*This is purely an opinion piece, no information stated in this feature is claimed or portrayed to be fact (reminder to the UK government – because they tried fucking with this bill a few months back – free speech is a human right)*
Our government has a habit of distracting from their own malevolent, money-grabbing, oppressive behaviour (and the subsequent impact this has on the country) by shifting the blame onto society’s most vulnerable, asylum seekers. It’s no secret that the UK’s mainstream media reputation for being ‘unbiased’ is questionable, 2020 lifted the veil as TikTok came into its own, and we were able to see what was actually happening on the ground during social movements and demonstrations.
Between the BBC cutting a clip out of context, framing Black Lives Matter protesters as aggressive after a police car in NY rammed into a crowd during a peaceful march and the ITV’s verbal assault on Jeremy Corbin (a man who has been campaigning for underprivileged people since he was 18) compared to the This Morning’s selfie with bigot and racist Boris Johnson who referred to black people as ‘pickininnies with watermelon smiles’ and compared Muslim women who wear the burka and niqab to ‘post boxes’, as far as questioning their integrity goes, let’s just say notions of political parties using our mainstream media to manipulate the UK public are no longer considered ‘conspiracy’ amongst the masses.
For anyone who doesn’t have the emotional maturity or critical thinking skills to understand that getting into a rubber dinghy with your children knowing they might die on the way, isn’t an option any parent would take lightly, unless the alternative was far worse, may perhaps understand that if the MPs in Parliament stopped voting to bomb their homelands, funding wars in the Middle East, or in the case of Palestine, continuing to supply weapons to aid Israel’s genocide, then our brothers and sisters across the world wouldn’t be displaced to begin with. Living in a world where empathy and mourning for the loss these human beings have suffered isn’t the first thing felt is frankly soul destroying…
Those still struggling to get their head around this, we’ll put it simply, asylum seekers are not the enemy, the out-of-touch millionaires pocketing your taxes and keeping us all crushed under a capitalist system, so they can suck every penny out of you for their own benefit are, being Prime Minister is no longer about ‘looking out for the people’ it has become wholly about power.
As a result of years of divisive politics, demonisation and dehumanisation of asylum seekers, most recently from MPs including Rishi Sunak, Suella Braverman and let’s not forget Kier Stamer, our lesser of two evils prime minister and so-called ‘human rights’ lawyer who continues to arm Israel and indirectly murder more Palestinians, riots have broken out across the country this week with Tommy-Robbinson-supporting-far righters attacking Mosques, pulling hijabs from Muslim women’s heads and inflicting life-threatening acts of violence on people of colour.
The Riots started after fake news spread rapidly online that the suspect in Monday’s knife attack at a children’s dance class in Southport was a radical Muslim migrant (who was in fact a Christian born in the UK). Using the heartbreaking death of three innocent children to justify their violence, the gang of white supremacists (or if we’re calling them what they actually are ‘terrorists’, who have been egged on by the UK government’s barbaric treatment and approach to refugees from the Bibby Stockholm Asylum Barge to their vicious Rwanda plan, set fire to two hotels housing vulnerable asylum seekers.
Enough is enough, if you aren’t already, speak out, sign petitions, write to your MP, attend anti-racism marches (where safe to do so), Support organisations that work with asylum seekers, refugees and marginalised people, take part in online activism and counteracting hateful rhetoric with a welcoming attitude to refugees. Find more resources and ways to help via the links below courtesy of The Big Issue…
Anti-Racism Marches
Stay up to date with standuptoracism.org.uk for updates on when anti-racism protests are happening in your area – anyone considering attending be sure to prioritise your safety. If you believe you may be unsafe at any point during the demonstrations, don’t attend – you can always support another way!
Support organisations working with asylum seekers, refugees and marginalised people
Depending on the organisation, volunteering, donating money or simply sharing their posts on social media to spread awareness are all ways you can contribute, organisations doing incredible work include:
Also, be sure to look out for local refugee support groups in your location and spread the word with anyone who needs support during the process.
Avoid sharing fake news by doing your research
Disinformation was a catalyst in the riots currently happening across the country, back up any information you’re planning to re-share online with a reliable before hitting repost.
Share positivity and openly welcome refugees
Whether this is with friends, family, colleagues or your online community, share positivity and openly welcome refugees in conversations with your circle to counteract the hateful rhetoric or take a more direct approach by participating in Refugee Action’s Welcoming Messages, where people can write words of kindness and solidarity to welcome people who have come to the UK to seek safety.