SCOTLAND has welcomed 16% of the total number of refugees fleeing to the UK from war-torn Syria.
A total of 21,100 Syrian refugees have resettled in the UK since 2014, with Scotland welcoming 3441 of them.
The Scottish Government accepted its 2000th Syrian refugee at the end of 2017 – meeting its target of resettling refugees three years ahead of schedule.
Last year, 650 refugees settled in communities around Scotland under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme (VPRS). The SNP said yesterday that the Government remained committed to ensuring Scotland remained “open, inclusive and welcoming”.
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“I am proud that Scotland is stepping up to our global responsibilities in tackling the refugee crisis, and supporting people forced to flee war and violence in their home country,” said SNP MSP Keith Brown.
“The resettlement programme is about ensuring Scotland remains an open, inclusive and welcoming country, and helping families in desperate need to build secure lives and feel valued in their communities.
“By contrast, the UK Government has neglected its responsibilities – instead choosing to ramp up their anti-immigrant policies and reject proposals to protect child refugees. The SNP remains determined to do all we can to help those who have fled the horrors of war.”
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