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When people in the USA complain that "too many Mexicans" are
coming to the USA for jobs, etc., I remind them not only of the humanitarian
argument. I also remind them that it is the economic and political policies of
the US government that has created such misery down there that leads to people
wanting to leave their country of origin.
Knowing what I do about the history of the British Empire,
including British foreign policy over the past 50 years, I suspect one could
find some strong evidence for British responsibility for many of the
problems that created the asylum seekers in the first
place.
Alan Spector
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 10:22
AM
Subject: Asylum UK
I have just begun research for a film on the
experience of asylum seeking in the UK, it is a veritable minefield. The
papers today are full of ‘shock’ ‘problem of ‘etc quoting figures of 111 000
for 2002, but these figures have been out since last year and they refer to
APPLICATIONS not to those who after what would seem a wholly ridiculous system
actually achieve the status of Refugee and are able to seek work etc.
According to the stats, it would appear that less than 50% of those who apply
for asylum in the UK actually make it, the rest are sent back either to
original country of entry or home, so called ‘pressures’ on the system are in
effect created by a system that is overloaded and unable to deal with the
situation, fuelled by the media hype it must make the actual experience of
seeking asylum even uglier. (stats taken from
<www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk>).
Our intention with the film is to
allow the subjects the space and respect to inform the audience of the actual
experience of seeking asylum in the UK. What I personally find distasteful is
the media assumption that Asylum Seekers are leeching off the state, whereas
in truth the state makes it nigh on impossible for Asylum Seekers to work and
support themselves and their dependants. The media never refer to the global
situation of Asylum Seeking, Refugee status and Internally displaced people,
why do they only refer to the local when the situation is so much more
complicated. When I hear people complaining about the issue of Asylum Seeking
in the UK I always refer them to the reality that the majority of people
seeking refuge do so either within their country of domicile or in countries
nearby (e.g.. Southern Sudan). Ironically, in the UK the vast majority of
those seeking asylum come from countries where the UK are contributing to the
domicile situation which results in people having to seek asylum in the
first place (Afghanistan, Iraq). People seem to forget history, and the middle
east seems to be no exception, lest we forget the Map Makers in the early post
colonial period.
I would like to hear from anyone who has personal
experience of seeking asylum particularly in the UK or from anyone who might
want to share ideas for this film project. Please contact me, any help
suggestions would be much appreciated, davidgriggs@gaia.or.g.uk
.
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