
The riots last summer were the most significant episodes of disorder in this country for over a decade. At least 29 anti-immigration demos and riots took place across towns and cities in the UK. Known far-right activists promoted and attended the riots. Many of these events were violent, with participants attacking mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers. At least 1,280 people were arrested and just under 800 have so far been prosecuted. Misinformation (or myths) about refugees and asylum seekers was spread on-line and by word of mouth, blaming them, without evidence, for a range of major and minor anti-social or criminal acts, and in the worst cases, provoking the riots already mentioned. Thankfully, none of these events took place in Gloucestershire: the nearest was in Bristol, although we know that the police were on stand-by in Cheltenham.
The County Council has just published a timely report, the ‘Gloucestershire Migration Monthly Briefing’ for October. The information in this report refutes some of the myths about refugees and asylum seekers espoused across the country, and no doubt by some in the County. At the time the report was published, there were 458 asylum seekers in Gloucestershire awaiting a decision on their claim for asylum. Of these just under 30% are housed in hotel accommodation, and the remainder are dispersed across the county in 70 different locations. The Labour government is taking steps to speed up the processing of these claims, to clear the backlog. It is striking that, contrary to some myths, the majority (72%) of asylum claims are actually allowed, and the applicants are given permission to stay in this country as refugees. So it’s not true that all asylum seekers (however they entered the country) are ‘illegals’.
Refugees are all here legally. Two significant groups are worth mentioning. Afghan refugees, many of whom were associated with the British Army when it was operating in Afghanistan, mostly arrive here by British charter flights. They are housed in Army-linked grouped accommodation, one of which is in Gloucestershire, which houses 550 Afghan refugees. These refugees are mainly housed in family groups and the children attend local schools. The other group are Ukrainians seeking refuge from the war in Ukraine, of whom there are currently 1,220 in Gloucestershire, and who are housed across all parts of the County, many with host families in their own home. About 350 Ukrainian children are attending schools in the County.
To put these figures in perspective, the population of Gloucestershire is about 660,000 and of Cheltenham abut 120,000.
We must therefore continue to learn the lessons from history. Over the centuries, there have been violent riots in this country against all kinds of minorities who have been falsely blamed for things going wrong – Jews, Catholics, Moslems, French Huguenots, the ‘Windrush generation’ – to name but some. The concept of ‘fake news’ is not new!
Mike Farmer, Secretary, Cheltenham Labour Party