Walk for justice

Sponsored Walk: Sunday, June 14th, 2015 __________________________________

MAGNA CARTA, 1215-2015
Celebrate 800 years of progress on Human Rights
Oppose government plans to curtail those rights

800 years ago, on June 15th 1215 at Runnymede, King John agreed, under pressure from an alliance of feudal barons, to sign the ?Great Charter of the Liberties?. It was the first step towards acceptance of human rights and civil liberties as crucial elements of a free society.

Today the government is planning to curtail drastically many of the rights won in the course of the last eight centuries. And nowhere more cruelly than in respect of the rights and access to justice of refugees and asylum seekers.

Our 12-mile walk on Sunday June 14th on a circular and beautiful route around Bradfield has two purposes: to mark the 800th anniversary of the signing of Magna Carta, and to raise funds for South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice, based in Sheffield and staffed entirely by volunteers working on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers denied justice by the courts and the Home Office.

South Yorkshire Refugee Law and Justice is an organisation that helps support asylum seekers to progress fresh claims for protection, and to find and communicate with lawyers. They do great work with very committed volunteers.

SYRLJ works with refugees to research and present good quality evidence and assist in the presentation of their case before the various tribunals. The work is carried out by volunteers, but with training from qualified lawyers and academics. They need your help to pay basic costs for example, to pay for postage stationery and mobile phones. Their service is free and most of our clients are destitute.

£10 would pay the cost of obtaining a copy of one asylum seeker?s file, £40 pays for the expenses of the organisation?s volunteers for one week. £3500 pays for the rent of their office space for a year.

Read more about SYRLJ here:
migrationyorkshire.org.uk/?page=directoryview&itemid=1327

If you would like to help SYRLJ, please join us on June 14th and get your friends to sponsor you. Please contact me for further details by e-mail (michaelmccolgan@phonecoop.coop) or by telephone (0114 2685721).

Best wishes,

Michael McColgan