Xenophobes get their day while mercy waits its turn
Parliament is to spend time discussing a petition suggesting that Britain is being taken over by Muslims.
The move is in response to a Conservative Election Manifesto pledge to debate any petition signed by at least 100,000 people. A petition titled “Stop allowing immigrants into the UK,” on the official Commons petition website has been signed by 189,018 people as of Wednesday September 23rd and is on the increase by 50 signatures per hour, judging by movement during the time it has taken to write this article.
The petition states:
“The UK government need to prevent immigrants from entering the UK immediately! We MUST close all borders, and prevent more immigrants from entering Britain. Foreign citizens are taking all our benefits, costing the government millions! Many of them are trying to change UK into a Muslim country!
“If the Government does not do anything, then Britain may take in 12 million more immigrants by 2060. There is footage of foreigners destroying British soldiers [sic] graves, which is a huge disrespect to us. Sign this petition to show the government what they need to do!”
Honouring its pledge, the Government response on its website says simply: “Parliament will debate this petition.”
Steve McCabe, Labour MP for Selly Oak, Birmingham – home to a large and established south Asian and West Indian community, has reacted angrily, fuming: “I’m in favour of discussing immigration but I don’t think we should dignify the views of total bigots with a Commons debate.”
Curiously, a separate petition titled: “Accept more asylum seekers and increase support for refugee migrants in the UK”, which has 439,926 signatures as of September 23rd has received the less committed response: “Parliament will consider this for a debate.”
Nobody from the Government has been forthcoming as to why the latter and larger petition has failed to automatically trigger a Commons debate.
The House of Commons Petitions Committee has scheduled the debate of the racist petition for October 19th in Westminster Hall, a debating chamber of the Commons which is less well-known than the main Chamber with its famous green benches. However, debates held here officially have the same status as those in the main Chamber.
Mr McCabe told the Birmingham Mail:
“This highlights the problem with saying that if you have enough signatures on a petition then it will be debated (…) It is a licence for bigotry, and that is what we are witnessing here.
“I have spent a lot of time in recent years consulting my constituents about immigration.”
The debate will be led by Conservative MP Paul Scully who represents Sutton and Cheam in Greater London. African Voice should express here and now, however, that leading the debate is no indication of whether he will speak in favour of the views expressed in the petition being discussed.
There will be a speech from a Government Minister, from a Labour front-bench spokesperson and also from a spokesperson for the SNP, which is now the third largest party in the House of Commons.
There will also be speeches from as many backbench MPs as time permits in the three-hour debate.
The Home Office has confirmed that an initial group of Syrian refugees has arrived, marking the first step to fulfilling Prime Minister David Cameron’s promise to resettle 20,000 over the next four-and-a-half years by expanding the vulnerable persons resettlement (VPR) scheme.
They arrive in the UK as the European Union voted by majority to back a plan to relocate 120,000 refugees across the continent through a quota scheme which Britain will not take part in.
A Home Office spokeswoman said: “We are working closely with the UNHCR (the UN’s refugee agency) and local authorities to make sure we are ready to welcome more Syrians who desperately need our assistance.
“As the Prime Minister announced earlier this month, we will resettle 20,000 Syrians over the course of this Parliament through this scheme.”
The Home Office said they will not be telling the public how many refugees are coming into the UK each time they arrive.
