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Immigration and asylum

Thousands attended march through capital to condemn home secretarys legislation, say organisers

Sat 18 Mar 2023 12.55 EDT

Protesters have marched against the governments illegal migration bill in cities across the UK on Saturday, with organisers claiming thousands had attended.

Demonstrators carried signs and banners, some reading no human is illegal, as they matched towards Downing Street in central London.

Organisers Stand Up To Racism and the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) also held protests in Glasgow and Cardiff against racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, fascism and the far right.

The legislation introduced by the home secretary, Suella Braverman, means that refugees who arrive in the UK through unauthorised means, such as crossing the Channel in a boat, will have their asylum claims deemed inadmissible.

Braverman is on a trip to Rwanda this weekend, for which the Guardian did not receive an invitation, to reaffirm her commitment to the governments policy to deport migrants to the African state.

Maria Frazier, 75, said she was protesting against the government because she agreed with Gary Linekers comment comparing the language used to promote its immigration policies to that used in 1930s Germany.

The retired speech and language therapist from south London told PA Media: We think there should be an all-out indefinite general strike and the Tories should be removed by class action. Theyve got some quite violent programmes that theyre trying to bring in theyre trying to ban strikes, theyre deporting immigrants its not British.

Lineker was right when he said there are shades of the German [Third] Reich in the methods that theyre using.

People are turning out because theyre extremely angry at the way the economy is being run and the deprivation thats going on while the rich people in power make themselves richer.

Coachloads of protesters were pictured on social media wearing masks depicting the face of Lineker, who was due to return to TV screens to present coverage of the FA Cup quarter-final between Manchester City and Burnley.

The broadcaster was taken off air last weekend for a tweet criticising the language used by ministers when discussing the governments asylum policy.

Planning officer Mark Daly, 65, who travelled from Horsham, West Sussex, said he wanted to stand against the governments racist bill.

The government is trying to make these people not only unwelcome but illegal. We cannot classify people as illegal, its a racist policy from a racist government, he said.

Lizi Cushen, 39, said she joined the anti-racism protest London with her husband and sons, four and six, because she had been shocked by the scandal of missing refugee children from Home Office hotels.

The architect from Leyton, east London said: The illegal migration bill is dehumanising everyone whos seeking asylum. Its important to protest because its the only way to be visible and heard at the moment.

Her sons held signs calling for safe passage for all kids like me.

Cushens friend Cassi Harrison, a 42-year-old charity worker, added: Its just outrageous.

We see quite a lot of the government ministers saying they speak for the great British public, and we want to be here to say that they dont speak for us.

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Protests against illegal migration bill held in London, Glasgow and Cardiff - The Guardian