Refugee Week 2023
On its 25th anniversary, we’ve been busy this Refugee Week showing the Government that refugees are welcome, always.
Across the UK, our movement of people who stand with refugees are celebrating this year’s theme of Compassion. Read below to get a flavour of what Freedom from Torture and our supporters have been up to this week (19-25 June):
Banned: A peaceful protest to stand up for refugees
With Amnesty International UK, Liberty and other human rights organisations, we’d planned peaceful action to mark World Refugee Day and show a message of hope and compassion.
However, as we prepared for the banner drop – which read ‘Compassion not cruelty: refugees welcome’ – police approached and told us that we should stop.
Help us stop floating prisons
The Government are currently steering 'Bibby Stockholm’ to Portland Port in Dorset. This barge is a floating prison designed to house refugees – it’s likely to be cruel, cramped and inadequate for torture survivors.
More than 5,000 of our supporters have already helped us email Portland Port, telling them ‘Not in our name and not in our port’. Together we must urge them to stand on the right side of history and refuse to profit from the pain and suffering of refugees. Will you join us?
The Great Street Feast
Our award-winning event is back! In celebration of Refugee Week, the Feast is an opportunity for our supporters to take part in an unforgettable evening of gourmet street food and entertainment, to help raise vital funds for survivors of torture.
Don’t worry if you missed out on the event or online action – you can still help survivors to heal by funding a therapeutic baking session of the Bread Group.
London’s Beating Heart
One of our amazing supporters, Tom Hashemi, ‘drew’ a heart around London using his bike to mark the start of Refugee Week and highlight our work with survivors of torture and refugees.
Drew a heart around London with my bike this morning to mark the start of #RefugeeWeek23 with @FreefromTorture - because we can do more.#GPSArt pic.twitter.com/HYJOLYEZrY
— Tom Hashemi (@tomhashemi) June 19, 2023
Conversations from Calais
The amazing Mathilda, creator of Conversations from Calais, has released a book! Conversations from Calais: Refugee Stories was released on World Refugee Day, and money from every sale will come to Freedom from Torture.
Warning: Low levels of compassion
We believe that this Government should come with a warning. So, we sent a message to the Home Office: 'Your anti-refugee agenda doesn’t represent us'.
Watch our 20-second video to see what other warning signs we delivered to the Government on Refugee Week.
The Hospitable Environment: By Young Outspoken Survivors
To mark Refugee Week, our inspirational Young Outspoken Survivors group shared a message of hope. They ask us to imagine a more compassionate world, where “the Home Office believed us when we told them our age”.
This short film reflects the experiences of young survivors when they first came to the UK – and their fight for a world free from torture.
Just like the amazing work being done this Refugee Week, our funding comes from people like you, giving what they can.
Can you support our work and help us give survivors of torture the support they need as they rebuild their lives?
Let’s show refugees that we welcome them here in Britain, always.