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'Little Amal' completes 8000km migrant journey across Europe

Giant puppet 'Little Amal' completes 8000km migrant journey in Manchester
World
2 min read
05 November, 2021
The puppet of a ten-year-old Syrian girl arrived in the northern city after completing her walk from Turkey to the UK to highlight the plight of refugees.
Little Amal completed her journey in Manchester after leaving Gazientep near the Turkish-Syrian border last July [Getty]

A completed its 8000km journey from to the northwestern English city of  on Wednesday, after aiming to highlight the plight of refugees.

Little Amal, the three-metre tall figure representing an unaccompanied minor and , took the last steps of her walk with Manchester's International Festival, which hosted her finale at Castlefield Bowl.

This comes four months after the puppet left Gazientep near the Turkish-Syrian border last July, on a mission to complete a journey taken by over 17,000 people wishing to seek refuge in Europe this year alone.

"Thousands welcomed Little Amal to Manchester last night, where she found her new home," Little Amal's team said .

"Little Amal, you are safe now in Manchester... the place where people understand why you left your country and why we should give you protection... [as Manchester has] been the refuge for thousands from different countries who had to flee for their safety," Dr Haytham Alhamwi, the manager of refugee-focused charity , said at the finale.

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The giant doll, operated by a team of eight puppeteers, has an entourage of around 30 people who have navigated Covid travel restrictions in order to successfully complete the journey.

They began in Turkey, travelling through Greece, Italy, Switzerland, , Belgium and France before on 19 October. 

Little Amal will now head to Glasgow to attend , the United Nations' 2021 Climate Change Conference, where she will open the Gender Day event 'Advancing Gender Equality in Climate Action’ on Tuesday to emphasises that "migrant justice = climate justice".