Resist the Government’s Rhetoric: Asylum seekers are welcome here

With the Conservative party mounting increasing attacks on asylum seekers, Bella Cross argues that Lineker makes a fair comparison, and the UK is on a path towards increasing fascism.

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CN: Discussion of racism, xenophobia

If there are two things British people love, it's football and reality TV. I’ve enjoyed following the “Match of the Day drama” as much as anyone, but frankly I am sick of footballers having to do what the opposition front bench should be doing. Not long ago it was Marcus Rashford who forced the government to U-turn on their slashing of free school meals. We’ve now seen both Gary Lineker call out the violent rhetoric being peddled by the government regarding asylum seekers and refugees, drawing a parallel between that and 1930s Germany, and John Barnes highlight the hierarchy of “worthiness” of asylum seekers. Ultimately, the current behaviour and rhetoric of this government shows that we shouldn’t shy away from calling out fascist rhetoric when we hear it. 

Why would Lineker make such a claim? Michael Walker made the point that the demand for perfect historical accuracy in public commentary is essentially exclusionary, and I think there is something in that. But in this instance Lineker is entirely correct to make this comparison. Language like “Stop the boats”; the implication that migrants are rapists and paedophiles, or criminals and members of gangs; that there are “waves” coming; that these people are “illegal”. These things have been voiced by our own home secretary and come directly out of the fascist playbook - and it's plain to see how inflammatory such comments are. What is abundantly clear is that the desire by the right to control the public perception of fascism as this very contained historical event is simply a fallacy. In the UK, there has been a strong mobilisation of the far right that is terrifying to live through, and must be resisted. 

It was first announced that people arriving by boat would be “swiftly detained and removed”, but in a new and increasingly disturbing update, Sunak took to twitter to announce that “if you come to the UK illegally, you will be denied access to the UK’s modern slavery system”. The UNHCR voiced concerns nearly a year ago that “critical gaps in the UK asylum system mean that people seeking safety – including those fleeing modern slavery – may be at risk of potential exploitation”. Now it seems a giant chasm has been carved in these pre-existing gaps, only exacerbating the potential for abuse of vulnerable peoples. It seems that the lengths to which the government will go to win votes includes effectively legalising slavery. 

These are classic electoral tactics for a desperate government. With people facing the biggest loss in spending power in 70 years, 1 in 5 people in poverty, and the NHS in crisis after 13 years of deliberate underfunding, the only tool left for the government is to draw on these genuine grievances and the suffering of people, and to push the blame elsewhere. For the Tories, this means starting a culture war against trans people, and obsessing over immigration. One of the reasons this has been somewhat successful is that it has been accompanied by a deliberate mishandling of asylum cases, causing a backlog that is creating tensions where there otherwise wouldn’t be. The movement of people in hotels from metropolitan areas to smaller towns, where their visibility is increased and there is a greater strain on resources, is a deliberate tactic to encourage backlash. With the far right mobilising and targeting hotels known to be housing asylum seekers, those living inside are now afraid to leave their rooms for fear of abuse and violence.

The current system is constructed to ensure both that the processing of claims is slow, and to prevent the integration of people into their local communities. Whilst 110,000 people are currently waiting six months or more for their claim to be processed in hotels, the system of processing claims is also undergoing changes to make this process more difficult. Instead of interviews (which are not without flaws in themselves), people will now be expected to fill in a 10-page questionnaire in English. An already complicated and inhumane system is therefore becoming even more complicated for asylum seekers to navigate. And ultimately, the conditions in which these people are expected to live are deplorable, with people essentially incarcerated within these hotels. There have been reports of people being prevented from leaving when attempting to go on a walk, or to pray. The majority of people are also not allowed to work whilst awaiting the results of their claim, and so are prevented from integrating into their local communities in this way. 

Let us not forget also that there are no safe and legal routes for the majority of asylum seekers, so this situation is entirely manufactured. For anyone forcibly displaced, fleeing war and persecution, barring people from Ukraine and Hong Kong, or the limited routes for people from Afghanistan, your only choice is to make the journey by foot and on a boat. But even if these “legal” routes were available for all (as they should be), if someone were to arrive by an alternative means, it still shouldn’t matter. We have an obligation, particularly as a country that has played a major role in the destabilisation of many countries - whether historically as a colonial power, or in recent military interventions like in Iraq - to care for those who seek refuge here. And we should feel compelled to have compassion for everyone here. 

Therefore, whilst I care that the BBC is becoming a propaganda arm of the Conservative Party under the leadership of Tim Davie, former Tory candidate and now Director General, and Richard Sharp, chairman, who personally loaned Boris Johnson £800,000, or non-executive director Robbie Gibb who was communications officer for Theresa May, my greatest concern remains the immediate welfare of those seeking asylum. Our energy in resisting this violence cannot rely on Labour, who have already backed plans to  tag asylum seekers. Instead, asylum seekers themselves are leading local movements for their own rights and the improvement of their living conditions, including hunger strikes against inadequate food, and resisted removals. They are also finding ways to volunteer in their local communities. Additionally, there are many amazing local organisations working to advocate for migrants rights and support their welfare. But the UK is on a dangerous path towards increasing authoritarianism, in which violent racism and the far right are being emboldened. We have to learn a few things from this: never accept the terms of debate of the government, organise within your communities to protect asylum seekers, and, in the current political climate, it is more important than ever to have empathy for all people.