‘Do-gooders’ and ‘lefty lawyers’ show the compassion this country has abandoned

On Sunday, after news broke that a man had thrown petrol bombs at an asylum processing centre before taking his own life, I felt overwhelmed at the prospect of what was to come.

The ‘lone wolf’ theories, the treatment of the attack as an isolated incident instead of an act of terrorism, the denial that right wing rhetoric may have been a motivating factor.

It’s enough to make you feel helpless against a tirade of misguided hate and propaganda.

But just because the xenophobic attitudes are the ones grabbing the headlines this week, it doesn’t mean there aren’t reasons to stay hopeful.

Hope that there are good people out there doing good things. Good people challenging the anti-refugee narrative, the scapegoating of asylum seekers and the failure of our government to show empathy and compassion.

On Wednesday, refugee charity Choose Love launched the opening of its store in central London. The shop sells real items and life-saving interventions which go to refugees and displaced people around the world.

You can buy a coat for a child who has just escaped war, a care package for unaccompanied child refugees or life-saving medical treatment for someone in need. It’s a small act of kindness that goes a long way to helping the most vulnerable. 

Refugees are not ‘invaders’, they are human beings seeking help, warmth and safety.

There’s been a lot of hatred this week, but hatred is a choice, which is why the charity’s name, Choose Love, is so poignant.

I’ve seen some have tried to minimise Braverman’s language by comparing it to the sporting cliche ‘pitch invasion’. This isn’t a football match. The only game being played here is by a government seeking to scapegoat vulnerable people, while distracting from our own economic turmoil, in order to win more points in the polls.

It’s a clever trick. Asylum seekers are not to blame for the cost-of-living crisis. Refugees didn’t hike up your energy bills. 

The Home Office could have processed asylum claims faster so that refugees could register to work in the UK and pay their own taxes, but they didn’t.

Another UK organisation that gives hope in times of desperation is Refugee Action, a charity that helps asylum seekers build safe, happy and productive lives in the UK.

At least 107 deaths asylum seekers who were provided with Home Office housing between April 2016 and May 2022 have died – with at least 17 people having died by suicide or suspected suicide. 

Now, ‘lefty-lawyers’ are being blamed for winning the legal cases of asylum seekers. Our law is not left or right – it’s the law. What does this show about the state of our country? That we’re patronising workers of the law for helping save people’s lives, and their rights to live. 

We have a legal requirement to take in those seeking asylum, and there are legal firms out there who, despite the condescending labels, fight for human rights. Take Asylum Aid, for example – it is a charity that provides legal representation to some of the most vulnerable people entering the UK. If they don’t do it, no one will. That is what our country has come to.

Supporting its work – and the work of charities like them – is a meaningful and practical step you can take in response to feeling hopeless in the current climate. 

The anti-migrant voices are loud at present, with certain people choosing to describe the issue as a migrant crisis, not a Home Office administrative crisis. The current discourse feels hostile not only to those seeking refuge, but to anyone who wasn’t born in the UK.

Which is why we must be united in our efforts to call out anti-immigrant and anti-refugee rhetoric, because it stems from the same xenophobia that makes people feel unwelcome, no matter how long they have lived in the United Kingdom. Even if it is coming from the mouths of those who are supposed to represent and lead us.

Hateful people are often the loudest. Be that in conversation, in broadcasts or on social media, but there are thousands of people who are working quietly behind the scenes to make sure that refugees are given the human rights they deserve.

If, like me, you are feeling overwhelmed by the discourse, supporting these people, these charities, is a way of cutting through the hatred and focusing on what is important.

Not everyone can afford to donate to charity, especially at the moment – but sharing a link, retweeting support, or adding your voice to the narrative is an effective way of letting them know their work is appreciated, and that there are many more of us out there who choose compassion over hate. More of us choose love.

The siren voices with their dehumanising language aren’t true Britain – these people are.