“Each of us is our brother’s keeper. By engaging in the struggle for human rights wherever they are under attack, you in Ely, will join the long list of heroes in the past, often little known, who have done the same.
The name Amnesty today means hope to many worldwide who thought themselves abandoned.” – Bruce Kent
Fundraising Cards
We are delighted to confirm that we’ll be selling our fundraising cards again this year! These cards feature an original image by Kip Gresham, artist and master printmaker.
Wording: “There are reasons for strife but no excuse for the exploitation, fear and pain. There is need for change.”
Size: 21 x 14.5cm
Price: £3 each or £10 for four, plus postage.
To order: please email info@amnestyely.org.uk (payment preferably by BACS but other arrangements can be made.) All profits will go towards the work of Amnesty International.
Refugee Crisis
We are greatly saddened at the scale of the refugee crisis currently being played out on our doorstep. It is awful and heart-rending to see the risks that refugees must take to get their families to safety.
The Ely City Amnesty International Group holds the view that everyone should be entitled to basic human rights, including the right to asylum (Article 14 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights), and we believe that we have a moral obligation to help.
Ely City Amnesty supports ElyRRC’s aims of resettling refugees in Ely and East Cambridgeshire and welcoming refugees into our city and surrounds.
False perceptions?
There is a lot of anxiety about the supposedly large number of asylum seekers seeking refuge in the UK. However, only a small percentage travel from their home country to Europe and an even smaller percentage travel on to the UK: most claim asylum in neighbouring countries to their own.
In the year ending September 2023, according to Home Office Statistics, the UK received only eight per cent of the total number of asylum applicants to the European Union and UK combined, and it was 20th on the list when measured per head of population.
The reasons why people seek asylum in the UK are often because they already have family here or they speak English.
It is important to stress that refugees are under no legal obligation to stay in the first ‘safe’ country they reach – there is no obligation in the Refugee Convention, either explicit or implicit.
The UK asylum system is strictly controlled and complex. It is very difficult for people seeking asylum to provide the evidence required to be granted protection, but, despite these challenges, the majority of asylum claims are successful. In recent years, around three quarters of initial decisions resulted in a grant of asylum or other form of protection.
Sportswashing
‘Sportswashing’ is a term used to describe how a country promotes sport to enhance its reputation and draw attention away from the more harmful perceptions of its actions and society. A recent example of sportswashing was the 2022 Football World Cup held in Qatar, a state with a poor human rights record coupled with a history of migrant worker abuse. With a few notable exceptions, the media portrayal of the tournament was characterised by a focus on sport with minimal criticism of the Qatar regime. Through this act of sportswashing the Qatar state presented itself to the world in a positive light.
Closer to home, sportswashing is evident in the case of several Premier League football clubs. Manchester City are owned by the Abu Dhabi Royal Family (United Arab Emirates), a state where frequent human rights violations have been documented. Similarly, Saudi Arabia – a country consistently ranked among the worst in surveys of political and human rights, where the use of capital punishment is rising – owns Newcastle United, and is also bidding to host the 2034 Football World Cup. For more information on sportswashing see here.
