Byron just showed us what Theresa May’s “a country for everyone” really means

By: Morten Thaysen
Date: 28 July 2016

Burger giant Byron has showed us exactly what Theresa May meant when she said she wants “a country that works for everyone“. On the morning of 4 July Byron Hamburgers called staff from several branches across their London restaurants to a training. Except it wasn’t a training. It was a trap. Waiting at the venue were immigration officers from the UK border force who arrested 35 workers. Some of them had worked for Byron for years.

So Byron apparently thought it would be fine to exploit migrant workers in their kitchens and then toss them aside when they saw fit. Many don’t agree, but unfortunately, Byron’s behaviour wasn’t as surprising as you may think.

Theresa May has previously pledged to create a “hostile environment” for migrants and a big part of this plan is turning ordinary people and businesses into part of the border force. From burger restaurant managers and landlords to doctors and hospitals. Targeting migrants doesn’t really suggest a country for everyone (not that May’s other policies really do) and turning us all into weapons of border enforcement is a far cry from an open and tolerant society.

The Byron scandal has left a lot of people asking, ‘but aren’t these people illegal?’ To which we must respond by  starting to question who we call illegal. It’s not long ago that queer people were arrested for ‘illegal activities’ – i.e. their sexuality. The UK has a long history of persecuting minorities in the name of the law. The comparison between different minorities persecuted by UK governments in history might seem a bit crass, but it’s an important one to make.

Definitions of who is legal and illegal changes over time depending on who is in power. We can’t let that turn us against each other and we certainly can’t let it excuse companies who go above and beyond what is necessary to betray their employees. Just as I’m outraged by raids on queer venues in the past, I’m outraged by the raids on migrant workers today. Unlike Theresa May I do want a country for everyone, not just whoever the conservative party decides should be tolerated.

If you agree, please join the protest on at Byron in Holborn on Monday.

Photo by Kake/flickr