SIR: On behalf of the local Amnesty International group, I wish to thank everyone who took the time to talk to group members and sign our petition in the Town Hall Square on Saturday June 21.

We are currently highlighting the hardships and prejudice faced by the world's 15 million refugees.

In the past, our country has prided itself on how it treated people who sought asylum from desperate circumstances in their homelands. We have acknowledged the enormous contribution made by refugees to our society.

More recently, though, there has been a hardening of attitudes and refugees are seen simply as a problem.

No-one chooses to become a refugee; refugees are ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. In some cases, UK firms have supplied, and continue to supply, equipment which is used to commit human rights violations. These are the "extraordinary circumstances" which drive people from their homes, their loved ones and all that is familiar to them; fleeing to an uncertain future.

Thanks again to all those who support Amnesty International's work to prevent human rights abuses, wherever they occur. If anyone would like to know more about the local group, they can contact me on 0161 799 4306.

Mary McBride

Walkden Road, Worsley

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