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Dover: Dedication of memorial to refugees lost at sea

  • Phil Kerton, Ben Bano

Some 40 people braved the rain and wind on Saturday afternoon, 15 December on Dover seafront, to attend the inauguration of a new memorial to the over 200 migrants who have died in the last 20 years in attempts to reach and cross the Channel to seek sanctuary in the UK. The service was led by the Bishop of Dover, the Right Rev. Trevor Willmott, assisted by the Parish Priest of the Good Shepherd Parish in Dover, Fr Jeff Cridland.

Five Mayors from Dover and neighbouring towns were present to pay their respects.The tragic deaths of a number of those involved were recounted as the Mayor of Dover the Right Worshipful Sue Jones placed flowers in memory of the victims and the Mayor of Deal, the Worshipful NIck Tomaszewski read a poignant poem dedicated to all the victims.

Speaking after the service, Ben Bano from 'Seeking Sanctuary' commented: "Our event today was not about the rights and wrongs of migration - it was an opportunity to remember all those who have died trying to seek sanctuary in these tragic circumstances. Many of those involved have no one for grieve for them - hence it is only right that we act as a proxy. I hope that the memorial will continue to remind us that, in the words of Pope Francis, 'every migrant has a name, a face and a story."

Only hours earlier, eleven more had successfully completed the perilous journey, including four children. A number of the attendees were associated with local and national efforts to provide humanitarian aid, including the Refugee Council. The ceremony ended with remarks by a representative from one such group, Marisa Rickard of Canterbury-based 'Care4Humanity', who included a relevant quotation from the Muslim tradition, 'Use your voice for kindness, your ears for compassion, your hands for charity, your mind for truth and your heart for love'.

For more information see: www.seekingsanctuary.weebly.com



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