Tag: refugees

Essex Lorry Deaths: Now We Know What Happened, We Must Start a Radical Conversation on Immigration
All 39 people found dead in a refrigerated lorry container in Essex last month have now been identified. As the final details of the tragedy emerge, Calais volunteer Abby Meadows argues we must insist on a radical conversation about migration - about how we treat people trying to enter the UK or in the country 'illegally', regardless of whether society considers them refugees or economic migrants.
British Solidarity With Rojava Must Start at Home, With an End to the Hostile Environment
European states won't challenge Erdogan's attack on Rojava because of the power Turkey has as the EU's south-eastern border wall. To show solidarity with the Kurdish-led democracy revolution, we need to challenge the hostile environment at home, argues Fanny Malinen.
Tired of Being Ignored, Refugees in Calais Are Learning to Do Their Own Press
Refugees in northern France say too often western volunteers are asked to speak for them, or journalists push their own agenda. That’s if their situation is reported on at all. By mobilising and upskilling they hope to finally change this. 
‘Going back is not an option’: A Refugee Family Trapped at the Edge of Fortress Europe
Photo story: Six year old Rimas and her family are among thousands of refugees who fear they have hit a dead end at the Croatian border. They walked from Iran, where they were part of a persecuted minority, crossing into Turkey, then Greece, and finally through the southern Balkans to Bosnia. But when they tried to enter the EU they were beaten and thrown back out.
State Neglect and Police Violence: The Forgotten Refugee Crisis in Calais and Dunkirk
In northern France hundreds of refugees are being neglected by the state, abused by the police and exploited by smugglers. With large charities refusing to get involved and journalists staying away, grassroots groups are still trying to plug the aid gap. But volunteers say there is only so much they can do without adequate resources – and when the only real solutions are political.
Dinghies, Warships and Windrush: the Politics of Migration in 2019

In December 114 people attempted to cross the channel, that compares to 6,912 people who attempted to cross the Mediterranean in the same month. So why all the fuss? Michael is joined by Omar Khan and Dalia Gebrial to discuss the UK’s warped view of migration, and why, only months after the Windrush scandal, the […]

The Global Refugee Crisis is at Our Shores, and We Need to Take It Seriously
As Sajid Javid calls migrants crossing the Channel a "major incident", it’s easy for the left to want to dismiss his reaction as hyperbolic. But with thousands risking death to reach Europe each year this clearly is a crisis-level situation, and we must be making bold arguments for how the global response should be reconfigured.
“Our queerness never dies”: The Battle Against Far-Right Violence in Greece
The murder of prominent LGBTQI+ activist Zak Kostopoulos in September has reignited fears that the battle against far-right violence is being lost. Alex King takes a look at what the response to recent murders in Greece can teach those confronting fascism across Europe.
Activists Hold Remembrance March for Refugees Killed Trying to Reach UK
Campaigners in pink veils marched to the Cenotaph with candles and placards bearing the names of migrants who died fleeing conflict and persecution.
What Is the Hostile Environment?

British children sleeping on night buses or in storage units, torture survivors required to pay upfront for medical treatment, these are just some of the consequences of Theresa May’s ‘hostile environment’. In this explainer video; Migrants Rights Specialist Rockhaya Sylla unpacks some of the origins and repercussions of this harmful set of policies.
A Progressive Immigration Policy?
If we get a left-wing Labour government led by Jeremy Corbyn, they will have an immigration system, and what that will look like matters - for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees. Maya Goodfellow discusses how we might get there.
Refugees in Indonesia and Iraq Condemn Western Indifference
Coverage of the 'refugee crisis' tends to focus on the West, particularly on Europe, but none of the seven countries worldwide to host over half a million refugees are in the EU or North America. Instead, most refugees live on the periphery, confined to squalid, brutal detention centres and stripped of even the scant protection afforded to asylum-seekers on European shores.
Theresa May Must Resign

Windrush Brits are being detained and deported and it is a disgrace. When will Theresa May have the dignity to resign?   For more articles, videos and podcasts as part of our migration focus head to novaramedia.com/focus/migration
Can America’s Sanctuary City Model Work in the UK? A North London Borough is About to Find Out
Inspired by the sanctuary cities that refuse to enforce Trump’s racist immigration laws in the US, residents in north London are lobbying their council to defy and oppose Theresa May’s hostile environment policies and make their borough safe for migrants.
Long Read: How Power Hungry Politicians and the Far-right Are Turning Italy Against Refugees
For years, the liberal left has thought of Italy as a humane country where refugees are welcomed. But following a series of attacks on African migrants, this appears to have suddenly changed. Dig a little deeper however, and it quickly becomes clear that far-right violence didn't rise out of nowhere, it was inspired by a toxic politics of race in Italy that has been worsening since the economic crash of 2008. Hsiao-Hung Pai reports from Sicily.
Migration Focus
Each year, thousands of people die trying to reach Europe. In Britain, Theresa May is revoking migrants' right to free healthcare, detaining people indefinitely and trying to quietly deport a generation of Windrush migrants who have lived in the country for decades. It’s clear that migration needs to be a priority for the left. Stay tuned this week as Novara Media looks at the topic in depth.
Solidarity With the Yarl’s Wood Hunger Strikers

Women in Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre have now been on hunger strike for nearly two weeks. Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott expresses her solidarity with their fight for adequate healthcare provision, for improved legal access and an end to indefinite detention.
It’s Not Australia Day, It’s Invasion Day – and Its Violent Legacy Lives On
No matter what anyone says, Australia Day isn’t about celebrating 'diversity' or 'multiculturalism' - it’s about whitewashing state violence against oppressed peoples past and present, writes Latoya Rule.