IRR: Calendar of Racism and Resistance (20 February – 5 March 2024)
Culture| Media| Sport
Employment / Exploitation / Industrial Action / Asylum Migration / Borders Citizenship
Electoral Politics| - Government Policy / Anti-Fascism and the Far Right
Policing / Prisons / Criminal Justice System / National Security and Anti-Terrorism
Human Rights and Discrimination
Education / Housing / Poverty / Welfare / Health and Social Care
Racial Violence / Harassment
Read the full article: IRR, https://shorturl.at/IMPW2
Continuing Conflicts That Create Refugees - March 2024
Deteriorated Situations: Ukraine Mozambique Democratic Republic of Congo Guinea Senegal Haiti Chad South Sudan Israel/Palestine Lebanon Pakistan Papua New Guinea Burkina Faso
Conflict Risk Alerts: Israel/Palestine Lebanon Yemen
Resolution Opportunities: None - Improved Situations: None
Conflict in Focus: Ukraine
Israel killed thousands more Palestinians in Gaza – bringing the death toll since 7 October to over 30,000 – and continued to restrict aid, which could plunge over half a million into famine. Israel threatened an all-out attack on Rafah in March, which could kill or again displace a huge proportion of the 1.5 million people seeking refuge there unless a ceasefire currently under negotiation can avert the offensive.
The start of Ramadan in March could see rising tensions in the West Bank, and beyond. In particular, should Israel impose restrictions on Muslim worshippers’ access at Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa complex, it could fuel violence by Hizbollah or Palestinian armed groups in Lebanon, increasing the risk of full-scale war.
Undeterred by the U.S.-UK bombing campaign, the Houthis in Yemen launched near-daily attacks on international shipping in adjacent waters and may further expand their targets. The military build-up along various frontlines could portend a new Houthi offensive against government forces.
CrisisWatch Identified Thirteen Deteriorations In February. Notably:
Ukraine’s forces withdrew from the embattled town of Avdiivka in Donetsk region after months of heavy Russian bombardment. The retreat marked a significant setback for Kyiv as its forces felt the sting of waning U.S. support and momentum swung toward Moscow (see this month’s Conflict in Focus).
Security forces in Chad killed Yaya Dillo, a staunch opponent and cousin of transitional President Deby, during a shootout in the capital N’Djamena. The incident laid bare major cracks within the ruling elite ahead of the May presidential election.
In DR Congo, M23 rebels advanced on the strategic town of Sake in North Kivu province amid fierce fighting with the army and allied forces, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee.
A constitutional crisis erupted in Senegal after authorities postponed the presidential election, triggering violent protests and international alarm.
Disputed results following Pakistan’s 8 February national elections triggered protests and deepened the country’s political crisis, as a surge in militant attacks in the provinces bordering Afghanistan killed dozens.
Violent protests erupted across Haiti calling for acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry’s resignation, as gang violence, both between rival outfits and against the government, wreaked havoc in the capital Port-au-Prince.
Aside from the scores of conflict situations we regularly assess, we tracked significant developments in Moldova, Papua New Guinea, Senegal and South Africa.
Source: Crisis Group, https://www.crisisgroup.org/crisiswatch
Number of Asylum Refusals and Homeless Refugees Skyrocket
The latest immigration and asylum statistics have been published today. We have highlighted some of the interesting data below on asylum, EU Settlement Scheme, fee waivers and student and work routes.
Asylum
As many have been predicting for a while now, the asylum grant rate has dropped substantially in the last three months of 2023. This is because the Home Office initially focussed on “easy grants” in the legacy backlog clearance exercise, leaving the more time consuming refusals until last.
Decisions were made on 46,572 applications (the number of people is always higher than the number of applications, as some are dependant on a main applicant) in the period October to December 2023. Of those, a huge 15,380 which is one third of the decisions was a refusal. Of 98,199 decisions made last year, 24,027 were withdrawals, the vast majority of whom will still be in the UK and will need to re-enter the system at some point.
Read more: Freemovement, https://shorturl.at/jp246
Permission To Challenge ‘Horrific’ Living Conditions at Asylum Accommodation
Joshua Nash,Justice Gap: Asylum seekers held in one of the Home Office’s ‘mass accommodation sites’ have been granted permission from the High Court to go to trial to challenge the use of RAF Weathersfield as asylum accommodation. The four asylum seekers, held in RAF Wethersfield, claim the Home Secretary has not provided an adequate standard of living and may be violating the European Convention of Human Rights. They also claim that the Home Office has failed to protect them from racial violence and harassment at the site. The site was described as ‘hostile’ with limits imposed upon asylum seekers’ movement and communication.
