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Discussions are continuing into how the Channel Islands can support Afghan refugees.
Thousands of Afghans have been trying to flee the country since the Taliban took control of the country after the withdrawal of large numbers of Western troops, two decades after a US-led invasion removed the extremist group from power after its reign of terror in the late nineties.
Guernsey's lead politician on external affairs, Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq, said the first decision over Guernsey's participation in any resettlement scheme will be made by the UK. If the answer is 'yes', attention will then turn to how that works.
"[The details] are still being drawn up, and we have registered our interest with the UK who ultimately will have the final say as to whether/how we might participate," said Deputy Le Tocq, adding: "I remain hopeful."
Meanwhile, Jersey's Ministers have met to consider what the island could do to support those affected by the current situation but no decision has been reached yet, with further discussions expected this week.
Possibly. Those are not the details though, they are still being drawn up, and we have registered our interest with the UK who ultimately will have the final say as to whether/how we might participate. I remain hopeful.
— Jonathan Le Tocq ???????? (@letocq) September 1, 2021
“Jersey has always supported refugees in various ways, recognising the challenges and limitations of our highly constrained island setting," a Government spokesperson said.
“Within this context, Ministers have asked officials to explore concrete ways to help and will meet again this week to consider the options."
In Guernsey, officials are also considering "what role, no matter how small" the island can play in resettling vulnerable refugees in light of the humanitarian crisis.
The island is "engaging with the UK", which plans to resettle 20,000 Afghans in the next five years, the majority of whom will be women and children.
The UK Government - which has been criticised widely for its "shameful" response to the Taliban threat - has announced that 5,000 Afghan nationals will be resettled in the UK in the next 12 months, as part of plans “modelled on the successful Syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme”.
In 2015, Jersey's then-Chief Minister, current External Relations Minister Senator Ian Gorst, said the island would not be able to accommodate Syrian refugees.
"If we were to make special provision for Syrian refugees, we would leave ourselves vulnerable to a legal challenge on the grounds of discrimination. And this would mean that any refugee – whether or not they were Syrian – who was living legally in the UK and who entered Jersey could potentially, from their point of arrival, be entitled to the same special provisions," Senator Gorst explained at the time.
"We cannot expose Jersey to that risk. Our island simply would not have the capacity to manage the impact on housing stock, on public services, or on the work market.
"Of course, that does not mean that Syrians or other groups of refugees are not welcome in Jersey. They are. But they would need to come here on the same basis as others resident in the UK or Europe."
Pictured: In 2015, former Jersey Chief Minister Senator Ian Gorst said the island was unable to accommodate refugees.
In Guernsey, Deputy Charles Parkinson said the island should do the right thing and resettle 20 vulnerable Afghan refugees. It is a view that has been shared by many others, although some in the community have responded negatively to the possibility of Guernsey helping to resettle people.
“My thinking for Guernsey is that we offer to take our share of the number of refugees that the UK takes," said Deputy Parkinson. "The UK Government has pledged to take 20,000 refugees and, because of our population, everything tends to be 1,000th of what the UK does. So that’s 20 refugees.”
Deputy Jonathan Le Tocq has declared that #AfghanLivesMatter on Twitter, alongside statements indicating a willing attitude in the conversation around resettling refugees.
"Putting aside the debate on the foreign policy decisions behind this going on in the West, it is heart-breaking to think about the future for those people of Afghanistan who wished to embrace the freedoms and rights that we value and promote in the Commonwealth," said the External Affairs Lead in official statements after the crisis in Afghanistan took hold.
"We should look to follow the coordinated efforts in the international community to prevent a humanitarian crisis engulfing Afghanistan to see what role, no matter how small, we as a community can play in that."
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