In these bleak times this is a rare but wonderful good news story to emerge from the #coronavirus crisis.
This morning 47 extremely vulnerable migrants, including children, were brought to safety in the UK from the refugee camps in Greece. 1/4
theguardian.com/global-develop…
This morning 47 extremely vulnerable migrants, including children, were brought to safety in the UK from the refugee camps in Greece. 1/4
theguardian.com/global-develop…
They have now been reunited with their families here. That's 47 families who today are celebrating being back together after years of seperation. All those aboard today's flight were tested negative for #coronavirus before being allowed to leave Athens. 2/4
The conditions in the camps in #Greece are truly awful - overcrowded, unsanitary. They're no place for children or vulnerable people, especially now. I'm grateful to the Home Office and the Greek government for allowing today's passengers to escape those horrors. 3/4
I sincerely hope that this mercy flight will be the first of many to reunite refugees with their families in the UK and elsewhere. We have taken 590 children from the camps who have family here. *Only* 590. There are more who must be urgently allowed to reach their families here.
I'd like to add thanks also to @katymfallon and @harrietgrant for their excellent reporting of today's wonderful news and to @safepassageuk for their tireless advocacy on behalf of the most vulnerable - lone child refugees.
Families belong together. No-one should be left behind.
Families belong together. No-one should be left behind.
