30,000 Expected At Refugee Rally In Central London

By Stuart Black Last edited 102 months ago
30,000 Expected At Refugee Rally In Central London
Photo by rod from the Londonist Flickr pool.

Over 30,000 people are expected to attend a rally in support of refugees caught up in the current Europe-wide crisis to be held in London next Saturday.

The demonstration, posted on Facebook, is planned for noon on 12 September starting at Marble Arch before heading to Downing Street.

The organisers said: "On 14 September, Theresa May will be attending a meeting of the EU's 28 member states for emergency talks on Europe’s escalating refugee crisis.

"It is vital that she takes with her the conviction that the British people that she represents are open to helping refugees and that we can’t continue to allow thousands to die trying to reach the EU and their legal right to claim asylum."

Acting in response to the images of desperate people fleeing conflict zones in the Middle East, including a photo of a drowned child washed up on a beach in Turkey, organisers of the demonstration are calling for safe transport methods to be established. They also propose fast-tracking serious asylum claims and establishing "a Europe-wide consensus on providing help where it is so desperately needed, relieving pressure on the Mediterranean countries".

The proposed rally comes after a petition arguing Britain is "not offering proportional asylum" in comparison to other EU countries exceeded the 100,000 threshold to be considered by MPs.

Last Updated 03 September 2015