The British authorities decided to follow the example of other countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia, and give this procedure a more solemn tone. "The oath-taking ceremony is intended to be deeply symbolic. Of course, some may disagree with it, but let them consider that the oath to the Queen is the inevitable price for obtaining citizenship. This day should become special and memorable for new subjects," says Deputy Home Secretary Lord Rooker, who was in charge of developing the project.
During the ceremony, new citizens must swear to respect the rights, freedoms and democratic values of the United Kingdom. In Wales and Scotland, local anthems will apparently be played as musical accompaniment.
In the capital, newly minted citizens are given a certificate and a medal; in other parts of Britain, the ceremony is planned to have a local flavor. In Cornwall, for example, new citizens will be given a badge with a Celtic cross, and in Wales, a certificate with the image of the Union Jack and the Welsh dragon.
However, not everyone agrees with exactly how the ceremony for initiation into British citizenship is conducted. "When I was a member of parliament, I proposed a different kind of oath — like the one you take in court: 'I swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.' But now the very idea that immigrants arriving here should renounce what they lived before and swear allegiance to something new seems to me outdated — only fundamentalists think that way, for whom all who are not with them are strangers and infidels," says Labour politician Tony Benn.
Every year, 90,000 immigrants receive British citizenship. Sixteen people who arrived in Britain from India, Afghanistan, New Zealand and Poland were invited to the first-ever ceremony in the London borough of Brent. "My children were born in London, they grow up and are brought up here, so it is also important for me to become a citizen of this country," says Palvasha Sharifi, who came to London with her husband from Afghanistan in the 1990s.
The ceremony, by the way, is not free and costs newly minted citizens 68 pounds.
The institution of the solemn ceremony of the oath to the Queen takes place against the background of constant talk about the fate of Britain after May 1, when European countries will officially open their borders to residents of the 10 new EU member states. At the same time, the British government is clearly taking a course toward combating the flow of illegal immigrants. Recently, it was announced that there has been a significant decrease in the number of applications for refugee status.
In the near future, the British authorities also plan to introduce an exam for those who submit documents for citizenship. What specific knowledge will be tested on it remains unclear, but most likely the project developers will follow the beaten path of the United States. There, future Americans must pass a test on knowledge of the English language, as well as the history of the United States of America.