Refugees Welcome March, June 2026 - Jeremy Thompson

Refugees Welcome March on Saturday 20 June:  Along with Birmingham City of Sanctuary and Asylum Matters, Restore organised a Refugees Welcome March on World Refugee Day.  We aimed to meet outside Christ Church Selly Park and walked along the Pershore Road and into Cannon Hill Park in time for the start of the Refugee Week Festival at the MAC.   

After the Refugees Welcome March was organised, we heard from Hope not Hate (a charity who monitor far-right activity) that Britain First (a far-right group) were planning a demonstration in Birmingham city centre from 12 noon. The risk to the Refugee Welcome March was deemed to be low as we were not walking in the city centre.  

Bishop Michael and Bishop Esther publicly addressed the issue of the Britan First demonstration, before it happened. They drafted a statement that was signed by 27 faith leaders and issued before the events on 20th June. That statement included, “As faith leaders we will continue to work together for the peace and flourishing of all in our city, regardless of their race, faith or background.”  Read the full statement.

Bishop Michael and Bishop Esther called the Diocese to pray. That Call to Prayer included, “We pray against every force that seeks to sow hatred, racism, intimidation, hostility, or division among us. We recognise that whenever fear and anger threaten to take root, there is a spiritual battle taking place. We therefore pray that the light of Christ would overcome darkness, that evil would find no foothold in our communities, and that God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit would be made known among us.” Read the full call to prayer.

At Restore, we are encouraged and proud when church leaders speak out and speak truth to power. 

And what about the Refugees Welcome March? It went ahead. Samba drummers gave us a rousing send-off and we embarked on a joyful and celebratory walk on a gloriously sunny day. There were lots of toots, thumbs up and waves from passing cars and from people in Cannon Hill Park. There was no hostility towards us. We are grateful to those who joined us and to those who prayed. Please don’t stop praying, now that 20th June has passed. Hostility towards refugees and asylum seekers continues to rise. This is tragic when we remember that these are people created on God’s image who have fled persecution and war in their home countries. Seeking sanctuary in the UK should not add to their trauma. Restore, a project of Birmingham Churches Together, continues with a countercultural approach by offering welcome, relational support and help with integration through one-to-one befriending and group social activities. To find out more, join us for our next training day on Saturday 10 October at St John’s. For more information, please email Jasmine our Befriending Co-ordinator: jasmine@restore-uk.org