It has been an incredibly difficult couple of weeks in Bristol, with a rise in coordinated violence and intimidation from the far right. Although racism and Islamophobia are daily issues in our communities, the recent surge in violence has created a new level of fear. There is no place in Bristol for Islamophobia, violence, or the far right. Our city has shown its strength by coming together to reject hate. I want to extend my deepest thanks to everyone who worked tirelessly to stand up and protect our community.
While Parliament takes a break over summer, I am really looking forward to spending more time in Bristol and meeting with local groups and residents.
Over the next few weeks, I plan to visit Aid Box Community, a charity founded in response to the ongoing refugee crisis. While Aid Box provides a vital service to people who arrive in the country with nothing, their work can’t continue without a new premises.
The charity is now urgently seeking a new space to continue their essential work. To learn more about the free services they provide or to find out how you can support their efforts to find a new location, please visit their website through the link below: https://www.aidboxcommunity.co.uk/
Over the past month I have heard from many of you who are concerned about the prison sentence for Gaie Delap. Gaie was one of the environmental non-violent protesters who was recently jailed for 20 months, a disproportionate sentence for peaceful protest. I have written to the Home Secretary asking for a review of Gaie’s case.
We have also seen a large number of people needing assistance with visa applications and asylum claims. We have been assisting them as much as possible, but it is clear that not enough safe routes exist and we need reform of the asylum and immigration system. Now more than ever we must make sure that people coming to our country are treated with the dignity and respect we all deserve.
If you need assistance with issues such as asylum or immigration, housing or welfare benefits, please don’t hesitate to contact me and my team.
Please do contact me if you have any concerns or anything you’d like to make me aware of by emailing me at carla.denyer@greenparty.org.uk, or by writing to me at the House of Commons, London SW1A 0AA.