Two Church Action on Poverty supporters from Manchester have been meeting with MPs, in the second week of their fortnight-long protest camp outside the Houses of Parliament in London. They are asking MPs to help change UK policies they say are making refused asylum-seekers destitute.

Ben Gilchrist and Ben Gibbs, both from Manchester, met Alistair Burt and Kerry McCarthy yesterday, and their MPs Beverley Hughes and Tony Lloyd today, as well as Neil Gerrard, Glenda Jackson, Paul Rowen and John Leech. In total they have been in touch with over 50 MPs.

Ben Gibbs said, "We are deeply concerned about the destitution suffered by thousands of refused asylum-seekers who are denied support or the right to work in the UK, but are unable to return to unsafe home countries.

"MPs need to know the extent of concern that ordinary people have about this situation and to be encouraged to speak up about this issue and work to change government policy. We've been encouraged by MPs' interest in visiting us already and expect more meetings to be booked in soon."

Neil Gerrard, MP for Walthamstow, who chairs the All Party Parliamentary Group on Refugees, has circulated information on the protest to members of the group and plans to meet with the campaigners. He has spoken out in support of the goals of the Still Human Still Here campaign, a coalition of refugee agencies, human rights organisations and church groups campaigning to end destitution for refused asylum-seekers until they are granted leave to remain in the UK or can return home safely. Other MPs who have voiced their support for the campaign include Michael Connarty, Jim Cousins and Greg Mulholland.

Ben Gilchrist said, "The policy of deliberate destitution is both inhumane and ineffective. Our aim is to convince MPs of the need for policy changes to stop such destitution.

"We want to help change minds in Westminster, and help raise awareness of this vital issue.

"The way that refused asylum seekers are being treated in this country is disgusting. Our government is basically trying to starve people into submission and force them out of the country when they're terrified of returning home."

Web designer Ben Gibbs has set up a website to document the real-life stories of asylum seekers talking about their experiences of the system and a blog for the protest. This includes their experience of surviving on the contents of a Red Cross food parcel while protesting, to highlight the fact that refused asylum-seekers get no food or money to buy food and have to depend on the goodwill and charity of faith and community groups working together with the British Red Cross who provide a basic food parcel each week. The campaigners have been inspired in this by CAP's Endurance Challenge.

Ben Gibbs added, "Some of the stories I have heard from asylum-seekers are deeply upsetting - people are desperate and some are profoundly depressed. It has certainly confirmed for me just why we are fighting this campaign: using destitution to starve people into returning to an unsafe home country is inhumane.

"It is to our shame that people are deliberately made hungry and homeless in a prosperous country like the UK. I was amazed at how dignified and good-humoured the people I met were, even in this abject poverty."


On the web:
www.asylumstories.co.uk
asylumstories.co.uk/protest