On 14 August, These Walls Must Fall campaigners hosted an online Solidarity Session for organisations, groups and individuals in North West England.
We gathered to reflect on the current period of racist violence and its impact on our communities, especially on those seeking asylum and our campaigners. Our discussion highlighted the deep challenges faced by these vulnerable groups and the urgent need for collective action.
Right to Remain’s Maggy Moyo, Organiser for These Walls Must Fall in the North West, gave an overview of how the violence has impacted people:
Focus on lived experience
Our meeting prioritised voices with lived experience – those who have been most affected by the wave of racist violence. Many of these individuals are seeking asylum, already carrying significant trauma from their past experiences and the challenging journeys they undertook to reach safety. For them, the recent events have reopened old wounds and brought new fears to the surface.
Some These Walls Must Fall campaigners, though experienced at speaking out, did not feel ok to talk in a public forum at this time. To help address their well-being, we arranged one-on-one conversations between our campaigners and trusted allies. This approach was designed to provide a safe space for people to speak openly about how these events have impacted them. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive; many found the experience therapeutic. For some, it was the first time they felt truly heard and understood by someone outside their immediate circle. This ability to open up to a compassionate listener was invaluable in helping them process their emotions and fears. Massive thanks to our friends from Social Workers Without Borders, Care4Calais and Manchester Resists for this help.
The growing fear and mistrust
A key theme that emerged was the profound sense of fear and mistrust that has taken root in our communities. People are increasingly uncertain about their safety, even in their own neighbourhoods. This fear is particularly intense for those who cannot change the most visible marker of their identity—their skin colour. The result is a deepening divide, where people are unsure whether a neighbour’s greeting comes from a place of kindness or hostility.
“I saw the face of hate in our neighbours on Saturday. I saw hate in their eyes, in their bodies, and in their actions.” – Maggy Moyo, Right to Remain
This growing mistrust has made it even harder for our campaigners and community members to continue their advocacy. While we’ve seen many victories in the past by using our voices to challenge injustice, the current climate makes it feel as though our voices have been silenced. The pervasive fear has left many feeling powerless and isolated, making it difficult to sustain the momentum we’ve built over the years.
Day-to-day challenges: mobility and mental health
The daily lives of asylum seekers have been further constrained by the current situation. Many used to rely on simple activities—like walking to town or spending time outdoors—to maintain their mental well-being. These small acts of freedom provided a much-needed break from their often cramped living conditions. However, the fear of racist attacks has made it unsafe for them to leave their homes, leading to increased isolation and stress.
Financial constraints exacerbate these challenges. With only about £40 per week from the Home Office, asylum seekers cannot afford regular public transportation, making it difficult to escape their immediate surroundings. The loss of even these modest freedoms has had a significant impact on their mental health, with many experiencing a resurgence of trauma symptoms they had been trying to heal from for years.
The burden of immigration bail reporting
One of the most pressing issues is the ongoing requirement for asylum seekers to report regularly to designated centres. Despite the heightened risks and mental health challenges, they are still expected to meet these obligations or face the consequences of breaching their bail conditions.
Maggy also wrote a personal reflection on community and belonging amidst racist riots, that you can read here.
The view from lived-experience groups
Maggy’s summary was reinforced by reports from Women Asylum Togethers (WAST), GMIAU’s All4One group, and RAS Voice.
“We are used to fearing the Home Office, but now we are fearing people on the street, always looking over our shoulder” – Mariam Yusuf, WAST
Marriam Yusuf of WAST described how the racism that people seeking asylum have experienced for years was suddenly raised to another level, something not experienced before. “We are used to fearing the Home Office, but now we are fearing people on the street, always looking over our shoulder”. Grace, a WAST member who lives in hotel accommodation centre, described the re-traumatising impact of a screaming mob outside, and how it will take a long time to recover.
The reflections from Fatou of GMIAU, Jonathan of RAS Voice and others all echoed the experiences of shock and fear at the violence.
Jonathan from RAS Voice, spoke about the ongoing fight to end racist rhetoric and emphasized the importance of language in this battle. He highlighted how government policy, combined with the racist and inflammatory language of the Home Office and media, steers hate in the community. Jonathan highlighted the Refugee Action petition calling for an end to racism in parliament, in the media, anywhere.
Fatou spoke from her heart about her own long struggle for immigration status in a climate of increasing hostility, a climate that tipped over into something she never thought she would experience in Britain. Finishing, Fatou described a recent meeting of the women’s group she supports, all people who have been in the UK for years, and, as it happens, all with roots in former British colonies. As she put it:
“We didn’t come here, Britain came to us, and we do not have to explain or justify why we are here or why we should be allowed to stay.” – Fatou Jinadu, GMIAU
Overview from Right to Remain
Right to Remain Coordinator, Michael Collins, gave a brief overview of the last two months, from the Rwanda plan, through the election period, the riots and what we know so far about the new government’s plans for the immigration and asylum system.
