I am an asylum seeker from west Africa and have been in limbo for nearly two decades now. My life is just waiting before another refusal. Waiting, refusal; waiting, refusal.
It is hard not to take these things personally. “Why do they not believe me,” I often think to myself. The whole process has been exhausting physically and mentally.
I arrived before the 2010 election, have followed politics closely ever since and it is clear to me these riots are a result of Tory party rhetoric and policy. David Cameron said he would bring immigration down; Theresa May commissioned “go home” vans ; Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak also indulged in anti-immigrant slogans ; Suella Braverman talked of an asylum seeker “invasion” – the Tories have always fed the people with nasty rhetoric. And as my case shows, the system they have created doesn’t even function well.
GB News and newspapers such as the Daily Mail are also to blame. From reading or watching these outlets you might get the impression that asylum seekers are treated like royalty: lots of money, nice accommodation and free phones. But that isn’t the truth.
You receive about £50 a week and life is hard. The atmosphere in the country is really terrifying. I volunteer with other asylum seekers at a repair show but was told to go home early on Wednesday in case we were attacked.
These rioters – I don’t understand them. Destroying shops, fighting against the police, and then tomorrow you need the same police to def.