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Dispelling the myths: Refugees and the media debate comes to Liverpool
Friday 16 June 2006
A public debate about the relationship between the media and asylum seekers and refugees will take place in Liverpool on Wednesday June 21st.
BBC Radio Merseyside presenter Roger Phillips will chair a panel of experts following the BBC Question Time format. The experts will include Chris Walker, Managing Editor of the Liverpool Post and Echo, Gordon Hurd, an exiled journalist from Cameroon and Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at the national charity Refugee Action.
The debate, organised by Refugee Action in partnership with the Writing on the Wall Festival (WOW), will focus on the issues surrounding refugees in the media, how refugees can get their voices heard and how the media influences their lives in the UK. It takes place during national Refugee Week, which runs from Monday June 19th, and celebrates the contribution refugees make to the UK.
A short film by Carl Hunter, entitled Pulling Down Roots will also be shown. This features stories from teachers, headmasters, agriculturalists, builders and designers who are seeking sanctuary in England, and was produced by Refugee Action’s Family Refugee Support Project.
Lee Omar, at Refugee Action Liverpool, said: “Issues surrounding refugees and asylum seekers are hotly debated in the media on a daily basis and we felt that an event like this bringing refugees and the host community together would be in keeping with the spirit of Refugee Week.
“We hope this event will be an opportunity for people to get their voice heard, to examine local and national media coverage and look at how the media and refugees can work together in the future.”
The event is open to the public and will take place at Blackburne House, Blackburne Place in Liverpool, L8, between 6pm and 8.30pm. Admission is free and refreshments will be served. For more information call WOW on 0151 707 4313 or Lee Omar 0151 702 6307 or at leeo@refugee-action.org.uk.
ENDS
For more information, or to request an interview, please call Julia Ravenscroft, press officer at Refugee Action, on 0161 233 1956 or 07810 757 752 (out of hours).
Notes:
1. WOW is funded by The Culture Company and The Arts Council England. Merseyside Expanding Horizons are also supporting this event.
2. Refugee Action is an independent, national charity working to enable refugees to build new lives in the UK. We provide practical advice and assistance for newly arrived asylum seekers and long-term commitment to their settlement through community development work, and received 30,000 visits from asylum seekers last year. As one of the country’s leading agencies in the field, Refugee Action has 24 years’ experience in pioneering innovative work in partnership with refugees.
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