WILPF UK is appalled at the increasing hostility towards refugees.
- We are appalled at the violence in word and deed shown towards fellow humans; women in particular are feeling intimidated and threatened and are at increasing risk.
- We are appalled at the anger building towards refugees, especially those housed in ‘hotels’.
- We are appalled at the rash of flags appearing in our streets, towns and cities.
- We are appalled at the hate shown via the media and on marches and street actions.
Action is needed to break the misunderstanding of the use of the word ‘hotel’.
Hotels that refugees are forced to live in are often buildings in a poor state of repair. But the owners have found they can make huge sums of money letting their run-down buildings to the government department to house this particular client group who have no voice and no choices.
Entire families are usually forced to live in one room, so overcrowding is a serious issue.
No cooking is allowed in the rooms, so children have to wait for their allocated time to eat the meal provided. This is problematic for families with young children as suitable times will vary from family to family. The food provided is at the lowest possible cost, so the quality of the food will reflect that cost.
Although security staff are provided, people housed in these ‘hotels’ are likely to be fearful and feel intimidated and at risk by the anger, hatred and prejudice directed towards them recently.
People arriving in this country seeking safety are very often traumatised, not just for the reasons why they escaped from their homeland but also by the various trafficking and exploitative experiences they are likely to have endured on the way.
At great further risk to themselves, people have come here for safety due to war, violence, oppression and repression, discrimination or poverty, often caused by the relentless consequences of the climate emergency, such as unproductive land due to climate change and many other factors and consequences.
Action is needed to enable refugees to work and support their families
Refugees aim to work and build a life here. This might be for the short term, until conditions improve in their home country, or for the long term, if their home country is likely to pose a danger if they return.
If people were allowed to work while they wait for their case to remain to be heard, it would provide workers willing and able to do a variety of jobs, allowing them to use their time and skills, contribute to their neighbourhood and local economy, offer them dignity, and offer the opportunity to know and be known by local people. Allowing refugees to work would also fill many of the vacant skilled jobs, such as nursing and caring roles, as well as the jobs that many people from the EU did prior to employment regulations as a result of Brexit.
As things stand, people from non-EU countries are asked to come and fill those jobs. Yet in the hotels and other places the government has found for the refugees to exist in, there are people willing to do those jobs who have gone through hell to get here.
Action is needed to address the housing issue
The whole housing problem leaves many young adults unable to leave their parental home as rents are unaffordable. When refugees are then housed it is seen as ‘queue jumping’ or that they are ‘taking the housing locals need’.
If the government introduced rent controls on all landlords, then rises in rent would be regulated. Being a landlord should not be regarded as a way of milking tenants of their money. Repairs obviously have a cost, but housing solely for holiday lets takes away options for permanent tenants. This happens a great deal especially in coastal areas, and particularly in the west country.
Second homes that are not let, and will remain unlet and just for the owners’ use, should be rated at extra cost.
The government should commit to a large-scale programme of building council-owned housing, together with a phasing out of the ‘right to buy’. When building homes the so-called ‘affordable’ homes should be built first. Often these don’t get built as developers are allowed to say they wouldn’t be cost-effective.
Other ways in which the government could reduce the cost of housing need to be explored urgently. It is possible that house prices will come down or at least stop rising so fast, which in the long run will be better for society. It is not acceptable that people have to choose between heating and eating because they cannot afford to heat their rented properties or cannot afford to eat properly because their rent is so high.
Action is needed to address issues in society as a whole
There really isn’t such a thing as ‘an English person’ since we have had people from other lands living here for so long that our genes are evidence of that.
We benefit from other cultures –there are players from many lands in our football teams; the music we listen to reflects a mix of cultures; the food we eat in restaurants is often from India, Italy, Greece, the African continent, China and many other cultures. Our NHS hospitals have doctors and nurses, cleaners, office staff, engineers and others from many countries.
As our predecessors colonised and exploited huge parts of the world, and the English language is widespread, it is no surprise that this country is where many are drawn to as a place of safety. Incomers have been given the idea that we are a tolerant and welcoming society and, while that is largely true, the people who hold negative views of newcomers are given a massive amount of media time that exposes their prejudice and hatred. The fears about refugees need addressing in the hope that truthful information will alleviate some of these pressures and reduce the hostility.
It is simply not true that there is more crime committed by refugees compared to the local population. Each case that comes to light becomes over-blown to serve the purposes of Nigel Farage and the far right.
October 2025
