"We will shift heaven and earth to help people to get out of Afghanistan. We will do everything we can"

Boris Johnson, 2021.

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"All 6 men who drowned in the Channel were Afghan. Afghans are running from Afghanistan because of the Taliban
They are on small boats because the U.K. government won’t open safe & legal routes for Afghans like they have for Ukrainians.
Don’t even know what to say anymore"

Peymana Assad, 2023.

#SafeRoutes

"We need to continue to speak up and stand up for our values of respect, compassion and dignity for all humans."

"Let’s not stay silent in the face of hate."

Peymana Assad.

#UKAsylumPolicy
#RefugeesWelcome
#SafeRoutes

"All I know is this: in the end good will triumph over evil.

History has shown us this. As long as there are good people willing to fight for it.

We must resist."

PeymanaAssad

#AfghanLivesMatter
#RefugeesWelcome
#SafeRoutes

Every day since the return of the Taliban in 2021, there have been at least 2,000 Afghan refugees waiting in Calais, France to cross the English Channel to the U.K.

Many of them qualify for the U.K. government's ARAP Afghan relocation scheme.

Some of them are holding U.K. Home Office letters of acceptance to the scheme in their hands.

None of them have a safe legal route to cross the channel.

#SafeRoutes
#RefugeesWelcome
#UKAsylumPolicy
#ForgottenAfghans

It may come as a surprise to some people that there is actually a safe, legal route for Afghan refugees to enter the U.K. The ARAP relocation scheme.
Though thousands of Afghans are eligible, only 6 Afghans have been allowed to enter the U.K. on this route since December 22.

They're allowed in. They're not allowed in. The Afghans are Schrödinger's Refugees.

#UKAsylumPolicy
#RefugeesWelcome
#SafeRoutes
#ForgottenAfghans

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy/afghan-relocations-and-assistance-policy-information-and-guidance

Afghan Relocations and Assistance Policy: further information on eligibility criteria, offer details and how to apply

GOV.UK

Here are two stories about female former Afghan judges and their battles with the U.K. Home Office.
The first one details the judge who spent 2 years in hiding before winning her legal challenge against the U.K.'s own Home Office to enter the U.K.

This is the good news story. No, really.

#UKAsylumPolicy
#RefugeesWelcome
#SafeRoutes
#ForgottenAfghans

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/23/female-afghan-judge-wins-legal-battle-to-come-to-uk

Female Afghan judge wins legal battle to come to UK

‘Overjoyed’ justice and son, who spent two years in hiding in Pakistan, reunited with family after landmark case

The Guardian

The bad news story is there are over 3,800 former Afghan judges and key staff still trapped in Afghanistan.
It's thought that most of them would be eligible for the U.K.s' ARAP/ ACRS relocation scheme.

Is the U.K. Home Office helping them out? What do you think?

#UKAsylumPolicy
#SafeRoutes
#RefugeesWelcome
#ForgottenAfghans

https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/2023/08/09/afghanistan-female-judges-taliban/

Afghanistan's female judges haunted by Taliban threats

More than 3,800 Afghan prosecutors and key judicial staff in urgent need of relocation, says NGO

The National
@ProjectFearlessness They think they need the racist vote for the forthcoming elections that they'll lose anyway. The possibility of them doing the right thing despite the possibility that this may cost them some racist votes is near zero.
@polarbear Exactly. At this point all the tories have left is the racist vote so they can't give it up. And it still won't be nearly enough for them in the next election.
@ProjectFearlessness The whole thing is an experiment in how deep the Tories are prepared to sink. It reminds me of the scene in _Das Boot_: 'deeper - deeper - deeper...'
@polarbear It is. But I'm staying clear of boat analogies for a while.
@ProjectFearlessness oops, yes. I didn't think about that, to be honest.
@polarbear I know. It's normal. What with us being an island, the ship metaphors are so anchored into the English language that we hardly notice them. It's just that after small boats week, it would be good to get back on dry land for a few days.