Speaking to the Guardian, Katie Sweetingham of the charity Care4Calais, described the condition in Wethersfield as ‘horrific.’ She explained that people with no previous mental health issues were now facing a rapid decline since arriving at the site, with some considering self-harm and suicide. In January alone, ambulances responded to two suicide attempts in Wethersfield, although fortunately both individuals survived. Many of those held at the site have been victims of torture or modern slavery.
Previous concerns have been raised that the living conditions at Wethersfield are leading to resentment and frustration amongst those living there. In a report by the Guardian, the former independent chief inspector of borders and immigration David Neal, described the site as having an ‘overwhelming feeling of hopelessness.’ He cautioned about the potential risks of isolating a large population of people in a remote location in very poor conditions, with limited knowledge of where they were going to be sent.
Despite concerns having been raised about RAF Weathersfield, the Home Secretary has previously announced plans to transfer 1,700 asylum seekers to the accommodation and extend its use for three years. RAF Wethersfield is one of two ‘mass accommodation sites’ being used by the Government to hold asylum seekers whilst their claim is processed. The other being the controversial Bibby Stockholm barge which, much like Wethersfield, has been found to have inhumane conditions. A previous legal challenge brought by six asylum seekers against the government was successful back in June 2021 when the High Court ruled that the living conditions at Napier Barracks in Kent failed to meet minimum standards.
Government GPS Tagging of Migrants Breached Data Protection Law
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said today that the Home Office breached UK data protection law over a pilot scheme to electronically monitor migrants. Under the pilot scheme that ended in December 2023, up to 600 migrants who arrived in the UK and were on immigration bail were required to wear GPS ankle tags to monitor their whereabouts. The pilot scheme sought to establish whether GPS tagging was an effective way to maintain regular contact with asylum claimants while reducing the risk of absconding.
The ICO found the pilot scheme was not legally compliant. The Home Office failed to sufficiently assess the privacy intrusion of the tags' continuous collection of personal information and it failed to assess the potential impact on people who may already be in a vulnerable position due to their immigration status. In addition, the Home Office did not sufficiently consider what measures should be put in place to mitigate against the risks, such as providing clear information about why people's location data was being collected and how it would be used.
Source: Electronic Immigration Network - https://shorturl.at/RU567
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‘No Passport’ Case Sent To Crown Court
The CCRC has today referred a case involving failure to have an immigration document at an asylum interview to the Crown Court. Ms D entered the UK at Heathrow Airport in March 2011 and immediately claimed asylum but did not have a passport with her. She told the UK Border Agency (UKBA) that she had fled Iran in fear of political persecution. The UKBA did not accept her account and she was refused asylum or humanitarian protection. A few days later, Ms D pleaded guilty in a Magistrates’ Court to the ‘no passport’ offence. She was sentenced to three months’ imprisonment.
However, in July 2011, after further interviews, she was granted asylum. She has since been given indefinite leave to remain in the UK. In July 2021 Ms D applied to the CCRC for a review of her conviction. Although Ms D pleaded guilty at a Magistrates’ Court, against her legal representative’s advice, she explained in her application to the CCRC that she had done so shortly after the UKBA had rejected her account of her departure from Iran and refused her asylum claim. At that time, she believed magistrates would rely on the UKBA conclusions to find her guilty of the ‘no passport’ offence, and that she would lose any credit for pleading guilty.
The CCRC believes there is a real possibility that the Crown Court will find that Ms D had a reasonable excuse for not having a passport with her when she arrived at Heathrow Airport, and there is a real possibility that her conviction will be quashed.
Source CCRC, https://shorturl.at/qsAMW
Lords Pass Five Amendments to Rwanda Bill in Heavy Defeat For Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak has suffered his heaviest defeat in the House of Lords after the archbishop of Canterbury and former Conservative ministers joined forces with the opposition to force through five amendments to the Rwandan deportation bill. The string of government setbacks, most passed by unusually large margins of about 100 votes, means the legislation, which aims to clear the way to send asylum seekers on a one-way flight to Kigali, will have to go back to the Commons.
