By Bianca Jashnani
Thousands of people draped in Ukrainian colours blue and yellow protested against the Russian invasion of Ukraine in central London on March 26th. There was also a vigil held near Hyde Park to show support for the people of Ukraine.
“We’ve got be doing much more“
London Mayor Sadiq Khan joined the march to show his support for Ukraine, saying: “You compare our Government’s actions versus the actions of Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, it’s embarrassing” and that much much more can be done for Ukrainians.
Khan was in “admiration” of the people who opened their homes to the refugees and to those who have been going “above and beyond” by donating money, clothes, food, and everything else they could offer.
Khan revealed to the Express he won’t be opening his home to the refugees because of “a variety of reasons, those being protection, security and a lack of space”.
“I attended the protest in Trafalgar Square, and it was amazing to see the support of so many people for Ukraine, ” said Mohammed Ali, 20, business student at Bayes.
“It was great to see the Mayor supporting Ukranians with us. There was a sense of support from the government in a way by having him there.
“I do agree with the Mayor that so much more can be done to help the Ukrainians; donating money, clothes, and food is definitely not enough. I also feel that people can only offer their homes until a certain time, and not forever.
“The government needs to do something to make sure that they have a home soon, somewhere they have their privacy and enough space for them and their family. Homes in London are not big enough for eight people, it gets very cramped and difficult I think. ”
Why is the UK government being criticised?
EU countries are allowing refugees to stay in the counties for three years without a visa and so far more than 3.5 million people have fled to Europe. Poland and Romania have taken around 2.5 million people.
The UK is offering a family visa scheme which allows them to stay with their immediate or extended family who have British Nationality and a sponsorship scheme, Homes for Ukraine, where host families will be vetted and be paid £350 pounds a month for them for 12 months. So far only 21,600 visas have been issued as of 27th March.
“The UK is working horribly as we’re seeing with the refugees, only 21,000 visas in so long is quite embarrassing whereas our neighbouring countries are taking in 10 times more the number of people,” said Maggi Brown, 74, retired artist.
“I have heard a lot of people complain that even the Sponsorship Scheme is very slow and it’s sad that so many people have to wait for so long for basic human rights and needs.
“The government needs to do more, they need to do it faster, they have to let people come in without a visa, and process it later so at least people feel safe and welcome. I hope it all gets better soon, it is awful to see so many people going through something so traumatic.”
Even though the government has faced pressure, including from Consertive MPs to lift visa requirements or issue emergency visas, Home Secretary Priti Patel has eliminated this option saying that “security and biometric checks” were vital to keep British citizens safe. The PM too has defended the visa rules by saying that people “want us to be generous but also careful“.
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