OVER 100 people gathered in Dumfries last Thursday for a Stop Deportation Protest.
Volunteers and supporters from Dumfries-based refugee charity Massive Outpouring Of Love (MOOL) and Dumfries and Galloway Multicultural Association (DGMA) held a peaceful protest in the town, near Burns Statue, amid fears that asylum seekers could be returned to their home countries. It came as the UK Government started to detain asylum seekers in preparation for removals to Rwanda.
Chairperson for MOOL Shirley Ferrier believes that the protest was necessary because asylum seekers living in Dumfries now face an uncertain future.
She said: “The protest has been mobilised by a handful of determined young people who could not let this pass unnoticed, and wanted to ensure Dumfries’ objection to this was on the map. At very short notice there has been a crowd formed by local people, local charities including MOOL and DGMA.
“It’s pretty clear that we don’t want this government to do this in our name.
“In Dumfries, we have young men who have been lodged at a local hotel at very short notice. They are a mixture of Syrian, Iranian, Iraqi, Afghan, Sudanese, Eritrean, Turkish and Yemani seeking refuge from war and prosecution.
“During the few months they have been with us, these lads have made friends, joined local activities and volunteered their time to help others. Having now reached a safe place in a safe country and making new friends, they now face a future of uncertainty, their lives suspended while our Home Office picks them off to be bundled on a plane to certain misery.”
