MRN and Race on the Agenda co-hosted an event on 9 May 2022 to discuss how refugee policy across Europe and the UK is being increasingly influenced by racism & religious discrimination.

The innovative and swift responses to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, which have seen ‘Fortress Europe’ open its gates so that Ukrainians can flee immediately to safety, have been in stark contrast to the treatment of other groups of refugees in recent times.

Since World War II, Europe and the UK have enacted and enabled policies to keep out those seeking sanctuary fleeing from war or other humanitarian crises.

The rapid change in mood towards Ukrainian refugees has brought home how deeply embedded racism and Islamophobia is in our politics, media and our refugee policies. The Nationality and Borders Bill and the Government’s stated plan to send those seeking asylum to Rwanda, both indicate there will be no long-term easing of the hostile environment.

When desperate Black and brown students trapped in Ukraine were actively barred from entering trains and crossing the borders to safety, this was a moment of reflection for racialised refugee communities.

We want all refugees to be treated with humanity and compassion regardless of their religious persuasion or their ethnicity but some governments have clear ideas as to who they want to open their doors to.

Speakers included:

• Halima Salat Barre- Investigative reporter, Lighthouse Reports
• Maya Goodfellow- Author & academic
• Co-chairs- Fizza Qureshi (MRN) and Maurice Mcleod (Race on the Agenda)

Series Updates

This is the first event in our ‘Who is Welcome?’ event series. The recording can be accessed here.

We will be posting all the latest announcements and updates regarding this series across all our other socials, which can be accessed via our Linktree.

In solidarity,

MRN

#whoiswelcome 🏴