Protests against asylum policy: British government under pressure!

Protests against asylum policy: British government under pressure!

In Britain, public pressure is pushing Prime Minister Keir Starmer's government to make fundamental changes to the asylum system. This comes in the context of intense protests that began in July in Epping, about 30 kilometers northeast of London. The reason for the protests was the accusation of an asylum seeker for an alleged sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl, although the defendant denies the allegations. Hundreds of people took part in numerous protests and counter-demonstrations that spread across several cities, including London and Birmingham on Sunday. Demonstrations also took place in other cities such as Bristol, Exeter, Liverpool and Newcastle, although the protests generally remained peaceful.

The UK government is facing a massive increase in asylum applications, reaching 111,084 applications in the year to June 2023, the highest since records began in 2001. Many asylum seekers are housed in hotels, which is causing increasing resentment in the affected communities. A court has ordered that asylum seekers can no longer be accommodated in a hotel in Epping, and legal action has been announced against accommodation in other hotels. Over 32,000 asylum seekers are currently staying in around 200 hotels across the UK, further inflaming the situation.

Protests and political reactions

The British head of state is under pressure from the right-wing populist Reform UK party, which is concerned with the government's asylum policy. Starmer plans to reduce the number of asylum seekers arriving and end hotel accommodation by the next election. In Cheshunt, north of London, around 250 people demonstrated against the asylum policy, waving British and English flags and holding banners reading “Protect our children”. Events like these reinforce the impression that the government is unable to adequately address the asylum issue.

Furthermore, the political situation is becoming increasingly tense for Prime Minister Starmer, particularly after the court ruling on the Epping hotel. Reform UK is using the situation as a triumph and calling for mass deportations. Ironically, however, immigration, both from EU and non-EU countries, remains a central point of political discussion after net immigration rose to 672,000 people in June 2023, while immigration from EU countries fell by 75%. The impression of many Brits is that the government has been unsuccessful overall in asylum policy.

Overall context of migration

The debate about asylum and migration is not new and has historical roots. In the 1930s, the Nazi regime used similar rhetoric against refugees. During the Brexit campaign, refugees were also portrayed in a negative light in order to promote leaving the EU. However, despite the political rhetoric, the UK relies on workers, regardless of their background. Last year, about 169,000 work visas were issued, often for nurses, and 282,000 foreign students entered the country, many of whom switch to work visas after graduating.

The UK government is struggling to communicate the need for workers to the public. A government deportation plan to Rwanda was rejected by the Supreme Court as illegal, further compounding the problem. These increased challenges in asylum policy and global migration continue to be critically observed by the public and political actors.

The situation continues to develop, and the coming weeks will show whether the planned changes to the asylum system can calm the growing discontent of the population or whether the protests will continue.

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