Unity Diary

Wednesday, February 28, 2007

What about if you can't go home?

I overhear a conversation in the office.

The man who has just come in is looking for some advice. He is originally from Palestine but was a refugee in Iraq for a time. He claimed asylum in Britain and was refused so he went for voluntary return (whereby people are offerred £3,000 to leave the country). He said, okay, fair enough, I'll go back. But... Iraq wouldm't take him - he's not a citizen there, and he was refused entry to Palestine by Israel ( a relative had once been a member of a Palestinian political organisation) and was put on a flight back to Britain.

So here he is in the office, officially stateless, no right to work, no right to benefit or housing and nowhere to go. He tried to go back! Where to from here?

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