Our statement on the Rwanda Deportation Bill

Image: ‘Dark Water, Burning World’ by Issam Kourbaj © Sami Kourbaj

Counterpoints Arts condemns in the strongest possible terms the UK government’s passage of the ‘Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration)’ deportation Bill. This legislation, which we consider unconscionable from a moral, humanitarian, and legal standpoint, threatens irreparable harm to some of the most vulnerable individuals and families in our communities—refugees and migrants fleeing horrific circumstances including starvation, trafficking, and war.

This bill allows the government to forcibly expel asylum seekers, including children, to environments where they face severe risks of harm and human rights abuses, therefore violating international law, including the principles set out in the 1951 Refugee Convention. The hateful rhetoric inflamed by this legislation has brought about immeasurable fear, stress, and disruption to refugees and migrants throughout the UK, severely impacting their mental health and wellbeing. Many of these individuals already suffer from conditions like PTSD and depression, and the uncertainty created by this bill only compounds their suffering.

In response, Counterpoints Arts remains dedicated to supporting communities of artists, creatives, organisers, and partners through our work and mission. We are actively exploring ways to hold space, come together, and continue fighting for the right to sanctuary and safety. Our programme for 2024, including this year’s Refugee Week festival themed ‘Our Home,’ will serve as a strong rebuttal to this bill, amplifying the valuable contributions of refugees and migrants and reinforcing our commitment to solidarity in creating a safe and welcoming space for all.

In the face of this continued cruelty and hostility, we will keep uniting with our communities and networks to organise for a brighter future, where refugees and asylum seekers are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

This is why we believe in the transformative power of the arts and initiatives like Refugee Week to offer light, hope and the imaginative possibilities for a future together, away from hate and divisiveness. We share the solidarity and spirit of our friends at Together With Refugees: “A dark day. But there is always hope. The Rwanda bill has been passed. Today we grieve, but tomorrow—along with the 500+ organisations of the Together With Refugees coalition—we will continue to fight for something better.”

Resources:

Migrants Organise have put together Solidarity Knows No Borders Organising Workbook, a toolkit to share tools, ideas, stories and strategies for migrant justice. Link to download: https://sknb.org/

Download a copy of Camille Sapara Burton’s ‘The Gen Grief Toolkit’, which offers embodiment tools and rituals to support grief work in community. Link to download: https://global-diversity.org/grief-toolkit/

Read Hostile Environment: How Immigrants Became Scapegoats by Maya Goodfellow, where Goodfellow shows the devastating human costs of anti-immigration politics and argues for an alternative.

https://www.versobooks.com/en-gb/products/777-hostile-environment