Democratic access to Home Office under question

l-r: Fr Joe Ryan, Pat Gaffney, Barbara Kentish, Fr Dominic Robinson, Brother Johannes Maertens

On Friday, 25th September five people from the network People Not Walls set out to deliver a letter and petition asking for human rights for migrants on the French-UK borders, who are currently pushed to risk dangerous cross-Channel borders. We had mounted an online petition which attracted in a short time nearly 400 signatures. Our letter asked for the UK and France to collaborate on human rights principles for the future of the migrants currently stranded in Northern France.

Fr Dominic Robinson of Westminster Justice and Peace, Pat Gaffney from Pax Christi, Brother Johannes Maertens from London Catholic Worker, Fr Joe Ryan from West Green Tottenham Catholic Parish and Barbara Kentish from People Not Walls first delivered a letter to the French Embassy, for delivery to M Gérald Darmanin, the French Minister of the Interior, which was accepted without question.

Proceeding to the Home Office in Marsham Street, Westminster, we presented ourselves to the security guards, who discovered on our behalf that no-one was willing to meet us, despite our advance notification, to take delivery of the petition of hundreds of people. Priti Patel's Home Office is apparently unable to receive a simple paper communication. All letters are screened of course, but delivery of letters by hand is not part of the procedure!

Meanwhile our People Not Walls friends in France are facing even more restrictions, fined and forbidden from distributing food and supplies on the streets of Calais. They are protesting on September 26th against this infringement of their own civil rights.

The People Not Walls petition is still open for signatures. It will be distributed when a friendly lawyer is found to accompany the group to the Home Office by appointment!

Sign the petition here: www.change.org/p/demand-that-the-french-and-uk-governments-recognise-people-s-human-rights-and-safe-routes-to-asylum