UK refuge for rescued Syrian ‘White Helmets’ and families
BRITAIN has granted asylum to 29 Syrian “White Helmets” civil defence volunteers and up to 70 family members, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.
The first family has already been resettled in the UK, while the rest are due to move early next month.
A total of 98 White Helmets and 324 of their relatives were evacuated out of southern Syria through Israel to Jordan in July, in a rescue mission conceived by Britain, Germany and Canada, and supported by Israel, Jordan, the US and the United Nations.
The civil defence volunteers, known as the White Helmets for their distinctive hard hats, operate in rebel-held areas of Syria and act like an informal emergency service, funded in part by the UK Government.
They have brought some of the most shocking images of the civil war to public attention, filming dramatic rescues which have saved tens of thousands of civilian lives.
However, the White Helmets are considered terrorists by the Syrian government because of their work in areas controlled by the armed opposition, and have been the subject of a large-scale disinformation campaign by Syria and its backer Russia.
Their headquarters have regularly been targeted by Syrian and Russian jets, in attacks which have left more than 250 rescuers dead.
They have also faced harassment, arrest and worse in parts of the country retaken by Syrian forces.
Western governments formulated the evacuation plan after the rebel-held areas of Deraa and Quneitra in southwestern Syria began to be surrounded by pro-syrian government forces.
Only Canada has agreed to take in more White Helmet volunteers than the UK. Germany and France will resettle the rest between them. The US has a ban in place on admitting nationals from seven countries, including Syria, and declined to accept any.
The families have been given temporary housing in camps in Jordan. They have undergone vetting by British immigration officials using criteria established by the United Nations.
They will be processed as “regular refugees” before being handed over to local authorities across the country, The Telegraph understands.
“The actions of the White Helmets demonstrate true modern day heroism. They are rightly respected for their courageous, life-saving work and have previously been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize,” Jeremy Hunt, the Foreign Secretary, said last night.
“These brave volunteers have rushed to pull people from the rubble when bombs have rained down on Syria and I’m proud that the UK has led the way in their evacuation and resettlement.”
Bob Seely, the Conservative MP and member of the foreign affairs select committee, told The Telegraph: “We should be offering the White Helmets asylum. We should respect the remarkable work that they have done for their society.”
Alistair Burt, the Middle East minister, met last week with officials from the civil defence service in Istanbul and thanked them for their “service, courage and sacrifice which has saved over 115,000 Syrian lives”.