Hove school stages vigil after girl's asylum claim rejected

The "touching” vigil was held in the chapel, at Cardinal Newman Catholic School in Hove where Ann Bashir is studying for her GCSEs.

The vigil was held to show solidarity with the 16-year-old and her family. They fled Sudan in 2020, fearing they could be killed or imprisoned due to their religious and political beliefs.

Students gathered in the school's chapel (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

The vigil was organised by student leaders and staff at Cardinal Newman to raise awareness of her situation, after it came to light that her claim for asylum in the UK was rejected.

Since Ann left Sudan with her mother and sister, they have not heard from her father. He is now presumed dead or imprisoned.

Joseph Burman, a house captain at Cardinal Newman, said: “The vigil brought us all together to show our support for Ann, and now we must use that support to make a point.

“Every human deserves freedom and education, and we won’t let this be stripped from our friend.

“We are going to keep fighting every minute of every day to do everything we can to protect this member of our community."

On Friday, a petition was launched to raise awareness of her case. It has recieved nearly 4,000 signatures at the time of writing.

Georgia Neale in front of the candlelit vigil (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

One of the teachers at the forefront of the campaign is Georgia Neale.

She said: “Students don’t come along to things like this because teachers tell them to.

“There is something about Ann and her family that has touched so many people.

“People are so supportive in our community, but it is so much more than that.

“Tonight was particularly overwhelming for Ann, as every single face in the chapel she knows – and they came here for her.

“This was a peaceful protest. This is what she wanted.”

Students lit candles and brought them to the front of the chapel in a procession of light.

Georgia added: “It provides a sense of calm and prayer.

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“She is part of the Coptic faith which is very similar to the Catholic faith, and for her it is vey important that she has this spiritual aspect.

“This is the first vigil of many.”

Ann has a commute to school of over three hours each day, after she was relocated to a house in Tower Hamlets, near London last November.

Students laid candles (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Among those attending was Green Councillor Hannah Albrooke, deputy leader of Brighton and Hove City Council. She said: “In Brighton and Hove, we are the city of sanctuary.

“We welcome asylum seekers and refugees, and as a city and community we do everything we can to support them.

“That community was visible here today.

“You have my support and my party’s support. We will be fighting your corner.”

Fifteen-year-old Otega Hugbo, in Year 11 was an outspoken figure at the vigil. He said: “We were able to gather almost her whole year group, to show that we are all behind Ann and here for her.

“The main objective is to stop her deportation, so everything we are doing is to send a powerful message.”

Principal Claire Jarman in the school's chapel (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Principal of Cardinal Newman, Claire Jarman was also present to show her support.

She said: “We had to restrict the vigil to year 11s, it was going to be too busy. We could have filled it ten times over.

“The vigil is Catholic social teaching in action. It’s all about understanding what is right and wrong and fighting for it.

“The students came out of solidarity. They came out of a sense of injustice. They came out of a sense of want, to help the community.

“The candles signified hope. There were mixed emotions in the room, as we are all really proud of doing something which we shouldn’t have to do.”

“We have shared her story to amplify her voice, but we also need to remember that every time we share her story, we are sharing her trauma.”

This is the first of many events set to take place to shine a light on Ann’s story and highlight the community’s anger at her situation. Vigils are set to take place at other schools and colleges within the city, including at Brighton University, where her sister studies.