Times letter: Over 150 organisations demand UK Gov helps Afghan refugees now!

Safe Passage and Together With Refugees coordinated a letter from over 150 organisations published in the Times today, demanding the UK Government urgently helps Afghans to reach safety in the UK and reunite with their loved ones.

Here’s the letter and full list of signatories:

It is one year today since Kabul fell to the Taliban and despite the initial evacuation efforts, the government has since only delivered broken promises to get others to safety - betraying so many vulnerable groups of Afghans whose lives continue to be at risk.

Those who were evacuated to the UK have been left feeling abandoned, with thousands of families still living in hotels unable to rebuild their lives. The promised safe routes for those left behind are too slow and too restrictive, meaning that Afghans fearing for their lives are forced to take dangerous journeys to reunite with loved ones and find safety here. And now, those who make it to the UK are cruelly threatened with banishment to Rwanda.

The Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme was heralded by the government as 'one of the most generous resettlement schemes in our country's history', yet one year on it is failing to deliver what was promised. The government must urgently help those already here and ensure Afghans can safely reach the UK and their family, as it has rightly done for Ukrainian refugees.

Fuad Mahamed, CEO, ACH (Ashley Community Housing)

Duncan McAuley, Chief Executive Officer, Action Foundation

Anahita Fazli, Women Empowerment Project, Afghan association of london,

Shamim Sarabi, Community Engagement & Research Lead, Afghan Pro Bono Initiative (joint project from Refugee Legal Support & Safe Passage International)

Dr Neelam Raina, Co-Founder, Afghan Solidarity Coalition

Aderonke Apata, Founder & CEO, African Rainbow Family

Faith Gakanje-Ajala, CEO, African Women’s Empowerment UK

Zarlasht Halaimzai, Founder and CEO, Amna Refugee Healing Network

Bobby Lloyd, CEO, Art Refuge

Miranda Reilly, Director, Association of Visitors to Immigration Detainees

Maja Moller, Coordinator, Asylum Seeker and Refugee Support Network St Thomas Church Lancaster

Ewan Roberts, Centre Manager, Asylum Link Merseyside

Paul Hook, Director, Asylum Matters

Mark Goldring, Director, Asylum Welcome

Joseph Seaton, Founder, At Risk Teachers (Former English Manager & Deputy Director at British Council Afghanistan 2016 - 2020)

Zita Holbourne, National Chair & Co-founder, BARAC UK

Claire Clift, Chair of Trustees, Bath Welcomes Refugees

Fiona Vale, Service Manager, BEGIN (Basic Educational Guidance in Nottinghamshire)

Kayte Cable and Vicki Felgate, Co-Founders, Big Leaf Foundation

David Brown, Chair, Birmingham City of Sanctuary

Anna Bielenberg, President, BPP Student Action for Refugees

Matt Powell, CEO, Breaking Barriers

Sarah Cooper, Manager, Bristol City of Sanctuary

Jo Benefield, Campaign Coordinator, Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign

Katie Lee, Fundraising & Communications Manager, Bristol Refugee Rights

Sunder Katwala, Director, British Future

Yvonne Rendell, Chair, Bromsgrove and Redditch Welcome Refugees

Bernard Emblem, Secretary, Bury Fairtrade

Eleanor Brown, CEO, CARAS

Steven Martin, Co-founder & Director, Channel Rescue

Josie Naughton, Co-Founder and CEO, Choose Love

Rachel Lesiter, Director, Chorleywood4Refugees

Joanna Schüder, Refugee Networking Officer, Christian Concern for One World

Tess Berry-Hart, Director, Citizens of the World Choir

Sian Summers-Rees, Chief Officer, City of Sanctuary UK

Jayne Mercer, CEO & Principal Immigration Advisor, Community Integration and Advocacy Centre (CIAC)

