I was held in Napier barracks from September 2020, through a Covid outbreak, during which I joined nearly 200 of my fellow detainees – many of whom were survivors of torture – in contracting the disease (Inspectors condemn Covid safety of barracks used to house asylum seekers, 8 March). We were given no support whatsoever in freezing January temperatures.
The Home Office has announced that it will continue to use the barracks (Report, 16 March). Furthermore, it intends to build more mass accommodation for people like me who are seeking asylum, and this week we learned that they are seeking to locate these offshore (UN official raises concerns over UK offshore asylum plan, 18 March). There seems to be misinformation being spread across the country to justify such harsh measures.
When your life is in danger, you cannot just go to an embassy or book a flight to the UK. You have no other choice but to leave everything behind and try to reach another country that can protect you. When you apply for asylum, it does not matter how you entered that country: the refugee convention makes this clear. No human is “illegal”.
We who seek asylum did not have the privilege of being born in a safe, free and democratic country. It is painful to me that this government is promoting such xenophobic attitudes.
When it comes to disrespecting a human’s dignity and decency, everyone must know that others could be next.
The government’s view of immigrants dehumanises them and places human beings in a hierarchy of value; if you are not already, sooner or later you are going to be the next victim.
I hear politicians repeatedly saying that the UK has a proud history of protecting the vulnerable people who seek sanctuary here. But the question is: will the UK have a proud future of protecting those who are in need? Will the children of this country be proud or ashamed by what is happening now?
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