Calling out the racism of government policy
Right to Remain joined many organisations in Greater Manchester in issuing a statement of solidarity with communities who are under attack. As the statement notes, we must be clear that this is the culmination of years of government policy and rhetoric. A programme of anti-migrant legislation has combined with inflammatory, dehumanising language to embolden the far right.
Staying safe while organising
We got together with some partner organisations – NACCOM, Asylum Matters, Praxis – to update the Staying Safe guidance leaflet previously produced with Hope Not Hate. It has guidance for people working/volunteering at hotels, at community centres, and for people who are individually worried or at risk of violence.
The call to suspend immigration reporting appointments
On the Tuesday after the first violence in Southport, we put out a call for the Home Office to suspend all in-person immigration bail reporting and other appointments. We then worked with our friends at Migrants Organise, the Solidarity Knows No Borders Network, and the Abolish Reporting campaign, on a joint letter to the Home Secretary, signed by 137 groups and organisations.
Crisis after crisis…
This crisis of far right violence came right after the uncertainty of the general election period, a time where the “stop the boats” anti-migrant narrative was ramped up by the media and by politicians of all the major parties. And of course the election came just as we had been responding to the crisis of Operation Vector, where the Home Office spread real fear in communities. The Illegal Migration Act and the Rwanda Plan came at a time when community support hubs were dealing with a homelessness crisis.
All this combined, this drama after drama, crisis after crisis, is taking its toll. It’s having an impact on our community members with precarious immigration status, anyone trying to get through this system. And it’s having an impact on our community organisations and groups,, our workers and volunteers, activists and campaigners, who are trying to provide information and advice, support and solidarity.
Expectations for politicians in 2024
The recent elections – Westminster, local and regional authorities – have changed the political landscape in Britain. The Home Office seems to be continuing the work of the previous government, but can we bring political pressure at a local and regional level? Rivka, Policy Officer at GMIAU, took us through the advocacy document, Expectations for Greater Manchester Politicians in 2024, that many groups are seeking to use as a framework for engagement with politicians in the coming months. The document is divided into themes of welcome, safety, justice, home and support. Find out more here.
Reporting Centre solidarity
Nina, of Merseyside Solidarity Knows No Borders gave a report from their group, which has been providing support for people signing at the Reporting Centre in Liverpool. She described how these on-the-ground solidarity efforts have been making a great difference, and how now, in the midst of racist and fascist violence, allies need to step up levels of support. The community rallied to protect Asylum Link and Merseyside refugee Support Network from attack, and this warming show of solidarity needs to be built upon.
Abolish immigration bail reporting
Mallika of Migrants Organise continued the theme of reporting, and the fear and harm that it causes, especially at this time. The Abolish Reporting campaign has been calling for an end to reporting conditions since the first days of the Covid19 pandemic. At that time, we were successful in lobbying for suspension of reporting conditions for health and safety reasons. This week, 137 organisations and groups wrote to the Home Secretary, calling for an immediate suspension of immigration reporting conditions due to risks posed by far-right activity targeting migrants. Read more here.
Mallika finished by noting that when the far right called for a day of violence targeting community centres, it was local people power that stopped them. We need to keep strengthening our movement, and building on these mobilisations for the longer term.
National demonstration against detention, October 19th
The far right violence has overshadowed some very worrying announcements from the Labour government, promising a summer of community and workplace immigration raids, and deportations. These plans rely on the increased use of detention centres, and this is something we must resist.
Helen from the No to Hassockfield announced the upcoming national demonstration against detention, at Derwentside/Hassockfield detention centre in Consett, County Durham. Organised with These Walls Must Fall, this looks set to be the biggest such demonstration yet. Look out for news of transport and accommodation for people coming from Liverpool, Manchester, and other areas.
What next for our movement?
The two themes running through this meeting were that people and communities will take some time to get over this outburst of violence, but there was also a strong determination to never give up.
In closing, Maggy urged people to rally behind the call to mobilise large numbers to the national demonstration. If you can come, please do, and bring your friends! If you can’t make it on the day, you can help by sharing the publicity, and, if you can, by making a donation to the transport funds.
We need these events where we can get together and celebrate our solidarity, and raise our collective voice. To stay silent is not an option.
Lived-experience groups have taken a big knock, and need extra help and solidarity to get back on track. These are the groups with the expert knowledge, skills and experience needed to understand and take on the hostile environment in its new phase. For anyone looking to challenge this system or respond to far right violence, look first to these groups.
