City stands together to markWorldRefugeeDay
A GIANT human chain was formed in George Square to celebrate World Refugee Day.
Members of the public stood together in the city landmark to show their solidarity with people around the world who have been forced to flee their homes, and to demonstrate their connection to refugees in Scotland.
The event marked the start of the Refugee Festival Scotland, which began yeserday and runs until July 2. It is an annual celebration of the contribution refugees make to life in this country.
The organisers of the stunt, Amnesty International, Oxfam Scotland and Scottish Refugee Council, hope it sends a clear message to the world that ‘Scotland Stands with Refugees’.
Charity Refuweegee, Hillhead High School and Pollokshields Primary attended the event while The SambaYaBamba Youth Street Band provided lively accompaniment.
Evening Times Community Champions Refuweegee who provide welcome packages for refugees who arrive in the city.
Hannah Gibbons, of Refuweegee, said: “We are here to support the event and promote the work that we do but also stand with everyone else who provides support for refugees.”
Jamie Livingstone, head of Oxfam Scotland, added: “World Refugee Day provides an important opportunity to reflect on the plight of refugees at a time when more people than ever before have been forced to flee their homes. We’ve demonstrated that the people of Scotland stand as one with refugees and that we will continue to warmly welcome those who’ve escaped conflict and persecution into our communities and country.”
Scottish communities have led the way in welcoming refugees to the UK. This summer, the Scottish Gov- ernment will be consulting on the second phase of its New Scots strategy aimed at supporting and integrating refugees i nto Scottish communities.
Naomi McAuliffe, Amnesty International’s Scotland programme director, said: “We remember the thousands of people who lost their lives as they tried to save their families from war, persecution, or death.
“People from all over Scotland have shown that they welcome refugees and today, on World Refugee Day, we stood with them to renew that pledge. We want to ensure that refugees who do manage to arrive safely in the UK are welcomed and given the support they need to recover from their traumatic experiences.”