Syrian restaurant lauded after offer to lawyers who stopped UK-Rwanda flight

Imad's Syrian Kitchen made its offer of free meals on social media after court ruling

Imad’s Syrian Kitchen in central London offered free meals to lawyers who helped to stop a deportation flight to Rwanda.

A Syrian restaurant in London has been inundated with messages of support after offering free meals to human rights lawyers who helped halt a flight of refugees destined for Rwanda.

A last-minute legal ruling by the European Court of Human Rights on Tuesday scuppered the UK Home Office's controversial plan to fly asylum seekers to the east African nation. The court raised concerns that migrants would be at risk of ill-treatment if they were sent to Rwanda.

A Twitter account belonging to Imad's Syrian Kitchen thanked the lawyers who worked on the case and said it would offer a “free dinner” and a “plus one” to the team involved.

Social media users sent a deluge of messages in response to the post, which has been liked and shared thousands of times.

One person said they had worked to help the refugees but said they were happy to pay for their meal in recognition of the restaurant's solidarity with refugees.

Another said they would donate to the restaurant to help cover the costs of their free food offer, while another poster said the move was an “extraordinary act of commitment”.

Imad's Syrian Kitchen is owned by Imad Alarnab, a former restaurateur from Damascus who was forced to flee his home country in 2015 amid conflict. After leaving his homeland, he made the perilous voyage to the UK as a refugee in 2016 after crossing through Lebanon and getting to Calais in France.

Mr Alarnab established his Soho restaurant in 2021 and has since earned a loyal following with Londoners and earned rave reviews from food critics.

He has long supported migrants and works closely with the Choose Love (formerly Help Refugees) movement, which helps raise funds to support refugees.

His pop-up restaurants have also raised funds for various charitable initiatives — from helping young people start their own careers, to the homeless in London and a hospital in northern Aleppo.