London: Opponents of the British government’s plan to deport migrants Rwanda are preparing for an appeals court hearing on Monday amid political backlash prince charles privately described the policy as “horrendous”.
A coalition of groups including immigration rights advocates and public workers’ unions will ask the Court of Appeals in London to overturn a lower court’s decision allowing the deportation flight scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday.
In April, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government announced plans to send some undocumented migrants to Rwanda, where their claims of asylum in the East African nation would be processed. If successful, those expatriates will remain in Rwanda. Britain An advance of 120 million pounds ($158 million) was paid to Rwanda and additional payments depending on the number of deportees.
The program aims to prevent migrants from risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats following an increase in such trips over the past two years. But human rights groups say the policy is illegal, inhumane and will only increase the risk to migrants.
Britain’s news media flooded the debate over the weekend after the Times of London reported that an unidentified man had overheard the prince. Charles Express opposition to the “multiple times” policy in private conversations.
“He said he thinks the whole attitude of the government is appalling,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying.
Charles’ office, Clarence House, declined to comment on “anonymous private conversations”, but insisted the prince remains “politically neutral”.
Charles’ remarks are problematic because he is the heir to the throne and the British monarch must remain above the political fray.
The reported conversation raises concerns about whether Charles could be a neutral monarch after speaking on issues ranging from marine plastics to architectural conservation. Charles, 73, has taken a central role in recent months as health problems limit his activities Queen Elizabeth IIHis 96-year-old mother.
The comments set British newspapers on fire, with the Daily Express warning the Prince of Wales: “Stay out of politics Charles!” On Sunday the Mail said: “We will not back down from Rwanda, Charles.”
Johnson’s government shows no signs of changing course.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who represented the government on Britain’s Sunday morning TV shows, offered a strong defense of the plan, saying the British government wants to upend the business model of people smugglers.
“The reality is that this is a policy that is in place to make sure that modern slavery and these people traffickers know that their criminal ways will be sabotaged,” he told Sky News.
According to government figures, more than 28,500 people entered the UK on small boats last year, up from 1,843 in 2019. The risk of such a crossing was made clear on 24 November, when 27 people died after their inflatable boat sank in the waters between Britain and France.
The Home Office, the agency that oversees border enforcement, launched its defense of the policy on Sunday, posting comments from a Rwandan government spokesman on social media.
“It is about protecting and ensuring the well-being and development of both migrants and Rwandans in Rwanda,” said Rwanda’s spokesman, Yolande Makolo.
A High Court judge in London on Friday rejected a request by opponents of Britain’s plan to block Rwanda asylum flights until a court can decide whether the program is illegal. The decision allows flights to resume even as wider legal challenges lie ahead.
That decision has been appealed to the Court of Appeal, which will hear the petition on Monday.
Government counsel Matthew Gulick On Friday it said 37 people were originally supposed to board Tuesday’s flight, but deportation orders for six had been rescinded. He said the government still intends to operate the flight.
The government has not given details of those selected for deportation, but refugee groups say they include those fleeing Syria and Afghanistan.
Rwanda is already home to thousands of refugees. Competition for land and resources contributed to ethnic and political tensions that culminated in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and the moderate Hutu who tried to protect them were killed.
President Paul KagameThe government has made significant economic progress since the genocide, but critics say it has come at the cost of strong political repression.
United NationsThe refugee agency has opposed Britain’s plans, saying it is an attempt to export the country’s legal obligations to provide asylum to safe haven seekers.
“People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy,” said Gillian Triggs, UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for security. “They should not be traded like commodities and should not be transferred abroad for processing.”
A coalition of groups including immigration rights advocates and public workers’ unions will ask the Court of Appeals in London to overturn a lower court’s decision allowing the deportation flight scheduled to go ahead on Tuesday.
In April, Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s Conservative government announced plans to send some undocumented migrants to Rwanda, where their claims of asylum in the East African nation would be processed. If successful, those expatriates will remain in Rwanda. Britain An advance of 120 million pounds ($158 million) was paid to Rwanda and additional payments depending on the number of deportees.
The program aims to prevent migrants from risking their lives by crossing the English Channel in small boats following an increase in such trips over the past two years. But human rights groups say the policy is illegal, inhumane and will only increase the risk to migrants.
Britain’s news media flooded the debate over the weekend after the Times of London reported that an unidentified man had overheard the prince. Charles Express opposition to the “multiple times” policy in private conversations.
“He said he thinks the whole attitude of the government is appalling,” the newspaper quoted the source as saying.
Charles’ office, Clarence House, declined to comment on “anonymous private conversations”, but insisted the prince remains “politically neutral”.
Charles’ remarks are problematic because he is the heir to the throne and the British monarch must remain above the political fray.
The reported conversation raises concerns about whether Charles could be a neutral monarch after speaking on issues ranging from marine plastics to architectural conservation. Charles, 73, has taken a central role in recent months as health problems limit his activities Queen Elizabeth IIHis 96-year-old mother.
The comments set British newspapers on fire, with the Daily Express warning the Prince of Wales: “Stay out of politics Charles!” On Sunday the Mail said: “We will not back down from Rwanda, Charles.”
Johnson’s government shows no signs of changing course.
Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis, who represented the government on Britain’s Sunday morning TV shows, offered a strong defense of the plan, saying the British government wants to upend the business model of people smugglers.
“The reality is that this is a policy that is in place to make sure that modern slavery and these people traffickers know that their criminal ways will be sabotaged,” he told Sky News.
According to government figures, more than 28,500 people entered the UK on small boats last year, up from 1,843 in 2019. The risk of such a crossing was made clear on 24 November, when 27 people died after their inflatable boat sank in the waters between Britain and France.
The Home Office, the agency that oversees border enforcement, launched its defense of the policy on Sunday, posting comments from a Rwandan government spokesman on social media.
“It is about protecting and ensuring the well-being and development of both migrants and Rwandans in Rwanda,” said Rwanda’s spokesman, Yolande Makolo.
A High Court judge in London on Friday rejected a request by opponents of Britain’s plan to block Rwanda asylum flights until a court can decide whether the program is illegal. The decision allows flights to resume even as wider legal challenges lie ahead.
That decision has been appealed to the Court of Appeal, which will hear the petition on Monday.
Government counsel Matthew Gulick On Friday it said 37 people were originally supposed to board Tuesday’s flight, but deportation orders for six had been rescinded. He said the government still intends to operate the flight.
The government has not given details of those selected for deportation, but refugee groups say they include those fleeing Syria and Afghanistan.
Rwanda is already home to thousands of refugees. Competition for land and resources contributed to ethnic and political tensions that culminated in Rwanda’s 1994 genocide, in which more than 800,000 ethnic Tutsi and the moderate Hutu who tried to protect them were killed.
President Paul KagameThe government has made significant economic progress since the genocide, but critics say it has come at the cost of strong political repression.
United NationsThe refugee agency has opposed Britain’s plans, saying it is an attempt to export the country’s legal obligations to provide asylum to safe haven seekers.
“People fleeing war, conflict and persecution deserve compassion and empathy,” said Gillian Triggs, UNHCR’s assistant high commissioner for security. “They should not be traded like commodities and should not be transferred abroad for processing.”