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Anti-migrant group targets school for City of Sanctuary links
An anti-migrant group has targeted a school for an education partnership with City of Sanctuary UK, a charity that coordinates support for refugees and asylum seekers.
Bristol has been part of the City of Sanctuary movement since 2011.
Writing to Cotham School the Bristol Patriots group called City Of Sanctuary UK “a very dangerous organisation attempting to indoctrinate our children in Bristol and across the UK.
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“They are encouraging children to write Valentine’s Day cards, love letters and pledges to illegal migrants in the area.”
The secondary school has responded saying the group’s claims are “misinformation”.
The generic letter from Bristol Patriots was sent to multiple different academic institutions.
The group claimed that some of the migrants who received letters from school children were the “same migrants who are on our streets sexually assaulting and raping our women and children”.
The Bristol Patriots, which has 64 followers on Facebook, went as far as to say the school is “condoning and enabling such actions” and facilitating “the early stages of grooming”.
They ended the letter warning that “this letter is the beginning of the action we will be taking”.
Multiple schools have been targeted by the anti-migrant group as their letter continues to circulate on social media.
Headteacher of Cotham School, Jo Butler, penned an open letter in response for all to know that the school are “proud to be part of Bristol’s welcoming community, and we will not be intimidated into abandoning our core educational values”.
Butler added: “We unequivocally reject the divisive rhetoric and false claims made in this correspondence.
“Our school is proud to be part of Bristol’s welcoming community, and we will not be intimidated into abandoning our core educational values.
“Our partnership with City of Sanctuary UK represents exactly the kind of compassionate, educational work we should be doing with young people.
“This organisation supports schools in developing empathy, global citizenship, and understanding of displacement – vital skills for young people growing up in an interconnected world.
“Any activities undertaken are age-appropriate, curriculum-linked, and designed to build understanding and kindness.
“The characterisation of refugees in the letter is factually wrong and morally reprehensible.
“Refugees are people who have fled persecution, war, and violence.
“They undergo extensive background checks and legal processes.
“To suggest that encouraging empathy toward displaced people constitutes “grooming” represents a profound misunderstanding of both safeguarding and basic human decency.”
On August 9, members of the Bristol Patriots group were among the dozens of people who attempted to protest outside the Mercure hotel on Welsh Back, which houses people seeking asylum, but were prevented from doing so by hundreds of counter-protesters.
In a statement the City of Sanctuary said: “Being a School of Sanctuary is about promoting our shared values of compassion, tolerance, and respect.
“The aim is to support schools to welcome every child and encourage kindness.
“The School of Sanctuary programme is voluntary and self-led by the school.
“We provide resources and guidance to help school leaders and teachers to review and refine their practice towards building a culture of safety, understanding and belonging.
“This involves schools thinking about the way they welcome and support new arrivals, understanding the challenges they might be facing at home and how they can support them, and making sure every child feels valued and represented in school and that every parent/carer can be involved in their child’s school life.
“It’s also about working with others in their community to help connect the dots in gaps in support so that every child gets the best start in life.
“Schools are required to prepare children for life in modern Britain; teaching them about the society and world they grow up in and fostering active citizenship skills.”
“Forced migration is a significant global phenomenon widely discussed in the media and public discourse: the Schools of Sanctuary programme supports schools to talk factually about the different reasons people may have been forced to flee and their experiences arriving in the UK in order to build understanding and reinforce our shared values.
“We do not promote a political perspective – in an increasingly divided climate, we encourage schools to lead with kindness and compassion. In doing so, we hope to build kinder, safer communities – for everyone.
“Schools of Sanctuary offers a broad and flexible framework to help schools review and refine their practice towards building a culture of welcome and understanding.”
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