Cornwall refugees demonstration of support on Falmouth Moor

The Refugees Welcome in Cornwall Demonstration happened on The Moor and included a series of talks and poems from volunteers who have worked with refugees and with Falmouth and Penryn’s community refugee sponsorship programme.

A collection taken for the organisation Help Refugees Choose Love, which provides humanitarian aid to refugees around the world, raised just over £271.

Organiser Guin Carter said: "On Tuesday [last week] I was feeling really defeated and upset about the treatment of refugees by our media, politicians, and many people in the general population.

"A group of us decided to protest this anti-refugee sentiment by holding a demo in our small town of Falmouth.

"It was an amazingly positive event with over 100 people in attendance - socially distancing and wearing masks - with talks on volunteering, our local refugee community sponsorship programme Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families, and the fact that when we stand up for refugees we stand up for ourselves; we stand up for a society that is compassionate, anti-fascist, and supports human rights."

She said there would be more actions taking place in the coming weeks, to raise awareness with people in the community, pressure politicians and fundraise.

The next local fundraising events will be raising money for victims of the Beriut blast, with information at The Cottage Cooperative in Castle Drive about a a yard sale and raffle this weekend.

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"Many thanks to everyone who came out to support, to Zoe Kai Brooks, Elly Henkes, Bella Smith, Vita Sleigh, and Jude Munden for speaking so eloquently, and to Alex Falconer for making a powerful film of the demo," added Guin.

Several of the people who were protesting at Sunday’s event also volunteer for local homeless action groups and mental health services.

The Falmouth and Penryn Welcome Refugee Families group formed in April 2018, with a wish to help some of the people affected by the civil war and conflict in Syria. A family subsequently moved into a house in Falmouth in early December last year, after escaping the Middle East.

A spokesperson for the group added: “We would welcome people contacting us on RefugeesWelcomeInCornwall@gmail.com if they want to be involved in action locally, but also if they are sceptical about, or feel hostile towards, refugees crossing the channel, as we would like to start engaging people to dispel myths about refugees and asylum seekers.”

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