Green leaders welcome Romanians and Bulgarians arriving in Britain today

1 January 2014

AS Romanians and Bulgarians achieved full rights to live and work in the UK, Natalie Bennett, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, offered them a warm welcome.

Bennett said: "As flights and buses arriving today showed, many Romanians and Bulgarians have been living in Britain for years.

"But we should also be welcoming new arrivals, just as Britons arriving in France, Spain and other European states find themselves welcomed.

"It's time to end the toxic immigration debate and acknowledge that whether they are nurses and doctors coming to work in the NHS, computer game designers or building workers, Romanians and Bulgarians, as with other immigrants, will be contributing to our society. 

“Some will settle, some will only be here for a few years, and they reflect the mobile nature of life in the modern world which enriches all of our lives.”

Bennett’s response reflected that of Maggie Chapman, co-leader of the Scottish Green Party, who is also the party's lead candidate in this year's European elections.

Chapman tweeted her welcome to Romanians and Bulgarians while watching the New Year fireworks from Calton Hill in the capital: “Happy new year, one and all. And welcome Romanians and Bulgarians to the UK! #openborders”

 

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