Tower Hamlets Green Party councillor Nathalie Bienfait and Green Party members tonight stood in solidarity with asylum seekers due to be moved into a hotel in Canary Wharf by the Home Office. The Tower Hamlets Green Party calls for the entire community to unite against anti-asylum seeker protests which are taking place outside the hotel.
Councillor Bienfait said “I doubt there is a single household in Tower Hamlets without some migrant heritage. Irish, Italians, Poles, Lithuanians, Somalis, Bangladeshis and virtually every nation under the sun have made homes here and contributed to making Tower Hamlets such a great place to live.”
“Many of our Bangladesh, Somali and other black and ethnic minority residents have horrifying stories of the violent racist abuse and discrimination they faced. The people behind these anti-migrant protests are following in the footsteps of the National Front, British National Party and Oswald Moseley’s Blackshirts. They use the same language of division and hatred and we must stand in unity against them.”
“Almost four years ago Tower Hamlets schools, churches, mosques and council worked together to support almost three hundred migrant families who were placed in the borough at short notice. That is the real spirit of Tower Hamlets. We welcome people from all over the world seeking to make a better life and refuse to be intimidated by protesters such as those we saw tonight.”
“Anti-migrant ideology is the most powerful tool the far right has to divide and weaken working class communities. We stand in solidarity with those who are being threatened, and we will work with other local political parties, unions, faith groups and the council to present a united front against them.”
“Lots of protestors were worried about asylum claimants taking away resources from people who are struggling in this country. The Green Party’s view is that the Labour government is not making tax choices which would enable them to properly invest in public services and communities.”
“We can’t blame asylum seekers for our failing public services. These are the most vulnerable people in our world and they have no safe or legal routes to this country, and also have no choice over where the Home Office puts them. Let’s treat refugees, migrants and asylum seekers with dignity, respect and kindness.”