Oxford City Council this week passed a motion to support Oxford in its bid to become a ‘City of Sanctuary.'

The motion, which was proposed by Cllr John Tanner of the Labour Party and seconded by Sushila Dhall of the Green Party, calls on Oxford City Council to practically support efforts to make Oxford a place of safety for people whose
lives have been threatened and to celebrate the contributions that asylum seekers and refugees make to society.

Cllr John Tanner, said: "I am very pleased that Oxford City Council has declared its support for the City of Sanctuary movement. We should remember the likes of Bobby Fryer, a Jewish refugee who was a Trade Union leader at the Cowley car plant and Professor Claus Moser, who was forced to leave Berlin in 1936.

"Where would we be without the valuable contributions that asylum seekers and refugees have made within our towns and cities and indeed within Oxford? We are delighted by the result of this motion and what it means for us as a city."

The movement in Oxford has been started by a number of individuals who would like to build upon the work already being done by local organisations such as Refugee Resource and Asylum Welcome and by the momentum of interest created by the destitution sleep out earlier this year and by the Independent Asylum Commission's review over the summer.

Amy Merone, a member of the working group in Oxford, said: "Oxford as an international city has always welcomed people from all over the world and we would like to see that welcome extended fully to people who have been forced to leave their home countries and seek sanctuary in the UK.

"We believe that City of Sanctuary is a way in which the people of Oxford can practically demonstrate their commitment to being a city of welcome and to the upholding of people's human rights. There has never been a more important time as now for this with the presence of Campsfield Removal Centre and the proposed centre In Bicester."

Following the success of the Oxford City Council motion of support, the group are starting to work with key individuals, organisations and institutes in the City to look at practical initiatives that would benefit the lives of those people forced to seek sanctuary here and to build understanding of the issues within local communities.

The group hopes to hold a formal launch by the end of this year.