Author Archives: Lin Macmillan

It is not enough to condemn the rioting and violence that has taken place in the wake of Henry Nowak’s death, and the horrific knife attack in Belfast.  We need to understand why it is happening and look at ways to deal with the root cause.

There does seem to have been a rise in the number of violent crimes committed by those that have come to the UK as immigrants or asylum seekers.  Certainly if one believes the red-tops, this is the case.  However it would need someone with more time and expertise than I have to do an analysis of some of the more horrific crimes that have taken place in the last few months and years to establish whether or not this is truly the case.  My perception is that there are an equal number of dreadful acts carried out by those who appear to be ethnically British – they just don’t get the same amount of prominence in the media.

Whether or not there has been a rise in violent crimes committed by those who have come to seek sanctuary in the UK, the perception is that this is what is happening.  Those people who have not had the benefit of much education, and who are struggling with rising prices long waiting times for NHS treatment etc., feel aggrieved that people who have been welcomed here are not playing by the rules.  They realise that immigrants are getting healthcare, housing, and welfare payments that UK taxpayers are funding. They also believe, often incorrectly, that immigrants are somehow “jumping the queues” and preventing British people from having access to the above benefits.

What few of the rioters and protesters know, is that the circumstances that have caused many immigrants and asylum seekers to flee their homelands are ghastly beyond belief.  Some years ago I spent a little time in Malta working with those who had fled a variety of African countries, and crossed the Mediterranean in the hope of a better life.  On my first day in Malta, whilst being briefed in the offices of the organisation providing assistance to the refugees, a man suddenly ran in, shrieking and crying.  He collapsed sobbing on the floor, and when the staff finally managed to calm him down, they ascertained that someone had taken his bed.  To many, this would seem to be a very extreme reaction, but when you have lost everything, it isn’t.