Our volunteer Alessandro Columbo was featured in an interview with The Orient on 9 February discussing his experiences in Syria. Alessandro is Italian and is currently pursuing his PhD in Arabic Literature at the University of Edinburgh. He is an Arabic Lecturer at Manchester University and volunteers in our campaigns on Syria.
Rethink Rebuild Society's Advocacy Director, Haytham Alhamwi, spoke at a panel discussion about the refugee crisis at the University of Cambridge on 4th February. The event was organised by Cambridge University Calais Refugee Action Group and was held at Magdalene College, where over one hundred Cambridge students and academics.
We participated in a protest in Manchester Albert Square on 4 February against US President Trump's racism travel ban. This travel ban targets individuals from select countries and Syria is one of them. This ban also affects the intake of Syrian refugees into the UK.
On Friday 03 February we attended a community workshop #WeStandTogether organised by Sonder Radio working in partnership with Reform Radio as part of Radequal. We had some great discussions around our values as a society and how equality and standing up against hate is very important for a progressive society. We also discussed how to identify and report a hate crime.
We were invited on the 31st of January 2017 to give a talk with CARE UK about Syria and how to practically help, to young people at Bridgewater High School in Appleton. The young students found the talk very informative with many expressing their support and sympathy for the plight of Syrians. Thank you to Bridgewater High School for inviting us.
We signed a joint statement on 31 January issued on behalf of twenty-five organisations calling on the Prime Minister to 'reassert Britain’s tradition of welcoming refugees'. This statement comes in the wake of US President Trump's announcement to halt intake of refugees and to indefinitely suspend the Syrian resettlement programme.
We participated in the demonstration in Albert Square on 30 January against US President Trump's Muslim ban which affects Syrian nationals among nationals of six other countries. One of our members Dr. Mustafa Alachkar furthermore delivered a statement on behalf of the Manchester Syrian community at this protest.
We issued a statement on 30 January to protest US President Trump's Muslim ban.
Our Refugee Support Coordinator Ahmad Mujahed Nayef delivered a presentation on 30 January in London on activism for Syria using the experiences of Rethink Rebuild Society. This presentation was hosted by the SOAS Syria Society as part of Syria Awareness Week.
Dr. Mustafa Alachkar, member of Rethink Rebuild Society, gave an interview with BBC Radio Manchester on 30 January to discuss the effects of US President Trump's Muslim ban on the British Syrian community. Dr. Alachkar highlighted the divisive nature of the ban and furthermore expressed regret at the UK Government's inadequate response to this discriminatory policy.