A new briefing has been published today by charity the Refugee Action which brings together our current theme Facing the Past, Building the Future; and our most recent theme on Together with Refugees.
The report, titled Asylum in the UK: a Front Line for Racial Justice sets out how “racism plays a powerful role in who receives safety and protection” providing evidence that draws on people’s lived experience and expertise. This rings true for many of us who have been working on the issue of asylum and refugee rights, and there is a helpful call to see this work as “fundamentally a racial justice issue”.
The report looks back to the history of racism and empire, to help understand where we are now and make recommendations for the future.
“Why do we say the system is racist? Because it overwhelmingly disadvantages Black and Brown people – many of whom were born in countries once subjected to British control and extraction.”
Tim Naor Hilton, Chief Executive, Refugee Action
The two minute video below sums up the issues, and the full report can be read on the Refugee Action website.
If you’d like to meet other people in Birmingham who care about these issues, and show solidarity with people facing racism in our asylum system, one place to start is the Refugees Welcome March taking place this Saturday (15th June 2024) – meet 11am at Mosley Exchange.
And you can always pop into Peace Hub for a friendly chat, to ask questions and share your thoughts.
We are highlighting this report, as we feel it is a useful resource that fits our current theme. it should not be inferred that Refugee Action endorses Peace Hub in any way.