THANK you to our local Green Party officials for reminding us of our common humanity and our obligation to do our share to help refugees who are fleeing wars and oppression.

Higher fences and razor wire will not work against people who are desperately fleeing for their lives.

The 2,800 refugees in Calais mainly come from Syria, Eritrea, Sudan and Afghanistan, all countries in conflict.

For example, half the population of Syria has been displaced as a result of the ongoing civil war.

For the most part we are seeing refugees, not economic migrants, and they must be given the protections granted under the Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, an international treaty that the UK helped write in 1951.

As a signer of this accord, as a responsible partner of the EU, and as the eighth richest nation on earth, the UK must step forward to work cooperatively with the rest of the world to resolve this humanitarian crisis.

Right now, the only country in the EU that’s helping less than the UK is Hungary which refuses to accept any asylum applications.

We have a wealth of resources here in Stroud, including a generosity of spirit to make new people feel welcome.

I urge other political parties to support the Stroud Green Party’s call to accept our fair share of refugees.

Lynn Haanen

Stroud