The prime minister has previously warned the unelected chamber against frustrating the “will of the people” by hampering the passage of his safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill, which has been approved by MPs. Sunak has made “stopping the boats” a key pledge of his leadership. However, he has been hit by several setbacks including the bill being challenged in the courts.
Read more: Rajeev Syal , Guardian, https://shorturl.at/svHJ8
Windrush Scandal
Baroness Benjamin: My Lords, lives have been ruined, people have been falsely accused of lying and breaking the law, many have faced mental health issues and some have died without compensation—no, I am not referring to the Post Office scandal but to something equally shocking and unjust: the Windrush scandal, which I prefer to call the “Home Office scandal”, because that is what it is, the Home Office’s scandal. I have stood in this House on a number of occasions over the years, highlighting and drawing attention to Toggle showing location ofColumn 1161this disgraceful state of affairs, and I am frustrated to bring this debate before the House once again to demonstrate that the matter is still as distressing as ever for the thousands of victims.
As we approach the sixth anniversary of the scandal emerging and the fifth anniversary of the launch of the Government’s Windrush compensation scheme, it is with great sadness—and extremely unfortunate—that we are still talking about the scandal today and not focusing on the extraordinary contribution the Windrush generation has given to our nation. The Windrush generation should be defined not by the scandal but by the enormous contribution they have made to Britain, starting back in 1948 when they were invited to come and help rebuild Britain after the war, many leaving their children and families behind. I am part of that generation and it was with great pride that I chaired the Windrush Commemoration Committee to oversee the creation of the magnificent, award-winning National Windrush Monument designed by Basil Watson, which proudly stands at Waterloo Station to celebrate this important part of our British history.
It has become a symbolic place of pilgrimage for adults who recall their trauma—and they weep. Many children who are studying Windrush visit the monument, which is so uplifting. But, sadly, the shadow of the scandal hangs over us as it remains clear that the injustices suffered by the Windrush generation still need to be addressed in a more urgent and timely manner than is currently the case. Victims are suffering from trauma and serious ill health, both physical and mental.
Read more: Parliament, House of Lords, https://shorturl.at/rDKMP
Costs of the UK-Rwanda Partnership
Following a request from the Chairs of the Public Accounts and Home Affairs Committees, the National Audit Office has published a report on the costs to date of setting up the Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda. The report also looks at the basis on which future costs would be incurred. Outside the scope of the report is the wider costs of implementing the Illegal Migration Act 2023, such as the expansion of the detention estate.
Key findings
The Home Office would make two different types of payments under the partnership, the first is a payment of £370 million to the Economic Transformation and Integration Fund, which is to support economic growth in Rwanda. £220 million of this has already been paid to Rwanda, and further payments of £50 million each will be made in April this year and then 2025 and 2026.
Once 300 people have been sent to Rwanda, the Home Office will pay a further £120 million to the fund. Payment of £20,000 per person will also be made to the fund.
The second type of payment is to cover asylum processing and operational costs for people sent to Rwanda. The Home Office will pay a five year integration package of £151,000 for each person, to cover accommodation and other essential items such as food, medical services, education and integration programmes. The intention is that people would be sent to Rwanda up until March 2028 and so the Home Office would be making payments until March 2033.
Read more: Freemovement, https://shorturl.at/kquI9
A “Difficult to Understand” First-tier Tribunal Decision
The Court of Appeal has gone to town on a First-tier Tribunal decision for the second time in as many weeks, this time allowing an appeal in an asylum claim from an Iranian national. The case is FA (Iran) v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2024] EWCA Civ 149.
Background: The appellant is a Kurdish national of Iran who entered the UK in December 2019 and claimed asylum based on fear of persecution because of his political beliefs, including based on his Facebook activity after arriving in the UK. His claim was refused on 17 November 2020.
The First-tier Tribunal accepted that he had left Iran illegally and that he had used social media in the UK to make posts against the Iranian government. However, the judge distinguished the social media activities of the appellant from those in the country guidance case of HB (Kurds) Iran CG [2018] UKUT 430 and concluded that he would be at no risk as a Kurd who had been refused asylum. The appeal was dismissed.
n the course of the appeal, the Home Secretary accepted that the Upper Tribunal had erred in law in taking into account a country guidance case that had come out after the First-tier Tribunal’s decision. The matter for the Court of Appeal to determine was therefore whether the Upper Tribunal should have concluded that the First-tier Tribunal had failed to apply the current country guidance.
Read more: Freemovement, https://shorturl.at/mpGKX
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