Shropshire Star

Celebrities condemn ‘brutal’ Government plans to deport migrants to Rwanda

A plane due to take several individuals to Rwanda was grounded on Tuesday night after last-minute interventions by the European Court of Human Rights.

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Protesters at the perimeter of MoD Boscombe Down, near Salisbury, where a Boeing 767 aircraft was believed to be the plane tasked to take asylum seekers from the UK to Rwanda

Celebrities have condemned the “brutal, stupid and damaging” actions of the Government amid the ongoing legal battle to deport migrants to Rwanda.

A plane due to take several individuals to Rwanda was grounded on Tuesday night after last-minute interventions by the European Court of Human Rights.

Comedians Frankie Boyle, Simon Brodkin and Sue Perkins were among those to comment on the controversial policy.

“The Rwanda flight on the anniversary of Grenfell says everything about the direction we’ve traveled in the last five years,” wrote Boyle on Twitter.

Fellow comedian Nish Kumar also celebrated the news of the cancelled flight as “amazing” and “incredible”, sharing tweets from the refugee action group Stop Deportations.

Following the news of the halted flight, Deborah Frances White, host of the Guilty Feminist podcast, added: “Amazing.

“Imagine the emotional toll of those already traumatised souls put on that plane and then taken off though. Are they still in detention?”

Brodkin, who is known for his politically-themed pranks, joked: “Rwanda deportation flight delayed for 6th time.

“Priti Patel vows to never use Ryanair again.”

Perkins described the announcement that the Government would be proceeding with its decision to deport the migrants as “shameless.”

“Today, the govt pushed ahead with the most brutal, stupid and damaging responses to problems they created in the first place,” she wrote.

“This is where xenophobia and ‘sovereignty’ get you; breaking international law and sending asylum seekers to Rwanda.

“Shameless, the lot of them.”

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