The United Reformed Church has become a founding member of new campaign coalition Together With Refugees.

The coalition, made up of more than 100 national, local, refugee-led and grassroots groups, calls for a better approach to supporting refugees that is kinder, fairer and more effective, and believes in showing compassion to people fleeing war, persecution or violence. 

Together With Refugees aims to inspire hope and win deep change in the UK’s approach to refugees. 

In a statement the coalition said: “This means standing up for people’s ability to seek safety in the UK no matter how they came here. It means ensuring people can live in dignity while they wait to hear if they will be granted protection. It means empowering refugees to rebuild their lives and make valuable contributions to their communities. And it means the UK working with other countries to do our bit to help people who are forced to flee their homes.”  

Inspired by the refugee nation flag, and the colours of a lifebelt, the coalition’s orange heart logo symbolises hope and compassion.

With the campaign slogan #WhoWeAre, the heart is intended to be adopted widely to show support for refugees while underpinning a sense of unity. They represent that together, as a movement, we are larger than the sum of our parts.

Simeon Mitchell, URC Secretary for Church and Society, added: “At a time when there is such hostility being expressed towards immigrants, and the government is proposing unfair and unworkable reforms to the asylum system, it is important to set out a positive alternative vision of a better approach. How we treat people seeking refugee protection is about who we are. The Bible exhorts us to show hospitality to strangers. By being part of this campaign, we are saying that we stand alongside those seeking safety and sanctuary in the UK, and want to them to experience respect, fairness and kindness.”

For more information, visit Together with Refugees.

_{Published: 19 May 2021}