If you are interested, please read the design brief and submit an expression of interest by 12pm on Monday 5 January.

www.refugeefestivals...
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Could you create the look and feel of Refugee Festival Scotland 2026?

We have a paid commission for artists and graphic designers from refugee or other migrant backgrounds to create the visual identity of our annual celebration of art, culture and community.

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#OurEveryDayRights #HumanRightsDay #LoEsencialDeCadaDía

As we mark the 77th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, please support our work however you can. Together we can show that those who spread division and preach hate do not represent the majority of people in Central Scotland.

They are Attainable. They begin with small acts: respect, speaking up, and listening to those whose voices are often ignored, and they grow through collective action when communities demand justice and equality.

They are Essential. They unite us across race, gender, belief and background, and when everything feels unstable, they remain the bedrock of our safety, free expression and participation.

They are Positive. Human rights do more than protect us; they bring joy, safety and dignity into daily life, in the food we eat, the air we breathe, the words we speak and the opportunities we pursue.

CSREC is working with organisations, partners, local authorities, police, schools, refugees and settled groups to protect these essential rights for all. The protection of human rights is a collective responsibility, visible in the everyday choices we all make.

Everyday essentials is this year’s theme for Human Rights Day. This principle has been tested over the past year: across Central Scotland we continue to see how division, political agendas, racism and misinformation threaten protections that should be guaranteed for everyone.

“Human rights are our compass in turbulent times.” — UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk

🔈 New webinar: Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR), Proposed Changes, Consultations and Legal Challenges

💻 Register for our webinar on 16th December 2025 (6 - 7:30pm) to hear from legal experts from Kingsley Napley, ILPA and Wesley Grykk. Find out more and register now: buff.ly/bBWBPOI

The UK’s new immigration plan is a profound retreat from the humane approach Labour promised voters. Labour should recognize the enormous contributions refugees make, and the moral and legal obligation to provide protection. ✍️ HRW's @yasmineahmed.bsky.social

Read more: https://bit.ly/4pC73hJ

A picture of the Palace of Westminster with shadows of people walking imposed over the front

The most recent attack on the rights and dignity of those who have come to this country seeking asylum are not isolated. They form part of a wider, and dangerous, cycle of hostility and abuse against migrants. Read our response to these attacks here👇
www.migrantvoice.org/home/editori...

Restrictions on human rights:

There are plans to strip back people's right to:

- A family life (Article 8)

- Protection from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 3)

A new appeals system

A single-appeal model run by a new body, aimed at speeding up cases the government sees as unlikely to succeed. This risks reducing independent oversight of complex, life-or-death decisions.

New “safe and legal routes”

Details are vague, but the Home Secretary says these routes will be capped, “modest”, and based on community sponsorship - similar to the Homes for Ukraine scheme.

AI in age assessments

The Home Office already uses AI to summarise interviews and case info.

This plan proposes using AI facial scanning in age disputes, raising big questions about accuracy, ethics and fairness, this kind of tech is notoriously unreliable when used on Black and Brown people.

More large sites and military bases

The government plans to expand the use of large-scale sites for asylum accommodation, despite reems of evidence that large sites will cost more, and cause profound and irreparable harm to residents.

• No support for people allowed to work but currently unemployed

• A “contributions” system where people with small savings or income pay towards their own asylum support

It would create an increasingly complex and bureaucratic system which risks leaving people in poverty.

Removing the legal duty to support people seeking asylum

The government wants to end the obligation to provide accommodation and financial support to people who would otherwise be destitute.

This could mean:

A new “Protection Work and Study Visa”

The plans suggest people could “earn” settlement faster by switching to a new visa route if they can work or study “at an appropriate level” and pay a fee.

It creates a 2-tier system where people who are unable to take up work or education would be excluded.

A 20-year road to settlement

Right now, refugees can apply for indefinite leave after 5 years.

Under these proposals, they would need to wait 20. That's two decades of instability, repeated assessments, and continued fear of being forced back to danger. This insecurity causes poor mental health.

Introducing “Core Protection”

People granted asylum would get only 2.5 years of leave to remain, not the current 5 years.

Each period would then be reassessed based on if it’s “safe” for them to return. This will leave people in a constant state of possible deportation and create instability.

The headline plan?

An end to permanent resettlement for refugees in the UK.

The government wants to replace our current model with something similar to Denmark’s: temporary, more limited protection instead of a clear route to permanent safety.

🧵: The Government’s dehumanising new asylum proposals – what are they, and why it matters.

It's worth us saying, none of these plans are in force yet. They require new rules or legislation. And in many areas, the details are still unclear.

Join us for Islamophobia Awareness Month and help Flip the Script. Islamophobia is fuelled by stereotypes, misinformation and sensationalist portrayals that normalise discrimination. This month we are challenging those narratives. Will you join us?
#FlipTheScript #IAM2025 #IslamophobiaAwareness

Wishing you a joyful and radiant Diwali!

May this Festival of Lights bring new hope, opportunities, joy into your life.

Happy Diwali to our communities across Central Scotland and further.

#HappyDiwali #FestivalOfLights #Diwali2025 #HopeAndJoy #LightOverDarkness

💔Poverty isn't inevitable. Everyone deserves to live a dignified life.

Join us as #WeDemandBetter for a Scotland free from poverty.

📅Saturday 25th October
📍Edinburgh

"Every migrant lost on a dangerous journey is someone's child, parent or friend. Writing for FMR meant honoring those lives by reaching people who can prevent the next loss. Not just academics, but aid workers at borders & officials whose policies determine life & death."

-Houman Oliaei, FMR75

Israel/Palestine: Microsoft Should Avoid Contributing to Rights Abuses Microsoft should suspend business activities that are contributing to grave human rights abuses and international crimes by the Israeli military and other Israeli government bodies, Human Rights Watch...

Microsoft should suspend business activities that are contributing to grave human rights abuses and international crimes by the Israeli military and other Israeli government bodies.

There is no time to delay.