Two demonstrations will go ahead this Saturday (June 11), one in the city centre and another in Keynsham.

Bristol Defend Asylum Seekers Campaign (BDASC) return to The Fountains on St Augustine’s Parade to protest Priti Patel’s plan to relocate refugees and asylum seekers to Rwanda.

Demonstrators will gather from 1pm to hear speeches against deportations, the first of which is expected to take place next week with 30 asylum seekers expected to be flown to Rwanda on June 14.

That flight may be delayed, however, due to legal challenges to the Rwanda plan by groups such as Detention Action, Freedom From Torture and the civil service union the PCS.

Read more about BDASC’s previous demos here.

Meanwhile over in Keynsham, XR groups from Keynsham, Bristol and Bath will come together for a rally and march drawing together the twin issues of the climate and ecological emergency and the cost of living crisis affecting us all today.

A Facebook event page says that we face a cost of living crisis, a health crisis, species and habitat loss. The organisers say they want inspirational leadership from politicians, but are instead met with plans to extract ever more North Sea oil.

They say: ‘The wealth and prosperity gap got SO much wider during Covid – we ALL suffer so that a very small number of billionaires can achieve personal space flights?

‘This isn’t inspirational – it’s actual madness!’

The rally will begin at 9.45am in Keynsham Park at the bandstand.

Speakers include Dr Gail Bradbrook, XR co-founder, Professor Colin Davis, University of Bristol, Maggie Mason, Global Justice Now, and Theo Simon, a trade unionist.

Find full details at the Facebook event here.

Feature image: Robert J Browne.