Torture survivors terrified to go out as far-right riots sweep Britain

A Freedom from Torture therapist describes how the violent scenes unravelling across the country have been horrendous for survivors of torture.

What's happening reminds me of my grandma’s stories of Oswald Mosley and the Blackshirts in 1930s London. Images of people attacking and setting fires to hotels housing refugees, of minoritised communities being abused and attacked in the streets have been awful to watch. But for the survivors that Freedom from Torture support – many of whom are living in similar hotels across the country – their fear has been utterly unthinkable.  

Our frontline staff have been working around the clock: as well as providing therapy, our welfare advisors are helping people to get the services they need. The survivors I work with – men, women and children who’ve fled unimaginable experiences like torture – just keep saying how terrified they are.

Even though it’s the summer holidays, some are too scared to take their children to the playground, or too frightened to go to the supermarket. Others have been so intimidated they don’t feel able to attend our therapy services or are too worried about leaving the family home alone.  

This is appalling. No one should feel unsafe in Britain – and people seeking sanctuary must never be singled out as targets for far-right violence and intimidation. The images we’ve seen play out across the news are a stark and chilling reminder that hateful rhetoric inspires hateful acts. 

We’ve had decades of cruel anti-refugee laws and policies pushed through by successive Governments. And this has had a huge impact on refugees.

But this hasn’t happened by accident. This is the result of decades of divisive politics, demonising and dehumanising minoritised communities and scapegoating refugees. The way people in politics and the media talk has a very real, and terribly negative, impact on people like those I see every day. It’s an additional, and unnecessary, challenge facing already vulnerable and marginalised people whose recovery is hard enough. 

We’ve had decades of cruel anti-refugee laws and policies pushed through by successive Governments. And this has had a huge impact on refugees. One of the survivors I work with said to me this morning; “first it was Rwanda and now this – it is so frightening.” For many, it feels like a never-ending spiral.  

When this rhetoric spills over into reality, it’s the people we support who are at the sharp end of this violence. Survivors of torture and other refugees are fearful of these far-right groups, concerned for their safety and the safety of their loved ones.

We know that explosive situations like this can be extremely re-traumatising and can worsen PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) symptoms – like anxiety, depression, trouble sleeping or difficulty eating and concentrating. These are people who’ve already suffered so much.  

The immediate priority is to keep people safe from harm, and that means keeping essential services open and accessible. For those who are too scared to leave their accommodation or homes, we’re offering remote therapy, legal and welfare appointments.

The Government must learn from these devastating attacks on what should be a safe home for people fleeing war and torture.

But there will be a long-term impact from this. Without a doubt, some people will be too frightened to seek help or support, including from the police, if it means being identifiable as someone seeking asylum. 

Institutional accommodation where refugees are housed in large scale sites – hotels in particular but also barracks or reception centres – are profoundly unsafe because it makes people more exposed to the types of attacks we’ve seen over the last week.

The Government must urgently put in place appropriate security measures to protect those in these types of accommodations who are likely to be targeted in this wave of violence and work with local charities and service providers to ensure that people can still access the support they need.  

The Government must learn from these devastating attacks on what should be a safe home for people fleeing war and torture. We need to move away from institutional accommodation as asylum housing once and for all. No matter where you come from or why you are here, everyone deserves to live in safe housing. 

We’ve already seen how acts of real kindness and solidarity in Southport and Middlesborough have helped to repair some of the damage inflicted by the racist mobs and reject hate and division. Now it’s time to see this reflected in the words and acts of our political leaders and across the media, and a zero-tolerance approach to the violence itself and the toxic narratives that underpin it.  

There’s no place for this violence on our streets. We know that most people in this country stand ready and willing to welcome people seeking sanctuary as neighbours and friends within our communities.

Over the last couple of days, nearly 2,000 people have raised their voices and sent messages of hope and solidarity to the survivors that we support.

Banner image credit: Drik / Getty Images
Article first published in Byline Times