A demonstration took place by the clock tower in Bangor High Street on Saturday 23 October 2021 to protest the Government’s proposed ‘Nationality and Borders’ Bill.
The demonstration was organised by Joe McDonald of Porthmadog, a Vice Chair of a local constituency Labour Party branch and supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement.
McDonald, 24, said “I believe this Bill is intentionally targeting refugees’ right to asylum, and this could put them at risk of human rights violations.”
The bill, which has passed through its second reading in the House of Commons, has been criticised by the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, who stated “would penalise most refugees seeking asylum in the country via damaging and unjustified penalties, creating an asylum model that undermines established international refugee protection rules and practices”.
A representative from the UNHCR addressed the committee reviewing the Bill, providing a legal analysis of the Bill’s content, citing that there is no evidence to support the UK Home Office’s claims that the measures being proposed by this Bill will deter refugees from fleeing to the UK. The UNHCR also highlighted that there is scope to improving the asylum system and welcomes the Home Office to work with the UNHCR on this matter.
Around 25 people attended the demonstration, which also caught the attention of passers-by, was organised to show that refugees are welcome in the communities of Gwynedd including Bangor and demanding that the Nationality and Borders Bill be scrapped by the government.
One of the attendees, Buba Ceesay, came to Britain as a refugee, spoke of his experiences and expressed his thanks to the communities that welcomed him with open arms and was proud to have been able to obtain both a bachelor’s and master’s degree here in the UK and invited everyone present to join a cultural celebration event at the Pontio Arts Centre later that day.
Two of the speakers at the event, which included the secretary of the Northwest Wales branch of the Unite trade union and a local labour party activist, highlighted the abhorrent accounts of journeys often undertaken by refugees when fleeing and called on the Government to work harder to stop human traffickers.
McDonald believes that he is “proof that with education and listening, we can change public opinion, and live in a more compassionate society” claiming that “I used to be a prejudiced bigot until 2017, and I used to be a Tory, but after a long journey in education and actually listening to people, I changed and understood that I should stand up for equality, and defend people who are suffering, especially refugees.”
Photo Credits & Report by Roo Pitt.
