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 defend you. Rioting is not the way.
The only thing bringing me hope? The thousands of counter-demonstrators out on Wednesday night. That showed a different, more positive side of Britain. The contributor is a west African asylum seeker living in London I was in the Rotherham hotel when it was attacked – the other asylum seekers and I were terrified.
Thankfully, we’ve now been moved and the police are protecting us. I used to think Britain was a safe and peaceful country, but my impression has changed. I made the journey to Britain four months ago and arrived on a small boat from France.
I’m from Afghanistan, where I used to work in the US army barracks with my brother and cousin, but we were scared the Taliban would want retribution and so left together. They are in Iran but I made the journey here. The far right try to say we are all criminals.
Of course there are a small minority of asylum seekers who are criminals – like in any group – but it doesn’t make any sense to say we are all like that. It just isn’t true. How are we in any way responsible for the deaths of the girls in Southport? All of us in the hotel were very, very upset when we heard about how they were killed and lots of us were crying.
I am deeply grateful to Britain. My life was saved by the NHS only weeks ago. I was diagnosed with tuberculosis and had to have my lungs drained.
I was so close to dying but the doctors saved me and I am so grateful to them. I want to work, study and pay taxes in the UK and give back to the country. Everyone who treated me in the hospital looked after me so well and made me want to give back.
Whether it is manual work or in an office, I don’t care – I want to give back. The contributor is an Afghan asylum seeker The recent riots and waves of hatred are pushing refugees into isolation, forcing them further into closed-off communities with limited opportunities for integration. I sought refuge in the UK because I believed in the principles of freedom, democracy and peace that Britain represents.
But witnessing this violence, I am left questioning whether there is any place left in the world that truly respects human rights. As a journalist, when the riots began I was keen to report on the events. However, I was unable to approach and document what was happening due to the colour of my skin, despite wearing my press ID.
It felt like being back in the Middle East, where journalists face constant danger. The media has played a significant role in shaping the narratives around migration. Unfortunately, recent depictions of refugees as “economic migrants” are far from the reality.
When I left my homeland, losing my culture and the ability to speak my language, it did not feel like a choice but a painful necessity. Among the refugees are doctors, engineers, scientists and journalists such as myself who led stable and successful lives until we were forced to flee to survive. Much of the far-right violence was directed towards hotels housing migrants, but I do not know a single refugee who wishes to remain in these facilities.
Refugees can remain in hotels for very long periods, sometimes extending to years, unable to work and without genuine opportunities to learn anything, including the language. This leaves them detached from British society, its laws, customs and requirements for success. We do not want luxuries, or even pity from local communities – just the opportunities to succeed once again.
The contributor is an asylum seeker from the Middle East living in Manchester. He works as a journalist From 2010 to 2018, I lived in darkness as an asylum seeker, having fled torture in a war-torn country. Arriving in the UK at 17, knowing no one and unable to speak English, I faced homelessness and relied on food banks and support networks.
Despite these hardships, I turned my pain into motivation, studying law to help other asylum seekers and refugees. As a person of colour and a refugee, the far-right riots in the UK evoke an extreme sense of anxiety and fear. These riots threaten the values of diversity, inclusion and safety that many of us seek when we arrive here.
My family and I now feel unsafe leaving our house, a fear that reminds me of the persecution in my home country. For those fleeing conflict and persecution in search of safety and a second chance to rebuild our lives, these riots remind us that equality and safety are still battles to be fought. The sight of far-right extremists taking to the streets with racist and Islamophobic rhetoric is deeply distressing.
After years of misrepresentation and scapegoating of migrants by far-right politicians, the riots make it harder for us to feel a sense of belonging. They remind us that there are segments of society that do not welcome us simply because of our skin colour or our status as sanctuary seekers. However, it’s important to remember that the actions of the far right do not represent the views of all British people, as the counter-demonstrations on Wednesday showed.
Many people in the UK stand in solidarity with refugees and people of colour, advocating for justice, equality and human rights. These actions offer hope and a reminder that most of the population values diversity and is willing to fight against racism in all its forms. The contributor is a Sri Lankan refugee living in South Yorkshire For refugee and migrant communities, the scenes of asylum accommodation set alight in Rotherham and widespread destruction by the far right, have been terrifying and deeply traumatising.
Even if the direct threat of the riots appears to be diminishing, the situation will remain precarious for people who are afraid to stay in their accommodation and could still be subject to racial harassment and physical attacks. The unfortunate reality is that these communities have long been familiar with attacks to their safety, security and wellbeing, many fleeing war and persecution before contending with the labyrinth of chaos that is the Home Office. People who have moved here for work or to be with loved ones, are equally mistreated by “hostile environment” policies.
The sad truth is that the system is designed to treat all migrants with hostility. But life is especially tough for refugees seeking asylum: they are housed in out-of-use hotels or former military sites and are isolated from the community, in shocking conditions, unable to work, restricted in their movement and with limited access to support and legal advice. The past week has shown the need for vigilance against far-right threats.
But we must also realise that the anti-migrant feeling didn’t come from nowhere. When from the top down, our policies treat migrants as “other”, and the government uses them as a scapegoat for policy failures in housing, public services and the economy, the prejudice inevitably filters down. That is why it is so important that we as a country choose to treat people who come here with respect and decency.
Minnie Rahman is chief executive of the migrant and refugee charity Praxis Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here ..
