Vicars furious as group grounded
Jan 7 2008 by Chris Robinson, The Journal
CHURCH leaders in the North have hit out after a party of young Africans en-route to the North-East were turned away just minutes before their flight.
The Reverend Rob Bianchi, who is executive officer of the Durham-Lesotho Link, said he was disgusted at the way the group, who were to enjoy a religious retreat, were treated by officials with airline Emirates during a connection in Dubai.
The party from Lesotho were due to visit the diocese on a two-week trip, meeting schoolchildren and exchanging stories of their culture.
But after changing at Dubai International Airport from Johannesburg, they were told they could not board the outbound flight to Newcastle.
Mr Bianchi, 51, and his wife, the Reverend Margaret Bianchi, also 51, have now launched an appeal to allow the group into the country.
He said: “We feel absolutely devastated. These were 12 people who were invited to come here legally.
“We are not going to stop here because we think this has been an injustice.
“All of their paperwork was in order but something was said about them not having visas. However, people from Lesotho don’t need visas for entry into the UK.
“It appears that the issue is now a political one.
“The British Government is encouraging schools to have a wider understanding of the global situation and of different cultures to understand about the developing world.”
The project has linked the dioceses of Lesotho and Durham for 21 years. Youngsters from schools in the North-East also visit the South African village to carry out aid work.
The trip cost the diocese £7,500 for flights and insurance.
A spokesman for the Home Office said last night they could not comment on individual cases.
He added: “Nationals of Lesotho who want to visit the UK for a period of six months or less do not require a visa.
“However, they do have to satisfy the immigration officer or the airline liaison officer on arrival in the UK.
“If they do fail to satisfy the immigration officer they can be refused entry.”
An Emirates spokesman added: “We were concerned to hear about the situation regarding the Mission from Lesotho. We are continuing to look into this to establish why the group were unable to continue their journey from Dubai to the UK.”
