This hypocritical, racist government stated in a 1998 White Paper that:
"in a civilised society, genuine asylum seekers should not be left destitute."

Well, by their own standards, our politicians have now demonstrated that we do not live in a civilised society.

The mainstream media has concentrated on the issue of large-scale rural accommodation centres. This is very useful for the government, as it draws attention away from the plight of refugees, and makes out rural communities to be the ones facing a threat.

But the most shocking part of the legislation is that thousands of refugees, those who do not claim asylum immediately at the port of entry, will have no access to accommodation or support. They will not be entitled to Home Office support, to welfare benefits or help from social services. They will have no entitlement to Home Office or local authority housing.

The fact that an applicant applies in-country does not in itself provide an indication that their application will not be successful. In other words, it is no way to distinguish between “genuine” and “bogus” (odious terms, both) asylum seekers.

There are very good reasons why large numbers of asylum seekers apply in-country. Indeed, the Home Office's figures indicate that in-country applicants are just as likely to be successful in their claims as those who apply on arrival in the UK.

Refugees need our support. This legislation is an attack on some of the most vulnerable people in our society.

For more information, and links to groups working to support refugees, go to:
 http://www.asylumsupport.info/links/asylumandrefugees.htm