Safe at Last? Syrian Refugees in the UK (Part 1)
At a fringe meeting at Lib Dem conference we heard an excellent panel of speakers on the issues around Syrians coming to the UK Zrinka Bralo (Executive Director, Migrant Organise) startled us by holding up a fluorescent life jacket that she had picked up on a beach in Lesvos. It was made for a toddler. She then told us it was actually a fake. It would not have acted as a life jacket, but the parents who would have paid money for it did not know that. It was worse when she showed us a tiny life jacket, for a baby. Also fake. What sort of pressure would a family be under to put their children through such a risky journey ? Although Lesvos and the boat journeys have only recently been in the news, we heard that Lesvos had been receiving boats since 1998 - not as many, but they had been coming - and throughout that time had been making people welcome. Contrast that with what happens when those seeking asylum get as far as the UK where the asylum system is so adversarial and so difficult for people seeking sanctua