HELLO, merhaba, salam, konnichiwa, bonjour, and fàilte on Human Rights Day. We have been witnessing an increase in racism in our communities throughout this year.
It has been masked by multiple means, such as by the language used within certain media outlets and by the far-right groups being organised to spread their lies and venom. “Concerned citizens” is the preferred term of some politicians.
The hostility experienced by people seeking asylum and refuge continues to increase, fuelled by misinformation spread on social media platforms and whispers of rumours in communities. People seeking asylum and refuge do not have the right to work. People depend on less than £10 weekly in asylum support.
This means of support is to cover accessing education and legal rights, transportation, to meet friends and simply to live.
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I say simply but it is not simple. Being displaced from day one of arrival to anywhere across the country, to not being able to work so that people can live with dignity, is not simple.
Just imagine for a second. You arrive somewhere new, you are trying to navigate the process of living, learning, and wanting a normal life. You are then met by so-called concerned citizens, who shout at you as you are displaced once again into former hotel accommodation without knowing how long for.
“Send them back”, “kill them all”, “go back to where you came from”. You continue hearing these words as you try to live. You don’t want anything more, nor anything less, you just want to live. To live as a human.
Hepimiz insaniz, we are all human,
tha sinn uile daonna, نحن جميعا بشر,
ኩላትና ሰብ ኢና።, On est tous des êtres humains
Suntem oameni cu toti, Kita semua manusia,
sisi wote ni wanadamu, tha sinn uile daonna,
he tangata katoa tatou, dyn ni i gyd,
ہم سب انسان ہیں, is daonna sinn go léir
This has been the norm for people placed at former hotel accommodation. I use the term “former hotels” as they are no longer truly being used for that purpose. Rather, profits are being made as people live a temporary life within contained walls.
Young people and children are now being exposed to division and hate. This is not the path any society should ever take.
Openly targeting children for speaking more than one language is evil, dangerous and ignorant.
We all speak or know more than one language, from listening to music, reading menus, watching films, to having friends from all over the world.
Multilingualism exists everywhere and it will continue to do so. Those who do not see this need to look at words, the meaning of their names, and try to have some form of compassion. We, as humans, need to remind ourselves and others who may live in a temporary blocked mindset, that we are all the same.
We speak, we listen and we need to understand. Some people hold anger within themselves and address this anger for the wrong reasons to the wrong people.
I understand the anger towards the unjust systems we may encounter on a daily basis. However, this anger should not target people seeking asylum and refuge. It should be directed towards those who created the structures causing such anger.
The anger some of us hold on to needs to end before it causes serious harm. Having attended the recent Falkirk rally, I witnessed this anger as some threw glass bottles at us.
Today, on Human Rights Day, I ask for compassion, for peace, and for understanding. We must have difficult conversations. We must learn and unlearn to know one another. We must learn to listen, in many languages and in many ways. As human beings, we can and will.
Thank you, teşekkürler, terima kasih, moteshkaram, asante, arigatō, spas dikim, mahadsanid, and tapadh leat!
Pinar Aksu is a human rights activist and researcher. Her work focuses on migration, languages, sustainability, and creativity
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