Asylum seekers fleeing danger and violence could land in the UK only to have officials take their jewelry and other precious items from them. This is a dystopian level of cruelty.
People seeking asylum need protection, not exploitation. They are often bringing only the bare minimum of what they absolutely need and treasure.
To take advantage of them in their hour of need is disturbing and predatory.Sign the petition to demand that the UK government rescind its recent proposal to seize valuables from asylum seekers!The UK's Home Secretary is pushing to implement this new policy after witnessing Denmark's government make a similar choice. Home Office Minister Alex Norris claimed that asylum seekers - people who are often desperate and have to flee without preparation or planning - supposedly arrive with cars, e-bikes, and "bag[s] full of gold rings."
Even worse, the UK government is
sending mixed messages about whether or not it will seize refugees' sentimental items. Minister Norris has implied he could not promise that sentimental items would be safe, saying the public would need to wait for the Home Secretary to share more details about this plan with Parliament soon. Yet on another occasion, he also said wedding rings and heirlooms would be off-limits.
All this means is that we don't yet know how far the UK government's new plan will go or what the truth is about the full extent of these plans.People who come to the UK to seek asylum are in an extremely vulnerable position. They need help, assistance, and compassion - not to be shaken down for their material goods.
Help us demand that the UK government do the right thing and abandon its new plan to seize valuables from refugees! Sign the petition! 