More than 200 refugee organisations, charities and trade unions have signed an open letter calling on the UK's political leaders to end the “pernicious and insidious currents” of racism and hatred behind recent anti-migrant protests.
The letter, coordinated by the Together With Refugees coalition, was sent to party leaders on Monday and signed by groups including Amnesty International UK, Oxfam, Refugee Action and Safe Passage. It follows weeks of demonstrations outside asylum seeker hotels, often met by counter-protests.
The protests have taken place amid inflammatory language from senior politicians. The letter states that “anti-refugee protests across the country have been distressing to witness” and that the “currents of racism and hatred” are glaring evidence of a failing system. It urges leaders to “end the divisive politics, racist rhetoric and demonising language of the past.”
Recent examples include claims by Conservative MP Robert Jenrick that mass migration endangers women and girls, and by Reform UK that migrants from Muslim countries pose a threat. Both have been disputed or debunked. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has said he regretted a speech warning Britain could become an “island of strangers.”
Sonya Sceats, chief executive of Freedom from Torture, said survivors of torture arriving in the UK were being made to “feel hunted again” by politician-whipped hatred. Jo Benefield from Bristol Defend the Asylum Seekers Campaign said counter-protesters in Bristol had outnumbered anti-refugee demonstrators by eight to one on Saturday, with about 400 people showing solidarity.
Tim Naor Hilton, chief executive of Refugee Action, said “vicious and relentless attacks” on asylum seekers using “age-old racist tropes and shoddy data” must stop now. He called for building on public support to create “truly resilient and welcoming communities.”
