This is a letter apologising to migrants, including refugees, and all migratised people acknowledging that we haven’t done enough to end the dehumanising narratives.
The past few years has really seen a turn for the worse for migrants, including refugees and racialised communities. It doesn’t matter how long you have been living here or whether you were born here, what your pigment or accent is, or where your parents are from. All have become the focus for racists including fascists.
When the Prime Minister blames migrants for the Government’s policy and economic failings, we haven’t done enough. When the media offer excuses for racist riots, we haven’t done enough. When racialised and migrant communities are terrorised by the far-right taking over our streets, we haven’t done enough. This cannot continue.
Hatred and division are rising, politicians are too eager to place all their failings at the feet of migrants, and the media is eager to amplify these statements. Something isn’t shifting quickly enough to pushback against these. We need to reflect on what this is and why, which is exactly what we have been doing internally.
The intention behind our Words Matter campaign has always been about putting a mirror up to the words and narratives that surround migration to unpick anti-migrant harms and stereotypes. Our own reflections have shifted our own language significantly from language that reinforced a binary of ‘deserving’ and ‘undeserving’ migrants. But we recognise that not everyone has the privilege, space, time or energy to do this work. We are honest enough to recognise that maybe the Words Matter campaign to defy the existing narratives hasn’t created the meaningful change we wanted.
So, we pledge to do better by you, by ourselves, and to those who are on the frontlines. With this in mind, we are revamping our Words Matter campaign to focus on actively tackling disinformation and far-right mobilisation. In these dark times, we need to work together and recognise that our struggles are linked.
Watch out for tomorrow’s relaunch, and in the meantime, sending solidarity to you all.
Fizza Qureshi, CEO of the Migrants’ Rights Network