A GROUP of campaigners from York will join thousands of others from across the country in a Refugees Welcome Here march in London this weekend.

The march is taking place ahead of two major UN summits in New York on Monday, Sept ember 19, and Tuesday, September, 20, when world leaders will meet to discuss the refugee crisis.

Groups from ActionAid, Amnesty International and Refugee Action York will travel to the capital on Saturday, to join demonstrations ahead of the crucial summits.

Wendi Bennett-Singh, an ActionAid organiser in York, said this month was a crucial moment for refugees. She added: “I’m joining this march because I want to show world leaders that refugees are welcome here. A year ago, shocked by the images of Alan Kurdi – the three-year-old who drowned in the Mediterranean Sea – more than 100,000 people marched through Central London to show their support for a better deal for refugees.

“We will demand that the UK does more to welcome refugees, to respect the rights of people on the move, and to tackle migration’s root causes: conflict, climate change and inequality.”

Anyone from York who wants to join the march can contact actionaidyork@gmail.com. Information is also on the Facebook event page “Refugees Welcome Here 2016”.

York-based charity Refugee Action York is also backing the protect. The organisation helps asylum seekers, refugees and migrants in York, and wants to raise awareness of their plight in the UK and overseas.

The group’s chairman Sally Bourton said they supported the march and wanted to show that refugees are welcome in York.