Frozen Protest Calls On The Government To Lift The Ban

Living Statues Protest

You’ve heard it before from us and you’ll hear it again: People seeking asylum and refugee status are our neighbours, friends, and family. And when someone in our community needs us, we all pitch in, we all... cone together. That’s why we’ve been working with our friends at Refugee Action to call on the UK government to lift the ban that blocks asylum seekers from working. It pushes vulnerable people into poverty and isolation, which is simply unjust!

 

Taking Action For Justice

We haven’t been alone in calling for the ban to be lifted. Over 250 organisations have joined the Lift the Ban Coalition, including business, faith groups, and think tanks. MPs from across all parties have spoken out in support of reform. But most importantly, we’ve seen over 180,000 individual people take action via the campaign petition. Now that’s impressive!

Today, that 180,000 strong petition was submitted to the Home Secretary to demonstrate that the UK public supports lifting the ban. But the coalition also wanted to highlight how little sense the current rules make. People seeking asylum can wait years for the government to make a decision on their asylum claim, and under the current laws, they’re frozen out of work for that whole time. It pushes people into poverty and isolation, and it’s completely unnecessary!

That’s why last week the coalition took to the streets with the world’s first Frozen Protest. 

Living Statues Protest

 

Frozen Protest Melts Hearts

A group of human statues dressed as workers including a carer, farmer, and teacher descended on the streets of London to demonstrate the way in which people seeking asylum are currently frozen out of employment by the UK government. Frozen out of contributing to the UK economy. Frozen out of being able to provide for their families.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. The government has the power to unfreeze asylum seekers’ futures. They must listen to the hundreds of organisations and hundreds of thousands of people who are calling on the ban to be lifted so people seeking asylum have the right to work. Email your MP now to show your support for lifting the ban and including asylum seekers in the UK economy! 

Check out the video below for the scoop on the Frozen Protest