A 'graveyard' of refugees' lifejackets has been placed outside the Houses of Parliament
LONDON -- Parliament Square has been transformed into a "lifejacket graveyard," as international leaders gather at the United Nations migration summit in New York. In an attempt to remind the world of the risks refugees take to reach safety, 2,500 lifejackets -- 625 of which were worn by children -- were placed on the doorstep of the UK government. Dozens of volunteers gathered in Parliament Square at 5 a.m. on Sept. 19 to unload a lorry containing thousands of lifejackets to create the "graveyard".
The lifejackets, which were worn by refugees on the crossing from Turkey to the Greek island of Chios, represent the experiences and struggles of those who travelled the treacherous stretch of sea.
"These lifejacket -- in the UK for the first time -- are a visual reminder of the suffering and risks hundreds of thousands of refugees have endured, and of the need for a concerted international response, responsibility sharing and secure pathways," read a statement sent to Mashable from installation organiser Snappin' Turtle Productions.
In 2016 in the Mediterranean, 3,212 migrants and refugees have died at sea, with deaths occurring more frequently this year than in 2015, according to the most recent figures reported by the International Organization for Migration.
The installation -- which was supported by refugee charities -- intends to remind leaders of "the need for solidarity with refugees" and to encourage "international responsibility sharing," according to a statement sent to Mashable.
Refugee charity Women for Refugee Women spent the morning of Sept. 19 among the 2,500 lifejackets, reflecting on the lost lives they represent, a spokesperson told Mashable.
“On the day of the UN refugee summit in New York, we ask the politicians: how many more people have to die at sea?" the spokesperson said.
The installation will be dismantled on the evening of Sept. 19.
Rachel Thompson is the Features Editor at Mashable. Rachel's second non-fiction book The Love Fix: Reclaiming Intimacy in a Disconnected World is out now, published by Penguin Random House in Jan. 2025. The Love Fix explores why dating feels so hard right now, why we experience difficult emotions in the realm of love, and how we can change our dating culture for the better.
A leading sex and dating writer in the UK, Rachel has written for GQ, The Guardian, The Sunday Times Style, The Telegraph, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, Stylist, ELLE, The i Paper, Refinery29, and many more.
Rachel's first book Rough: How Violence Has Found Its Way Into the Bedroom And What We Can Do About It, a non-fiction investigation into sexual violence was published by Penguin Random House in 2021.
