HUNDREDS of activists flocked to Southampton city centre to protest a Government bill on immigration.
Campaigners descended on the Bargate to show their solidarity with refugees coming to the UK.
Organised by Southampton Stand Up To Racism, the demonstration on Saturday saw protestors march through the city along Above Bar Street to Guildhall Square.
They brandished banners and chanted as they wove their way through East Park, Palmerston Park and Houndwell Park.
They then looped back to the Bargate where speeches were made
The protest comes following concerns about the new Nationality and Borders Bill.
Under the new legislation, people who enter the UK through a visa or resettlement route would be given protection.
However, anyone who arrives by ‘unconventional means’, such as crossing the Channel in a small boat, would instead be given “temporary protection status”.
Organiser and secretary of Stand Up To Racism, Steve Squibbs, told the Echo the whole aim of the bill is to “make it harder for people to seek sanctuary in this country”.
He slammed the legislation, currently passing through parliament, as “unfair and preposterous”.
He added: “Britain is one of the richest countries in the world, we should be stepping up to fulfill our moral obligations and giving sanctuary and safety to people who need it in their time of need.
"We’ve got some real concerns around this whole principle of differentiated treatment that basically says that if people pass through what’s deemed a safe country before they arrive in the UK, they will have their asylum claim treated differently to people who arrive through an official resettlement programme.
"That’s going to make it harder for people to feel safe, harder for them to integrate into their community.
"The right to seek safety is enshrined in international law and this actually undermines that and I think the affect of it is going to be to push people into the arms of people smugglers.”
In a speech, Labour leader, Satvir Kaur said: “I’m so pleased that we’re here to say not in our name and we will fight you every step of the way.”
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