Concern after list of immigration offices shared amid disorder

Concern for the safety of lawyers has been voiced after a list of solicitors’ firms and advice agencies were shared as targets for gatherings in the coming days.

A message believed to have been widely shared on chat groups lists addresses for immigration law specialists and advice organisations across England, and invites people to “mask up” if they go.

Tell Mama, a group monitoring Islamophobia in the UK, said it had alerted police and counter-terrorism to the “far-right threats”.

Condemnation

Law Society of England and Wales president Nick Emmerson condemned the violence which has already taken place, and said they have “serious concerns about the safety and wellbeing of our members” after the list was shared giving “targets for further protest and violence this week”.

He described such gatherings as a “direct assault on our legal profession” and therefore a “direct assault on our democratic values”.

He said he had written to the Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Home Secretary “asking that the threats against the legal profession are treated with the utmost seriousness”, adding that those members listed are being supported.

He added: “It is paramount that justice is done for all those who have been involved in, or are victims of, the riots.”

The Immigration Law Practitioners’ Association (ILPA) said: “We, independent legal professionals, will continue to uphold the rule of law, including access to justice for all.

“As immigration law practitioners, we call on the Government to create conditions in which we are able to perform our professional duties, including by representing and upholding the human rights of migrants and those targeted based on their appearance, without fear for our safety.

“Where our security is threatened as a result of carrying out our essential and proper function in a democracy, the Government and law enforcement agencies should investigate and monitor threats to our safety.”

The Public and Commercial Services union called for the protection of their members working in visa and immigration offices.

General secretary Fran Heathcote and national president Martin Cavanagh said: “Visa and immigration offices are now the target of fascist thugs, threatening our members’ safety and that of the community where the offices are located.

“We cannot stand by and allow this to happen. We are calling on employers, management and government ministers to act urgently to protect their staff, the communities they serve and the individuals who rely on their services.”

Demands

Meanwhile, the Law Society has demanded the right support and resources for courts dealing with offenders.

Ministers have suggested that courts could sit 24 hours to fast-track prosecutions.

Mr Emmerson commended the Government’s “swift response” to the disorder, but said the “goodwill” of solicitors being asked to work extra hours “is fast running out”.

He said: “(We) want to see that the necessary support and resources are provided for both prosecution and defence lawyers, courts staff and judiciary in dealing with this emergency.

“The criminal justice system has suffered significant neglect over the last decade and has less resilience and flexibility, with severe backlogs in the magistrates and crown courts.

“The criminal defence profession is also depleted and over-worked and the goodwill of the solicitors who are being called on to work additional antisocial hours is fast running out.”

The Criminal Bar Association has said it is “strongly opposed” to any attempt to extend court hours.

Its chairwoman, Tana Adkin KC, said while the association will speak to and support their solicitor colleagues on any proposals for so-called night courts, “we will not agree to practices that damage the equality and diversity of our profession”.

Ms Adkin said: “We live by the rule of law in our country not by rule of the mob.

“We stand ready, as always, to ensure justice is done in the courts of England and Wales. Nevertheless, we remain strongly opposed to any attempt to extend court operating hours.

“The criminal bar is already working at maximum capacity.”