Colette Batten-Turner, Founder, Conversation Over Borders

Almir Koldzic, Director, Counterpoints Arts

Toni Soni, Centre Director, Coventry Refugee and Migrant Centre

Angie Pedley, Co-ordinator, Craven Refugee Support Network

Kooj Chuhan, Director, Crossing Footprints CIC

Fran Wood, Chair, Darlington Assistance for Refugees (DAR)

Alex Vessis, CEO, Devon and Cornwall Refugee Support

Jess McQuail, Director, Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in the UK (Just Fair)

Simon Barrow, Director, Ekklesia

Jeannie Tweedie, Director, Elmbridge CAN

Stephanie Habib, Project Development Manager, English for Action London

Linda El-Miligy, Chief Executive Officer, Esolperth English Language Lessons

Lewis Garland, Chair, Fences & Frontiers

Maire Helena Greaney, Secretary & Trustee, Flintshire City of Sanctuary

Aryan Sanghrajka, Founder & Managing Director, Forced To Flee

Amber Bauer, CEO, forRefugees

Steve Crawshaw, Director of Policy and Advocacy, Freedom from Torture

Katie Gibbs, Chair, Friends of Refugees London

Anna Pincus, Director, Gatwick Detainees Welfare Group

Naomi Webb, Executive Director, Good Chance Theatre

Traci Kirkland, Head of Charity, Govan Community Project

Denise McDowell, Chief Executive, Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit (GMIAU)

Amreet Johal, Development Coordinator, Haringey Migrant Support Centre

Margaret Smith, Trustee, Harrogate District of Sanctuary

Polly Gifford, Co-Chair, Hastings Community of Sanctuary

Ailsa Dunn, Secretary Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees

Angus Clark, Chief Executive, Herts for Refugees

Roger van Schaick, Vice-Chair, Host Nottingham

Yasmine Ahmed, UK Director, Human Rights Watch

Yasmin Khan, Chairperson, Humanity Aid

Jenni Regan, CEO, IMIX

Sanam Naraghi Anderlini, Founder and CEO, International Civil Society Action Network

Sarah Teather, Director, Jesuit Refugee Service UK

Dave Smith, Refugee Network Coordinator, Jubilee+

Jill Kent, Chair, Justice and Peace Scotland

Alison Bell, Co-chair, Lewes Organisation in Support of Refugees and Asylum Seekers

Rosario Guimba-Stewart, CEO, Lewisham Refugee and Migrant Network

Paul Streets OBE, Chief Executive, Lloyds Bank Foundation for England & Wales

Philip Ishola, CEO, Love146

Liz Hibberd, Strategic and Partnership Lead, Manchester City of Sanctuary

Nicola Monk, Trustee, Marlow Refugee Action

Liane Coia, Operations Manager, Maryhill Integration Network

Sebastian Rocca, CEO, Micro Rainbow

Maude Casey, Volunteer, Migrant English Project

Nazek Ramadan, CEO, Migrant Voice

Francesca Valerio, Community Programme Director, Migrants Organise

Julia Tinsley-Kent, Policy Manager, Migrants' Rights Network

Lis Murphy, Creative Director, Music Action International

Fadi Itani OBE, CEO, Muslim Charities Forum

Bridget Young, Director, NACCOM (No Accommodation Network)

Nazee Akbari, CEO, New Citizen's Gateway

Jake Rose-Brown, Lead, Norfolk Schools of Sanctuary

Debbie Royle, Deputy Director, Nottingham & Nottinghamshire Refugee Forum

Amos Schonfield, Director, Our Second Home

Dhananjayan Sriskandarajah, Chief Executive, Oxfam GB

Paul Parker, Recording Clerk, Quakers in Britain

Elizabeth Allen, Clerk General Meeting for Scotland, Quakers in Scotland

Gianluca Palombo, Research Assistant and Volunteer, Queen Margaret University, CodeYourFuture

Barbara Redmond, Secretary, RADAR (Rochdale Action with Destsitute Asylum seekers and Refugees)

