Author Archives: Laurence Brass

Laurence Brass

Afghan refugees: a perspective from Herts

By Laurence Brass | Wed 25th August 2021 - 9:55 am

My grandparents fled the pogroms in Russia and several members of my family escaped from the Nazis in Germany. A lifetime as an activist in the Liberal Democrats has taught me that immigration is a blessing not a curse and we have always stood up for those fleeing persecution. And as an Asylum Judge, I heard every day harrowing tales of people who have not been welcomed to our country. The first Afghan refugee arrivals came to two hotels bang in the middle of my division in Hertfordshire.

Sunday morning saw a three mile traffic jam outside a car park. People had rushed to local shops to buy items we had requested for our welcome guests.

Continue reading »
Posted in Op-eds | Tagged , , and | 5 Comments
Advert



Recent Comments

  • Mark Frankel
    You can't keep on blaming the former colonial powers. It's the culture: they're just a bunch of feuding tribesmen for whom double-crossing is a way of life. Bri...
  • Jack Nicholls
    Outstanding analogy, though no responsible local authority can now afford a leopard. Even Windsor....
  • Adam
    "I understand there have been some indirect communications with HTS in recent years around combating IS, but that’s it." Considering that the leader curren...
  • Jonathan Brown
    It was more than "Bashar's ineptitude" that resulted in Russia, the US, Türkiye, Israel, etc. getting involved... There was the small matter of him killing aro...
  • Jonathan Brown
    Thanks Matthew. Ahmad, I think conflict with Israel is the last thing HTS has on its mind, though if Israel keeps bombing and grabbing more land I guess that...