Last week, the charity City of Sanctuary announced recipients of its “Sanctuary Awards programme”, which “recognises and celebrates the organisations and institutions who go above and beyond to foster welcome, understanding and opportunity”. One of these was the University of Cambridge, now an accredited “University of Sanctuary” – something that the institution has been keen to show off on its website.
On the surface, the accreditation makes Cambridge (and any others receiving a “Sanctuary Award”) look kind and compassionate. The university’s webpage about its award has a photograph of a handful of refugees, making the City of Sanctuary programme look as if it helps a manageable number of people, not (in reality) being designed to turn the UK into an open-border state.
