‘Refugee Week'” “

“Refugees are the product of the failure of the policies of states and of governments aimed at the promotion of peace, reconciliation, development and human rights”. The denunciation has been made by Bishop Patrick O’ Donoghue, head of the Office for political refugees of the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, in the “Refugee Week” which celebrates in the UK from 16 to 22 June 2003. In a statement issued on 10 June the bishop condemns “the restrictive measures implemented by various governments in the industrialized world against immigrants from poor countries or countries at war. In the UK, for instance, the government has proposed the establishment of holding camps for asylum seekers outside the frontiers of the European Union”. “There is a growing hostility and xenophobia against refugees in the UK – declares O’ Donoghue –. Organizations that work among refugees, such as ‘Refugee Helpline’, received 1700 denunciations for physical and verbal aggression against refugees in 2002 alone. And this situation is also being fomented by some sectors of the press hostile to refugees”. “In this Refugee Week – concludes the bishop – as Christians let us remember the enormous economic, social and cultural contribution that refugees make to our nation and forcefully reaffirm our faith in the communion of peoples, also including those oppressed and persecuted. Our faith pledges us to ensure that refugees enjoy fundamental human rights and physical integrity”.