SHOPPERS on Stroud High Street were stopped in their tracks on Saturday by the sight of a coffin, a wreath placed on it with the message ‘Compassion, Rest in Peace’.

To mark the passing in Parliament of the “Safety of Rwanda” Act last week around 70 local people mourned the ‘death of compassion’ in a silent vigil and solemn funeral procession through the town. The act enables the government to deport people seeking asylum to Rwanda.

Gathering on the High Street speakers addressed the harsh reality of what this means to those fleeing danger, persecution and war.

Speaking on behalf of Together with Refugees, Stroud, who organised the event, Sue Oppenheimer said: ‘The new laws will punish desperate people with genuine reasons for seeking asylum. The Government can now forcibly expel those who’ve fled for their lives, including children and survivors of trafficking, torture and modern slavery.’

She added: ‘Rwanda is a country most refugees have no connection with. It was deemed unsafe for refugees by the UK Supreme Court in November. And the United Nations has said “this new legislation marks a further step away from the UK’s tradition of providing refuge to those in need”.’

‘We in Stroud are in complete agreement: the Act marks a deeply sad low in our country, which is why today we are mourning the death of compassion.’

Mourners around the coffin, generously loaned by Family Tree Funeral Company in Stroud, included members of Amnesty International, Community Solidarity Stroud District, and Stroud Against Racism, whose spokesperson said: "This Bill shows how our government holds the lives of asylum seekers in contempt. The language they use dehumanises refugees and divides people, instead of highlighting the positives that refugees bring and nurturing understanding in our local community."

The final speaker was a Syrian refugee who movingly described the realities of fleeing the threat of arrest and torture, saying that the Rwanda Act would in no way deter desperate people from crossing the channel in their bid to reach a place of safety.