City of Sanctuary: Bristol rallies to help refugees as aid network swells
The Bristol Refugee Rights welcome centre inside the Malcolm X community centre in St Pauls, Bristol, is buzzing with activity beneath the imposing mural of the radical civil rights activist. A group of young men play a raucous game of pool; others are huddled around a game of Scrabble. In one corner, volunteers provide aid and advocacy, while a couple of helpful Bristolians run a “free shop”, kitting people out in donated clothes and shoes.
The welcome centre is part of the City of Sanctuary network, a growing network of local organisations trying to establish a welcoming culture for refugees fleeing war and persecution.
In recent weeks, as news bulletins have been dominated by heartbreaking images and stories of desperate people seeking safety in Europe, the number of people looking to volunteer has shot through the roof, said Forward Maisokwadzo, a development worker in Bristol.
“There is an overwhelming response from people wanting to welcome refugees in light of the crisis,” he said, estimating that as many as 200 new volunteers a day were calling the organisation offering help. “Definitely we have seen an increase of people offering to help, and we are humbled by that.”
This week the organisation, which has groups in 40 cities and towns, has received inquiries from organisations in Malvern in Worcestershire, Lancaster, Medway in Kent, the islands of Orkney, and Derry in Northern Ireland wanting to join the network. One man has been in touch to find out if it was possible to create a “village of sanctuary”, as friends and neighbours were hoping to offer hospitality to a Syrian family in their small community.
City of Sanctuary is not alone: a range of charities are seeing a surge of support, while “have-a-go” Brits have driven to Calais with supplies for people living in the makeshift refugee camp. A Christian charity, Housing Justice, has seen a large spike in the number of people offering housing for refugees, with the Bristol mayor, George Ferguson – whose family took in a three-generation family fleeing the Idi Amin regime in Uganda in the 70s – among those who have offered to give up a spare room.
Accepting more refugees would be a real challenge for Bristol but the city would continue its proud history of welcoming those displaced by conflict, said the mayor.
Bristol, with the backing of the council, has been a City of Sanctuary since 2011. The organisation is vital in giving small groups – often struggling to continue running overwhelmed services on reduced funding – a national lobbying voice, said Matt Bass, manager of the Bristol centre, which was welcoming a record 118 people on the day the Guardian visited.
“There is an vast untapped level of empathy, and if we can harness it then we can translate it into political change,” he added. “Unfortunately, the political action we need is not happening, so people are taking things into their own hands.”
Refugees volunteer alongside Bristolians in the welcome centre: cooking, giving haircuts, doling out advice to new arrivals such as Essam, a 34-year-old former accountant from Syria who was targeted by the Assad regime. A highly articulate university graduate, he explained that he had received a quick – and positive – asylum decision and hoped to be reunited with the wife and two children he left in Jordan.
“You saw the pictures of that little Syrian boy?” he asked, referring to the shocking picture of three-year-old Aylan Kurdi who drowned alongside his mother and five-year-old brother Galip when the family were attempting to cross from Turkey to Kos in Greece. “I would not put my children and wife on a boat and risk them getting killed. When I saw that photo, I cried and cried. That child could have been my son.”
Since arriving in Britain he has been frustrated with what he sees as a fixation on Isis in Syria. “Yes, Isis is a huge problem, but thousands are being killed by Assad, he uses chemical weapons against us – why is nobody talking about that?”
Essam said he felt like he had been “born again”, and was desperately thankful for the sanctuary he had been given. “I think the British people are good people,” he said. “Yes, maybe some don’t like refugees but in general I think people are good. Pay back – is that what you say? – yes, I will find a way to pay back the favour.”
Another refugee who seemed overwhelmed at the help he had been given since reaching Bristol was 17-year-old Ashraf. He explained how he and his 14-year-old brother walked for eight months to get to the UK, taking a lorry for the last leg from Calais.
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