We are deeply disturbed by the recent violence by anti-immigration and far right groups.  We've seen mosques attacked, immigration hotels targeted, businesses vandalised and communities left in fear.  At a time we should be mourning the tragic loss of lives by the atrocious stabbings that took place in Southport, these thugs have hijacked this period of mourning for those families and used it as their own vehicle for hate.

 

People seeking sanctuary in the UK have already endured incredibly difficult circumstances which have led them to be here, the events over the weekend will have undoubtedly caused more fear and trauma to those who are already struggling.

 

We stand in solidarity with asylum seekers, refugees and all those targeted, many of which are British,  by these far right  thugs.   We commend those in the community who have turned out to help the clear up operation and also been humbled by the  amount of people who have contacted us to ask how they can help us.   We know these far right groups represent such a small minority of the population and we need to make sure we stand strong together as a community.

 

We welcome the fact that a Cobra meeting has been called but more needs to be done.  The government and police need to ensure that those who are involved in this violence are brought to justice quickly.  We also know that there are those in society who have fuelled the situation over a longer period of time with lies and mistrust of anyone who isn’t white British. Some politicians and news outlets have used antimigration rhetoric which has no doubt incited actions of the like we are seeing. There needs to be an acknowledgement of the role they have played in what is now happening in our communities.  We respect everyone’s right to freedom of speech and understand not everyone will  have the same opinions as we do but there is a  line to be drawn when a person or organisation’s words and actions incite hatred and result in our streets being unsafe for those targeted and make people fear for their lives.

 

At Refugee Women Connect we stand with all those targeted.  We are currently supporting the women to stay safe and ensuring we are there for them during this difficult time. We are also taking extra security measures for our amazing dedicated staff and volunteers.  We hope that the government and police can take control of the situation quickly and make our streets safer for all.

 

We stand with the families and friends of the victims of the senseless stabbings in Southport, our thoughts are with you.