Praxis' statement on the far-right riots

Right now, people up and down the UK are living in fear of violence. Communities are reeling from days of far-right riots. 

The violence of the last few weeks has been targeted, Islamophobic, and racist. People of colour have been attacked on the streets and hotels housing people seeking asylum set alight. 

This extreme violence was initially fuelled by misinformation online related to the senseless murders of Bebe King, Elsie Dot Stancome and Alice Dasilva Aguiar in Southport. 

Beyond that, it is a product of years of dehumanisation and vilification of migrant and Muslim communities in the UK. Time and time again, politicians have used marginalised groups as scapegoats to distract people from their failings in addressing poverty and inequality. Too often left unchallenged by journalists or even supported, this rhetoric has been normalised and seeped into policy and law. 

It is those marginalised groups who are now bearing the violent brunt of years of cruel choices by those in power. 

Here at Praxis, we’ve been focused on ensuring the safety of the Praxis community and the security of Praxis as an organisation. 

Along with our friends at Refugee Action, NACCOM, Right to Remain, Asylum Matters and others we've developed two important guides on how to keep people safe amidst far-right violence. Both hosted with Hope not Hate. One for asylum support providers & NGOs, and another for people seeking asylum & refugees.⁠  

We know most people want to support their neighbours, whatever they look like or religion they follow. We’ve seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets to protect mosques and immigration advice centres. We’ve seen local communities come together to clean up and rebuild. 

We stand shoulder-to-shoulder with our friends and neighbours most directly threatened by this hatred. We will not be divided and we will not give in.