London - Thousands of anti-racism protesters marched in Britain on Saturday to denounce the government's controversial plan to tackle cross-Channel migrant crossings by preventing arrivals from applying for asylum.
Around 2 000 protesters, many carrying signs reading "no human being is illegal" and bearing trade union logos, marched towards Downing Street, the prime minister's official residence.
The organisers said the demonstration was partly a response to the government's "inhuman" and "illegal" migration bill.
"People in this country are decent... and they're willing to open their arms to people who are fleeing terrible circumstances," said the protest's planning officer Mark Daly.
"The government is trying to make these people not only unwelcome but illegal. We cannot classify people as illegal," he said. "It's a racist policy from a racist government."
Other protests took place in Glasgow, Scotland, and the Welsh capital Cardiff.
The Conservative government wants to outlaw asylum claims by all illegal arrivals and transfer them to "safe" third countries, such as Rwanda, in a bid to stop thousands of migrants from crossing the Channel on small boats.
The bill proposes preventing people who have arrived in the country illegally from seeking asylum before they are sent to a third country deemed safe.
Exceptions would be made for unaccompanied minors.
More than 45 000 people entered Britain last year by crossing the Channel in small boats from France, mostly young men from Albania, Afghanistan, Iran and Iraq, according to British government data.
Unicef, the UN children's agency, said last week that it was "deeply concerned" about the bill's potential impact on minors. So too has United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk.
Deal with Rwanda
On Saturday, British interior minister Suella Braverman visited Rwanda to expand a deal under which the east African country will accept migrants who arrive in Britain without permission, if British courts confirm that the proposals are legal.
Britain's government wants to send thousands of migrants more than 6 400km to Rwanda as part of a £120 million deal agreed with Rwanda last year.
No deportations have taken place while campaigners challenge the legality of the policy in the courts. Many charities say the proposal is costly and impractical, and will criminalise thousands of genuine refugees who have very few routes to seek asylum in Britain without entering the country.
Braverman met Rwanda's foreign minister, Vincent Biruta and told reporters in Kigali that she had agreed extra support for migrants who are sent to the country.
"I sincerely believe that this world leading partnership between two allies and two friends, the United Kingdom and Rwanda, will lead the way in finding a solution which is both humanitarian and compassionate," she said.
Biruta said the proposals "offer better opportunities for migrants and Rwandans alike" and would help with the British government's goal of disrupting people-trafficking networks.
"This will not only help dismantle criminal human smuggling networks, but also save lives," Biruta said.
Braverman is expected to meet Rwanda's President Paul Kagame on Sunday.
She has repeatedly insisted the government is within its rights to stop the migrants crossing the Channel, who she said could total 80 000 this year.
When she presented the Illegal Migration Bill to parliament last week however, she attached a note conceding that she could not confirm yet whether the plan respected European human rights law.
In a statement on Saturday, Britain's interior ministry said Rwanda had now agreed to accept "all categories of people who pass through safe countries and make illegal and dangerous journeys to the UK".
"Anyone who comes to the UK illegally – who cannot be returned to their home country – will be in scope to be relocated to Rwanda," Britain's interior ministry said.
The partnership was announced in April 2022, but the first deportation flight was blocked by an injunction from the European Court of Human Rights.
London's High Court then ruled it lawful in December but opponents are seeking to appeal that verdict in April and it could yet go to Britain's Supreme Court later in the year.
"I'm not going to pre-empt the decision of the judiciary, but if we are successful, we will envisage delivering the substance of our agreement as quickly as possible," Braverman said.
Braverman has previously described her opponents as "naive do-gooders".
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said that finding a solution is one of his top priorities for 2023. Britain spends more than £2 billion a year to accommodate migrants and has tendered a $95 million contract to transport them to countries such as Rwanda instead.
AFP and REUTERS