On Saturday September 17th, ActionAid campaigners from Birmingham joined thousands of demonstrators, actors and politicians to march through London and urge the Government to take more action on the refugee crisis.
The Refugees Welcome Here March took place two days ahead of two major summits that took place in New York earlier this week on Monday September 19th and Tuesday 20th where world leaders met to discuss the refugee crisis.
It is estimated that around 10,000 people joined the march including actors Vanessa Redgrave, Douglas Booth and Juliet Stevenson and Green Party co-leader Caroline Lucas MP, Labour’s Lord Alf Dubs and Liberal Democrat campaigner Baroness Sheehan.
International development charity, ActionAid, was at the march calling for a world where refugees are always welcomed, where people on the move are treated with dignity and respect, and where millions of people never have to flee their homes.
Amdeep Sanghera, one of the campaigners organising the Birmingham marchers, said: “I marched this weekend because I want to show world leaders that refugees are welcome here. This was the first time I’ve been on a march for refugees but I’m making an exception because I want those at the top to listen, and realise how much support there is for taking action on refugees.”
Elizabeth Baines, Activism Officer at ActionAid UK said: “A year ago, shocked by the images of Alan Kurdi – the three year old who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea – over 100,000 people marched through Central London to show their support for a better deal for refugees.
“This September is a crucial moment. As world leaders met in New York to decide how to respond to the refugee crisis, thousands of us marched in London to show that refugees are welcome here. We demand that the UK does more to welcome refugees, to respect the rights of people on the move, and to tackle migration’s root causes: conflict, climate change and inequality.”
