Welsh refugee groups back campaign to oppose ‘anti-migrant politics’ at Westminster

Emily Price

Dozens of Welsh support groups are backing a campaign opposing what it describes as the UK Government’s recent “anti-migrant politics” which have made refugees feel “unwelcome in Wales”.

More than 350 homelessness charities, refugee organisations, LGBT+ support groups, cultural institutions and faith groups form part of the UK-wide pledge to work together to combat “the politics of division” and declare the UK an “island of solidarity”.

The statement, coordinated by Asylum Matters, warns that growing anti-immigrant rhetoric from some politicians in Westminster is “placing our communities under attack”.

Amongst more than 40 Welsh signatories are the Welsh Refugee Council, Swansea University and the Welsh Centre for International Affairs, alongside grassroots refugee support groups like Swansea Asylum Seekers Support and Hay, Brecon and Talgarth Sanctuary for Refugees.

Language

It comes after Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer unveiled long-awaited plans to cut levels of immigration into the UK.

The measures will include tightening up qualification and language requirements and longer waits for settlement.

Sir Keir has faced criticism – including from backbench Labour MPs – for the language he used in the speech he gave setting out the new policy.

He said the UK risked becoming an “island of strangers” if efforts to tackle migration and integration were not stepped up.

Critics compared the language with that of the Conservative politician Enoch Powell, who in an inflammatory address in 1968 known as the “rivers of blood” speech, claimed that white British people would become “strangers in their own country” in the future.

Downing Street has rejected the comparison with Mr Powell’s speech.

‘Hostile’

Andrea Cleaver, CEO of the Welsh Refugee Council, says that politicians and the government have a duty “not to fuel racism through hostile rhetoric”.

She said: “At the Welsh Refugee Council, we hear the stories every day — of people who fled war and persecution, seeking safety and a chance to rebuild. They are not strangers. They are our neighbours, colleagues, and members of our communities.

“The Home Office has a responsibility to deliver a fair, functioning, and humane asylum system.

“One that protects those in need, processes claims efficiently and upholds the UK’s commitment to justice.

“Refugees and migrants contribute every day — in our NHS, our businesses, our schools, and our communities.

“When people are welcomed and supported, they thrive and so does society. But government also has a wider duty: not to fuel racism through hostile rhetoric or sweeping generalisations. Language matters. Dehumanising migrants stokes division and leads to real harm.”

‘Neighbours’

Following criticism in the House of Commons from Plaid Cymru, the Prime Minister defended his speech saying, “I want to lead a country where we pull together and walk into the future as neighbours and as communities, not as strangers, and the loss of control of migration by the last government put all of that at risk, and that’s why we’re fixing the system based on principles of control, selection and fairness.”

When quizzed on the PM’s remarks in the Senedd, First Minister Eluned Morgan raised concerns about “challenges” for social care services if they can no longer recruit overseas workers, adding that “Wales is a welcoming nation”.

Refugee support groups say Sir Keir’s comments have had “an immediate impact” on refugees and people seeking asylum in Wales.

As well as condemning “the Prime Minister, irresponsible politicians and that of the far-right”, signatories have committed to working together to “build a movement of solidarity and resistance that protects and defends the rights of all people who are suffering as a result of racism, poverty and homelessness”.

Nathan Philips, head of campaigns for Asylum Matters said: “In the weeks since the Prime Minister labelled Britain ‘an island of strangers’, we’ve seen an increase in the type of dangerous rhetoric across the political spectrum that seeks to create divisions between friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.

“But we’ve also seen a groundswell of solidarity, of people and groups across a range of sectors and regions making clear that this hostility and scapegoating doesn’t speak for them.

“It comes as no surprise that so many Welsh groups have taken a stand here: Cymru is a nation that values welcome and sanctuary. Those of us who live here know exactly who we are: we are a community that supports each other, that won’t be pulled apart by divisive politics.”

Support

Susie Ventris-Field, CEO of Oasis, which offers support and welcome to refugees in Cardiff, said: “When politicians, and especially the Prime Minister, make divisive comments about migration, it has an immediate impact on the people we work with at Oasis.

“They feel it deeply – they feel there isn’t a place for them in society. It gives license to racism and hate speech. Of course Government and politicians need to discuss migration policy but this should be done in a reasoned, factual and compassionate way.

“We ask that politicians in all parties think carefully about the language they use and the impact it has on different communities.”