On Saturday 20 June 2009 the newly formed London City of Sanctuary
group showed that refugees are important and valued citizens of the
capital by unfurling a ‘Refugees Welcome Here’ banner at over 50 iconic
sites.
In 10 hours, during a single day, the group unfurled its banner at
theatres, government departments, galleries, hotels, places of worship
and tourist sites, from Chelsea Football Club in the West to Brick
Lanein the East, from the British Library in North London to the London
Eye on the South Bank.
The action took place in Refugee Week as part of the ‘Simple Acts’ campaign, and was a huge success.
To see photos of the group unfurling the banner at over 50 landmarks please click on the following link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/39776698@N07/sets/72157620351005571/
We recieved coverage on BBC Radio London and Sunrise FM and were the lead story on the BBC London News website: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/london/8110710.stm
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(not blue) plaques
Well done. Looking at the slides on Flikr I wondered about a (not blue) plaque scheme for London to signpost refugee landmarks. Has this been done? I believe the Southbank was built by a largely refugee workforce and many people in the arts, entertainment, academia were refugees. There could be an accompanying booklet or guided walks for Refugee Week.
Plaques
What a great idea- it could be a way to celebrate some of the 'ordinary' refugees' contributions too, eg Jewish communities in the East End who escaped from Russian pogroms in the 19th Century, etc.