Leila Zadeh, Executive Director, Rainbow Migration

Anna Jones, CEO & Co Founder, RefuAid

Tim Naor Hilton, CEO, Refugee Action

Nick Beales, Head of Campaigning, Refugee and Migrant Forum of Essex and London (RAMFEL)

Lorri Dawson, Chair of Trustees, Refugee & Migrant Network Sutton

Becky Snaith, Chairperson, Refugee Compassion

Enver Solomon, CEO, Refugee Council

Catherine Gladwell, Chief Executive, Refugee Education UK

Efi Stathopoulou, Programmes Manager, Refugee Legal Support

Rupert Blomfield, Manager, Refugee Support Devon

Paul Hutchings, Chief Executive, Refugee Support Europe

Hari Reed, Policy and Advocacy Coordinator, Refugee Support Group

Nick Harborne, CEO, Refugee Support Group and Reading City of Sanctuary

Elizabeth Long, Partnerships Coordinator, Refugee, Asylum seeker and Migrant Action, Colchester

Mia Hasenson-Gross, Executive-Director, René Cassin, the Jewish voice for human rights

Eiri Ohtani, Director, Right to Remain

Elli Free, Director, Room to Heal

Beth Gardiner-Smith, CEO, Safe Passage International

Richard Williams, Chair, Sanctuary on Sea: Brighton & Hove City of Sanctuary

Kirsty McNeill, Executive Director of Policy, Advocacy & Campaigns, Save the Children

Sabir Zazai, CEO, Scottish Refugee Council

Moses Seitler, Director, Screen Share UK

Christopher Desira, Director, Seraphus

Liz Morgan, Trustee & Treasurer, Side by Side Refugees

Bobby Curtis, Youth Casework Manager, South London Refugee Association

Tara Topteagarden, Director, South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice

Nikki Walters, Chair, Southampton Action

Liz Needham, Chair of Trustees, St Albans for Refugees

Helen O'Shea, Chair, St Vincent de Paul Society

Sara Robinson, Director, St. Augustine's Centre

Chris Jones, Director, Statewatch

Emily Crowley, Chief Executive, Student Action for Refugees

Suzanne Fletcher, Housing Stream Convenor, Tees Valley of Sanctuary

Aws Jubair, Founder and Executive Director, The Aman Project

Rev Karen Hendry, Acting Convener of the Faith Impact Forum, The Church of Scotland

Mark Seymour, Refugee Project Manager, The Gap Wales

Dr Edie Friedman, Executive Director, The Jewish Council for Racial Equality (JCORE)

Paola Uccellari, Interim Executive Director, The Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants

Anthony Boateng, Vice-President, The Methodist Church

Alex Kempton, Director of Operations and Campaigns, The Refugee Buddy Project

William Nicholas Gomes, Director ,The William Gomes Podcast

Bonnie Cassidy, Childrens Advocacy Worker, The Women's Centre Derry

Sue Williams, Trustee, Thousand 4 £1000 CIO

Amy Lythgoe, Trustee, Together Now

Nick Watts, Director, Together with Migrant Children

Sue Lacey, Founder, Together100

Katie Hope, Head of Operations, Trauma Foundation South West

Pauline Mary Ruth, Chair of Trustees, Trinity Safe Space

Neil Jameson CBE, Director, UK Welcomes Refugees

Christina McAnea, General Secretary, UNISON

Revd Dr John Bradbury, General Secretary, United Reformed Church

Mel Steel, Director, Voices in Exile

Sonja Miley, Co-Executive Director, Waging Peace

Florence Andrews, Chair of Trustees, Wandsworth Welcomes Refugees

Andrew Harwood, Project Manager, Welcome Group Halesowen

Harriet Protheroe-Soltani, Head of Communications and Engagement, Welsh Refugee Council

Hannah Barnes, Director, West End Refugee Service

Alphonsine Kabagabo, Director, Women for Refugee Women

Rachel Kelly, Chief Executive, Women's Health Matters

Paul Anticoni, Chief Executive, World Jewish Relief

Colette Batten-Turner, Development Organiser, Xenia