Campaigners get organised to bring solidarity to refugees - and challenge divisive myths

The huge hall in Glasgow heard eyewitness accounts from refugees (Pic: Duncan Brown)

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Activists across Britain are organising solidarity with refugees and challenging the right’s scapegoating and racism. Several places have held meetings in the last week.

Some 300 people packed into a Refugees Are Welcome Here public meeting in Glasgow to hear eyewitness reports from a delegation to the Greek island of Lesvos. 

Amal Azzudin, Pinar Aksu and Margaret Woods spoke about the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees delegation’s experience. 

They said the only support refugees receive is from local people. 

The delegation passed on £6,000 in donations they had collected to grassroots organisations which are helping refugees. One boat sank while they were there. Donations paid for burial costs.

“These people are dying just because of where they were born,” Pinar said. 

To huge applause, Margaret argued, “Europe and Britain need to open the borders and let people in. Airlift the refugees here. They are welcome and we have a responsibility to welcome refugees.” 

Some 45 people attended Coventry’s first Stand Up to Racism public meeting on refugee solidarity last week. 

Nasma spoke poignantly about how she and her mother fled Syria and were forced to leave her brother and father in a Lebanese refugee camp. 

Sabir from the Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre took on the myths that refugees and migrants don’t enrich our society.

Thanks to Lorraine Barrie and Patrick Connellan