“Lawyers charging up to £10,000 to make fake asylum claims”, was the Daily Mail headline on 25 July. Has the newspaper that cheerleads the Tories’ racist attacks on people’s right to claim asylum, imprison innocent people on a barge, and plans to deport refugees to Rwanda, suddenly had a change of heart?
No, the right-wing capitalist newspaper has no interest in the wellbeing of desperate asylum seekers, fleeced of thousands of pounds for legal representation.
By posing as an economic migrant, the Mail’s undercover reporter has uncovered some of the ways private lawyers exploit asylum seekers. Using their vulnerability and desperation to make financial gain, asylum seekers are manipulated into borrowing thousands of pounds for legal fees, thinking that this is the only way they can continue their lives in the United Kingdom.
The Daily Mail however, wants to assist the Tories in their attempts to divide working-class people and blame migrants for the crisis facing British capitalism.
Tamil Solidarity has been fighting for the rights of refugees including by launching the refugee rights campaign. One of the aims of the campaign has been to provide free legal advice, to help asylum seekers through the difficult processes of the system. We have also exposed some of the lawyers and organisations who treat asylum seekers as little as dust.
Refugee Rights became an organisation in which refugees and asylum seekers were able to fight for basic rights such as more legal aid, free healthcare, language and medical support during Home Office interviews, and the right to work and study.
We pointed out that the current system exploits some of the most vulnerable, who are treated as objects used to make a profit.
The right-wing media is trying to portray all asylum seekers are frauds to advance their right-wing propaganda. It is not a surprise to see immigration, asylum seekers or refugees shown in a bad light by right-wing media. It is a subject that is used again and again to blame them for all the problems that exist in the capitalist system.
The UK immigration system is very slow and has a huge backlog. A total of 160,919 people were waiting for an initial decision on their asylum case at the end of December 2022, the highest figure since 2010. But the UK immigration system is not the only institution in crisis.
The UK is facing multiple crises, an acute cost-of-living crisis and the Tory party is in an even deeper crisis. They have no idea how to solve these crises and therefore use immigrants, asylum seekers and refugees as scapegoats.
Tamil Solidarity has repeatedly said that it is not those fleeing war, poverty and environmental destruction that are responsible for the multi-crises. The fault lies in the capitalist system and the foreign policies of capitalist governments.
We demand:
- End private lawyers profiteering on the misery of asylum seekers
- Provide legal aid and language and medical support
- Workers’ unity against racism and division
- End to racist immigration policies and the hostile environment
- Free healthcare, the right to work and study for all