Theresa May’s fixation on migration will fuel violence in the streets

Date: 1 September 2016

In response to Theresa May’s announcement that migration control will take centre stage in Brexit negotiations Nick Dearden said:

“By putting migration restrictions at the centre of Brexit negotiations, Theresa May is not only jeopardising our economy, but also leaving millions of people in fear of losing their right to live and work in the UK.

“A UN body recently said that UK politicians were partly to blame for the shocking surge of hate crimes that has occurred since the referendum. By irresponsibly focusing on migration as if it were the source of all ills, Theresa May is actively contributing to the threat of xenophobic violence that people are facing on the streets.

“People in Britain and elsewhere are right to be angry about the way that they have been marginalised and impoverished by deindustrialisation and austerity. This has happened as a result of government policies over many years, which have put the interests of big business and the super-rich ahead of the needs of ordinary people. It is completely cynical for the government to try to shift the blame onto ordinary people from other countries, who have come here to escape poverty, conflict or simply to improve their lives, just as many people from this country have moved abroad in the past.

“The answer to our problems is not to blame ‘foreigners’, but to work together to build a more equal and democratic society. Limiting the rights of those who are also victims will not help us create this world. Our government should be looking at ways to support communities in the UK that have been economically marginalised by decades of political neglect, rather than trying to compete with  Donald Trump in anti-migrant rhetoric.” 
 

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