NON TO HOT AIR - OUI TO ANGER
By Razia, KRAN CEO
In the heat of summer and the political hot air in the news, there has been an interesting analysis of how UK political parties are framing migration by NEON (https://www.neweconomyorganisers.org/).
The framing is consistent across the political spectrum, that of “crisis” which needs to be solved through punitive solutions. The key problems identified in the narratives as being: economic scarcity and pressure on public services, national security, cultural decline and excessive generosity.
Even last week’s Anglo-French “one-in, one-out” deal as the solution to deter those coming by boat, positions refugees and asylum seekers as commodities. Even if they have grounds to seek asylum they will be denied because of the irregular way they have already tried to enter (https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/migrant-crisis-starmer-france-macron-deal-b2787271.html) .
This is instead of framing the situation as an avoidable tragedy, a human right to be safe, the need for those fleeing persecution to be treated with dignity and respect, that their displacement is as a result of international politics and the failure of their states to protect them.
A recent published report by Project Play in Calais details the impact the treatment of police is having on children in France, We Want to Be Safe | Project Play Website.
The key irony here being that people - children, families and young adults included - are at the Calais camps because they are trying to be safe, they have fled their homelands and travelled in the heat and being exploited by smugglers and gangs, only to face violence from the police on the border. This is a form of state-initiated action as part of the political deal between the French and the UK to “smash the gangs.”
Unfortunately, this violation of their human rights does not end when - and if - they finally reach the UK. A recent research report by the University of Oxford “I told them the truth”: New research on the criminalisation evidences how those in boats arriving in the UK are being imprisoned.
Even though the only way to currently claim asylum is by physically being in the UK (unless you are part of a resettlement scheme) and the UN Convention clearly states that someone seeking asylum cannot be charged for the way they entered the country.
During this year’s Refugee Week (16 to 22 June), Canterbury Cathedral hosted wooden boards in the crypt with known names of those who have perished since 2000 on the UK borders, https://www.instagram.com/p/DKzg5i2NN6r/.
There is a live map that lists the incidents of those who have died at the border, although this makes very grim reading: 496 deaths since 1999 and counting: https://neocarto.github.io/calais/en.
In 2024, 69 known people died in the channel, more than in the previous four years and this can be seen as a direct result of the UK government's securitisation of the borders’ policy. A huge price to pay to demonstrate that this approach does not work and which could have been avoided with safe and legal routes.
I have previously mentioned the current bill going through parliament, of which the only significant amendment so far is to try to collect and publish data on what happens in the channel: Amendment NC1 to Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill to Border Security, Asylum and Immigration Bill - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament.
The Council of Europe, whose members recently visited KRAN as part of their fact-finding mission (“The challenges and needs of public and private actors in migration management” - PACE Rapporteur Ms Sandra Zampa), adopted a resolution with recommendations: Doc. 16192 - Report - Details tab.
Reports, research, media articles and data analysis are all so helpful in evidencing the current situation, but only mass public outrage at the injustice of sanctuary seekers being persecuted as they flee to safety can make a real difference.