“As the daughter of migrants who have previously faced violence and persecution, I am all too conscious of the consequences of pandering to racists.”
By Apsana Begum
The Tories’ latest horrendous attack on migrant rights means that asylum seekers may now be relocated to Rwanda.
Quite rightly, this has been condemned by both national and international organisations that defend human rights, anti-racist campaigners, religious groups, and the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR). In fact, Amnesty International have raised fears over the state of human rights in Rwanda, and the treatment of political dissidents and refugees there.
From an amnesty for undocumented migrants to ending the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) policy to the closure of immigration detention centres: we have long needed an approach to migration that prioritises people’s lives and dignity and ensures safe and legal routes.
Instead, many across the political establishment continue to churn out the “Stop the Boats” rhetoric which will not just fail to prevent people having to resort to dangerous boat crossing but is fundamental a part of fostering division and bigotry.
Meanwhile, the recent news that five people, including a young girl, died while trying to cross the English Channel in a small boat is just devastating – a reminder of the fundamental point that most people in small boats are men, women and children escaping immense suffering, being some of the most persecuted people on Earth. They are forced into risking their lives because there are no safe routes to the UK. Indeed, we know the reasons that people from countries such as Afghanistan, Eritrea, Iran, Sudan, or Syria are displaced.
Desperate attempts by people to seek a better life is, of course, directly connected to imperialism and war driven by the foreign policy interests of the UK and other Western countries that have established and entrenched global inequality. Yet the UK continues to sell arms to countries such as Israel to be used to target civilians and civilian infrastructure, and create mass displacement.
In fact, migration has always been central in shaping the UK and beyond. The history of humanity is actually the history of successive migrations. My constituency is one of the most diverse areas in the entire country and has been for many many years. Our diversity is something we celebrate as it enriches our lives.
However, there is no doubt that the rise in the far right, along with soaring levels of racism, is frightening. Radical anti-immigrant and far-right rhetoric – the cynical and dangerous use of scapegoating to divide people – is dangerous and risks our future. As the daughter of migrants who have previously faced violence and persecution, I am all too conscious of the consequences of pandering to racists.
Recently I attended the launch of Channel 4 documentary series Defiance, an excellent documentary focused on resistance to racism and fascism in the 1970s. Such stories of popular resistance continue to inspire us today.
Whether it is the Bangladeshi community standing up and leading the anti-fascist fightback on Brick Lane following the murder of Altab Ali in 1978, or the Jewish community who came together in the battle of Cable Street in 1936 to stand up to Oswald Mosley, in East London we will never let our communities be divided or targeted.
- Apsana Begum is the MP for Poplar and Limehouse and a regular contributor to Labour Outlook. You can follow Apsana on Facebook, Twitter/X and Instagram.
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