The Home Secretary is giving the green light for discrimination against marginalised and oppressed groups, particularly women and queer people, with the backing of the State. At a time where hate crime is on the rise in the UK and instability is increasing across the globe, this move is highly dangerous. Her assumption that people who face discrimination are wrongly being given refugee status undermines the whole point of refugee protections. With the threshold for qualifying as a refugee already being so high, it is concerning that this Government wants to limit access to refugee protection even further. The reasons people flee are complex and numerous, including discrimination, economic instability and climate change which are all threats to someone’s dignity and quality of life.
We are appalled that the Home Secretary has stated refugee protection should not be granted to those who are facing or are fearing discrimination. Refugee conventions exist to provide sanctuary for people fleeing factors including persecution and discrimination. Warnings from history have clearly shown the need for international protections for refugees, particularly in the wake of the Holocaust. The Home Secretary believes that the Refugee Convention is not “fit for the modern age” because the threshold is too low. When in reality, the Refugee Convention is not fit for any age because the threshold is far too high.
We will not stop fighting for a world where everyone has the right to protection.