Manchester City of Sanctuary

We call out politicians and demand better. Join us today.

act.praxis.org.uk/join?utm_sou...

This summer, we're showing what welcome looks like. 🧡

We're proud to join the @refugeestogether.bsky.social #WelcomeWeekend (7–10 Aug) – a nationwide show of solidarity with refugees.

Together, we’re showing what our communities really stand for.

No one likes aggressive bouncers.

Check out our statement on the UK-France 'one-in-one-out' scheme 👇

📢 Our statement on the UK's 'one-in-one-out' deal with France 👇

Lets show who we are this Welcome Weekend 🧡

On 7-10 August, show that in the face of hate, we will always choose welcome.

It's not too late to get involved - order a pack of free posters now:
actionnetwork.org/forms/order-...

Find social media templates:
sites.google.com/thesmallaxe....

A reminder.

In solidarity, always. 🧡

Creativity is self-care.

Home From Home is your gentle reminder to make space for both.

Free. Fortnightly. For women in Hulme and Moss Side. Fridays, 6–8pm.

Next date: Friday, 8th August!

'Youth Support Collective’, a group of young people with lived experience of age assessments by the Home Office, has collaborated with @refugeecouncil.bsky.social and GMIAU to create a guide to support others going through the process, and social workers.

🔗 childhood1st.notion.site/age-assessme...

Could you become the newest member of our support team? ✨🏡 Find out more below ⬇️

Headline over an image of small, white, barrack-like building reads "number of asylum seekers housed at former RAF base in Essex to rise by 50%"

In July 2024, Keir Starmer said he'd close Wethersfield asylum camp. Now, he's forcing hundreds more people to live there.

Nothing has changed. Wethersfield is still isolated, still dangerous, still cruel. People still deserve to live in communities, not camps.

Last summer we saw shocking scenes of violence. Now tensions are bubbling again.

This angry minority do not represent us.

From 7–10 Aug, we’re coming together for a
Welcome Weekend — a nationwide show of solidarity. This country welcomes refugees.

togetherwithrefugees.org.uk/welcome-week...

❓Did you know that hundreds of thousands of people are forced to wait over 10 years for the right to permanently settle in the place they already call home?

And it’s about to get worse. 🧵

How you can build welcome in your community 🌱

A year after riots & racist attacks hit our streets, we need leadership that tackles systemic racism. Until then, it's up to all of us to build a UK that truly welcomes everyone.

Here's what you can do👇
cityofsanctuary.org/2025/06/12/s...

A School of Sanctuary is a school that makes a commitment to:
✅Welcome families seeking sanctuary
✅Educate students about migration and inclusion
✅Build a culture of kindness and safety

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... and museums – to learn, embed and share concepts of welcome into their work.

And who knows, maybe MMU will join this movement in the future too!

... and Partnerships Coordinator Helen Paskins discussed how we’ve stitched sanctuary deep into the social fabric of our city.

These insights are rooted in our Streams of Sanctuary programme, which sees us partner with local organisations – from universities and schools, to libraries...

Spreading the Word of Sanctuary! 🗣️

Back in June, we were invited to join a panel discussion at Manchester Metropolitan University's Manchester International Crime and Justice Film Festival.

Following a screening of Le Havre – which portrays themes of compassion and community support – our... 🧵

So awesome to see! 🤩🧡

🔥What a day!

Today, change-makers from every corner of our City of Sanctuary networks came together in London to share stories, spark new ideas & forge the path forward.

Together we're transforming communities, one welcome at a time.

A huge thank you to everyone who came to our conference today!

@comartsnw.bsky.social @refugeeweek.bsky.social

A highlight of #RefugeeWeek! 🧡

WAST’s ‘More in Common’ exhibition is so powerful. A celebration of shared humanity, each work pays tribute to the people, artists and groups building bridges, growing communities and challenging hate and despair.

We have more in common than that which divides us.

New Report - “This system destroys you”: Children trapped in adult asylum hotels by the Home Office - GMIAU Our new report on children who have been wrongly sent to adult asylum hotels by the UK Home Office.

🚨We have published a NEW REPORT sharing the experiences of children from our All4One youth group who were wrongly treated as adults by the Home Office.

These children arrived in the UK alone seeking asylum, were declared “significantly over 18” at the border and sent alone to adult asylum hotels.

Growing Up Across Borders - épisode 1 : Presenting the Team Growing Up Across Borders (GRABS) is a research project funded by the European Research Council (ERC). It explores the lived experiences of young people growing up in situations of forced migration an

🎙️ It’s here! Our team’s first podcast is now live.
We’re diving into who we are, what we’re working on, and why it matters.

Tune in to learn more about GRABS and the questions driving our research: on.soundcloud.com/ZsB1WAWRJGfm...

#GRABS #Podcast #BorderStudies #AcademiaOnAir

Only they can expose the truths that the asylum system works so hard to silence.

Together, these steps move us closer to an approach rooted in justice, not racism.

... they were offered free and safe passage to Paris or London.

This disparity lays bare the role of race in determining who is met with compassion—and who is left to drown.

Importantly, listening to people with lived experience—without controlling their voices—is not optional. It’s essential.

In contrast, when those arriving are white—such as Ukrainian people—the response is starkly different. One speaker shared that many Ukrainians initially joined living sites in Calais, expecting to board small boats.

But instead of being forced into dangerous crossings...

In reality, a crisis of racialised border violence. In 2024 alone, 82 people drowned. Fourteen were children. Almost all were from racially minoritised groups.

These deaths are not inevitable—they are the result of political choices. The refusal to act is not just negligent. It is racist.

Piecemeal policy reforms won’t cut it. What’s needed is systemic, anti-racist transformation.

So how do we begin? By confronting the colonial thinking that continues to shape and justify the system today.

Take Channel crossings, for example. Framed as a national security crisis.

💬 “How can we reshape the collective memory to promote anti-racist justice?”

Was a central question at @refugeeaction.bsky.social’s Asylum Justice is Racial Justice panel discussion. Racism isn’t a flaw in the UK’s asylum system—it’s woven into its very foundations. 🧵