Racism, Islamophobia and anti-migrant hatred continue to be spread by far-right figures like Stephen Yaxley-Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson), political parties like Reform but also by the Government itself. This then legitimises and enables the nationwide spread of racist rhetoric Alongside harmful anti-migrant policies, the Government, political figures and media, through their demonising narratives of “stop the boats”, migrant “invasions”, and “parallel lives”, have stoked the flames of the far-right racist riots that we saw across the country in 2024 and 2025. 

But what does indifference have to do with this? Well, indifference plays a role in normalising fascist rhetoric and violence. It manifests itself in self-identified pro-migration spaces, and legitimises fascism and fascist violence like what we saw in Southport and beyond. To explain fully, let’s define some terms first. 

What is indifference?

“If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”. -Desmond Tutu

Indifference can be defined as apathy, neutrality, or otherwise as a lack of interest or concern  It then leads to ignorance and disinformation and is exemplified by privilege. Plainly, it is a refusal to get uncomfortable or “rock the boat”, to call out disinformation and harmful ideas, or address root causes and oppressive systems at large. Indifference is the “easy way out” of having to do critical and reflective work on the world around us. Indifference can be harder to spot, and is more normalised in our society. Based on our observations and research, we have identified main strands of indifference that is widespread in pro-migration spaces:

• The refusal to identify racism and Islamophobia as the primary driving forces behind anti-migrant narratives
• The refusal to identify colonialism, neo-colonialism, and its legacies as drivers behind displacement
• The regurgitation of racist, classist and ableist binaries 
• Giving a green light to more racist immigration policies

Indifference is the refusal to identify racism and Islamophobia as the driving forces behind anti-migrant narratives

Time and time again, some pro-migration spaces have shown an inability to publicly recognise that racism is central to migration policies and narratives. Either this is due to their unwillingness to understand, or because they pander to White fragility as in motivated by a fear  that “they will upset someone” if they mention racism. Their analyses of the prevalence of the far-right and why migrants are being targeted are indifferent to, and make no mention of, the fact that racism, Islamophobia and colonial narratives of civility are part and parcel of which migrants are determined to be deserving of respect. Pro-migration spaces frequently separate the far right from racism: they lack the ability to understand that the media and political platforming of (and refusal to challenge) increasingly racist narratives is directly emboldening and legitimising the far-right. 

As we have said previously:

“White supremacy has shaped, and continues to shape, exclusionary [anti-migrant] legislation [and narratives] through racialised notions of worth and belonging that have come to be a defining feature of modern day bordering”.

Without understanding the role of anti-colonialism and White supremacy, hostile migrant hatred and discourse cannot be tackled effectively. Denial of racism is a key part of indifference. Doing so grants permission to those spouting racist beliefs to continue with impunity, whilst pacifying other people’s desire to even challenge racist structures in the first place.

Indifference is the refusal to identify colonialism and its legacies as the primary driving forces behind displacement

We have written at length about how colonialism, imperialism and their legacies have contributed to displacement and have created refugees out of entire populations. Yet many “pro-migration” spaces fall into the trap of ignoring the root causes.

Advocating for “safe routes” for those displaced by colonialism and imperialism, without also advocating for an end to the conditions that are causing the displacement, is a position without migrant liberation at its core. True justice for migrants, including refugees, involves an end to the neo-colonial and imperial conditions that force people to become displaced from their homes. Our vision of the world should not only be one where everyone is free to move, but also one where no one is forced to move.

Indifference is the regurgitation of racist, classist and ableist binaries

Indifference also manifests itself through the “good versus bad migrant” binary that is upheld in many pro-migration spaces. Racism, Islamophobia and ableism all dictate who is seen to fulfil the criteria of the “good migrant” versus the “bad migrant”, and by extension dictate who is worthy and deserving of respect and who isn’t. Therefore, in celebrating the “good migrant”, pro-migration spaces keep racist, Islamophobic, and ableist hierarchies intact.

Indifference gives a green light to more racist immigration policies

Countering indifference means countering narratives that distract from the fight for migrant justice. In their arguments against repressive anti-migrant policies, pro-migration spaces unfortunately fall into the trap of basing their arguments on expensiveness and workability. We have to be clear: repressive anti-migrant policies are bad, not because they are “unworkable” or “expensive”, but because they are deeply harmful. 

Basing arguments on “cost” or “workability” continues the dehumanising colonial tradition of reducing people from the Global South into a “problem” to be managed or a “commodity” to be exchanged. But these arguments are also rooted in indifference, because the implication is that we should only care about opposing repressive anti-migrant policies if they are expensive enough, and that if repressive anti-migrant policies are cheap, then they are justified. 

Indifference doesn’t create meaningful change. Neutrality doesn’t achieve migrant justice. Instead, indifference creates a vacuum that allows the far-right to thrive.

Disinformation is rampant and the far-right are mobilised. We need to shift our approach. Check out our Words Matter campaign.