Anger as ‘self-righteous’ lifejacket graveyard protest run by David Miliband’s migrant charity takes over Parliament Square
Opinion is split over the display with some, including Tory MP Peter Bone, saying it will lead to others risking their lives trying to get here
A “LIFEJACKET graveyard” protest near the Houses of Parliament that was given special permission by Labour London Mayor Sadiq Khan has sparked anger today.
In Parliament Square around 2,500 lifejackets were laid out across the ground for the entire day until 6pm – despite the mayor’s office usually imposing a three hour time limit on such events.
It was organised by the International Rescue Commission – a charity which is headed up by the former Labour MP and Foreign Secretary David Miliband.
The IRC’s point behind the display was to urge Theresa May’s Government to do more to help those fleeing war-torn countries by giving them a home in Britain.
And it came as the Prime Minister jetted to New York City for a United Nations summit where she was to tell world leaders they needed to do more about the migration crisis.
But the protest has been criticised by many who say it will encourage more people to risk the perilous journey on overcrowded boats.
Tory backbencher, and former chairman on the All Party Group on Human Trafficking, Peter Bone told : “If this protest is highlighting the fact that there are these evil criminal gangs out there giving people fake life jackets then that is fine and an important point.
“But if it's saying we should bring more people to the UK then it is just going to encourage more and more people to put themselves in danger and more men, women and children will lose their lives.
“What we really need to do is look after people closer to where they a fleeing home in the first safe country nearby, which is what the British government has been doing and I think they should be praised for that.
“Eventually fighting will stop and they will be right there nearby so they can go home again.
“We are seeing people with the best intentions making this worse by saying we should have lots more people come to the UK.
“But really by doing that you are encouraging these evil trafficking gangs to get involved and that message needs to stop. We need to tackle these gangs mercilessly.”
And on Twitter, Richard Jarrett wrote: “Migrant situation very worrying. However this is so misjudged. Like saying "if one had of these you would have survived."
@StefanJC adds: Let's house our own people before we let any refugees in
And @biggersi wanted to know: “Has any moron placing life jackets in taken in one so called refugee into their home? Don't think so. -righteous”
The IRC worked on the display with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and fellow charities World Vision and Migrant Voice.
They gathered the used lifejackets worn by adults and children who have crossed the sea between Turkey and Greece and arranged them across the green.
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The IRC’s director of policy and practice, Sanj Srikanthan denied the display is a misrepresentation.
He said: “Nothing we are doing is misrepresenting any facts.
“It's happening.
“We are not talking about migrants, we are talking about refugees.
“This is a way to represent the crisis in a way that is communicable to the public.
“There are 10,000 lifejackets in Greece and people see them every day. It's not politicising an issue, this is there to be seen.”
He said the display represented the “tragedy of the modern refugee” - with Disney stickers visible on some of the children's lifejackets.
The IRC wants the UK to take 25 refugees per political constituency.
As many as 89,000 people made the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean from North Africa between January and July – just 4,000 fewer than the same time last year, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
It also seems the harrowing trip is becoming even more dangerous, with 3,000 people dying in the Med in that time — 50% more than in the same period in 2015, according to The International Organisation for Migration (IOM).
In 2014, the 3,000 mark was passed on September 21, while last year it was October 15.
The IOM says 242,179 migrants and refugees have successfully arrived in Europe by sea during 2016.
In New York the UN has backed the 22-page “New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants”, a non-binding agreement which is designed to increase the resettlement of refugees and humanitarian aid in war-torn countries.