As the official election campaign begins, the climate created by
the tone of some of rhetoric on immigration becomes fertile ground for a rise
in racism and racist attacks. Furthermore, it can only aid the growth of the
fascist BNP, which welcomed the Tory campaign in January, stating it creates
a ‘win-win situation’ for them. The BNP are standing more than
100 candidates in the general election as a publicity effort the aim of which
is to spread their message in preparations for local elections in 2006. To
deny them this goal, every effort needs to be made to isolate their message
of hate not make it appear more legitimate.
The National Assembly Against Racism welcomes and endorses the call by the
UNHCR spokesperson Anne Dawson-Shepherd for politicians to be mindful of their
language and the impact it may have, and for a sense of reality on asylum
and immigration, when she spoke her agency's concern over "the crisis
rhetoric" being used in British election campaign "often fuelled
by thinly disguised xenophobia and political opportunism". She went on:
"The number of people claiming asylum in the UK has dropped 61% over
the last two years, back to levels not seen since the early 1990s." She
wrote a personal letter to all parliamentary candidates asking them to "show
political leadership and social responsibility by working towards reversing
the atmosphere of intolerance that has been fostered towards refugees and
asylum seekers." (The Guardian, 11 April 2005)
The Conservative Party started the year with a full-page advert in the Sunday
Telegraph headlined ‘There are literally millions of people in other
countries who want to come and live here.’ They have called for an annual
quota on immigration – a policy their own former-Tory ministers have
denounced – and used racism in a campaign appealing to fear and prejudice.
On Sunday 10 April, Michael Howard returned to this issue, and the so-called
threat of immigration and asylum was made a feature of the Conservative Party
manifesto launch on Monday 11 April.
The intervention by the CRE, raising concern at the impact that political
rhetoric on race can have on the ground and for real people, and the call
from church leaders in West Yorkshire for restraint by politicians when debating
asylum indicates that there is widespread concern at the content of what is
being said by politicians and deserves everyone’s support.
Last year, the Greater London Authority published research on the link between
negative media coverage on asylum and immigration and community tensions.
The research can be found HERE.
The research showed that negative, unbalanced and inaccurate reporting, often
quoting politicians, contributes to negative attitudes towards asylum seekers
and migrants.
This is, of course, not the first time the Tories have used this issue in
election campaigns. Andrew Lansley, now a Tory MP, is on record for saying
in 1995: ‘Immigration, an issue we raised successfully in 1992 and again
in European election campaign, played particularly well in the tabloids and
has more potential to hurt.’
In 1997, a report by the Home Office showed high levels of abuse and violence
perpetrated by people who stated their country was being overrun (The
dishonesty of the immigration card, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, The Independent,
11 April 2005).
The focus on immigration by some in this election is a distortion of the real
issues facing all communities. Black and minority ethnic communities, in common
with other communities, want to know what political parties have to say on
issues of economic and social justice, equal opportunity, representation,
opposition to racism and discrimination, international justice, and on many
other issues.
We join the UNHCR, the CRE and faith communities in warning against the impact
such levels of misinformation and whipping up fear can have on our multicultural
society. Instead, the truth about the contribution of migrants and refugees
to our society, not just in relation to the economy, but also arts, culture
and education must be told.