With just two days to go before the first refugees board flights to the Central African country, the protest was one of many across the UK and took place amid further legal challenges after the Supreme Court ruled last week. that flights can proceed. Among the speakers was Care4Calais’s Maddy Summerfield, who described the deportation plan as “obscene” and told the crowd: “There are 6,500 people in the Manchester asylum system and we are here again to seek justice for them.” Other speakers included Martin Ebpson of the Campaign Against Climate Change, who said: “Many in the southern part of the world are facing the effects of climate change on a daily basis. At the same time, they are confronted with racism and state oppression at every turn. “As a nation, we have to do something.” He added: “The struggle for a sustainable future means a struggle for a future free of oppression.” Dr Rhetta Moran, of the Rapar human rights group, called on people to “stand shoulder to shoulder” and “continue to find ways to build solidarity”. Her comment that “this can not continue in our name” was received with enthusiastic applause. Moran and other speakers referred to Saturday’s events in Peckham, south London, where protesters blocked a truck carrying a man arrested for immigration offenses. Unison’s Karen Reissmann echoed the comments made to Prince Charles about Rwanda’s plan, saying: “From London to Manchester and beyond, people are terrified of what is happening.” Speakers oppose the government’s refugee plan before moving to Manchester. Photo: Sophie Zeldin-O’Neill / The Guardian The pastor of the Church of England, Laurie Windle, said she had come to speak for her church, adding: “Many are terrified of what they see as a ‘disrespectful’ asylum system. “This bill runs counter to the essence of God.” Meanwhile, members of the Syrian community in Manchester spoke of their own experiences and said that their hearts were “broken by this new and racist policy”. Other groups present included Stand Up to Racism, Amnesty UK, Safety4Sisters, the People’s Assembly, and the Status Now network, as well as voices from the Iranian, Iraqi, and West African communities in Manchester. Subscribe to the First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am As they prepared to start the march, voices were heard “Say it loud, say it clearly, the refugees are welcome here”. Shortly before leaving the square, artist Will Belshah picked up the microphone and told the story of his grandfather, who arrived in Britain from Baghdad, adding that the deportation plan had left him “too furious to soften his tongue or calm down”. . He concluded: “Anger and political disobedience are sometimes the only way to change things.”
