Refugee week this year will be even more important than ever. We need to do all we can to roll back the tide of misinformation, scapegoating, hate speech and hostility. Please let us know about events you are organising in your communities so that we can share ideas and support each other across the country. And as always we are happy to give talks, on-line and in person. Kind regards Ulrike and the Amnesty Europe country coordinators team.
Refugee Week 2025
by Ulrike Schmidt
Fuelled by the hateful rhetoric of Trump, Farage and far right leaders across Europe refugees fleeing war, violence and persecution are confronted with increasing hostility in most European countries and even deadlier routes.
Migration has become a deeply polarising issue, often framed through opposing political ideologies. This divisive discourse serves as a harmful and dehumanising tool, reinforcing the “othering” of people on the move. As political groups and governments continue to weaponize migration to further their agendas, those most affected by increasingly hostile policies are left in precarious and vulnerable situations.
It must be our role as Human Rights defenders to challenge the scapegoating of refugees and migrants on every step. Refugees and migrants are not the cause of the housing crisis, the selling off and halt in building council housing is. Refugees and migrants are often working in the NHS, they are not responsible for long waiting lists, cuts in funding are. Cuts in education budgets are responsible for large class sizes, in fact in London many schools are closed due to declining pupil numbers; instead of enhancing education by teaching smaller groups schools are amalgamated or shut and pupils shoved into large classes.
Refugee Week gives us the opportunity to organise events celebrating the contributions refugees are making to society at large and our communities and to challenge the hateful rhetoric from populists, far right and some of our political leaders. Refugees Welcome ! Seeking Asylum is a Human Right !
Hayward Heath group are organising a film event for 20. June, International Refugee day. Watford group are organising a screening of “Green Border “ for the 19th of July. I am involved in organising 2 very different events : an evening based on film and talk at Kensington North Library and a celebration with music and poetry in Walthamstow.
Amnesty International Refugee Week at Kensington North Library
Thursday 19th June 6-8pm Refugees Welcome !
Join us for an evening of discussion and celebration.
We are celebrating the many contributions migrants and refugees are making to our communities, working in the NHS and many other parts of public service. We are going to show how European institutions are undermining human rights to fortify Fortress Europe, in Poland, Greece , Italy , UK … And we are celebrating how ordinary people are showing humanity, compassion and solidarity.
We are featuring the photo exhibition
‘Scars and solidarity’ by Chiara Fabbro, the short film Dover 82 with Aria Danaparamita, and Amnesty International country coordinators Lucja Jastrzebska and Ulrike Schmidt.
The event is free but space is limited : please book your place on Eventbrite
Updates from Fortress Europe
And for a celebratory fundraiser for Care4Calais with life-music, poetry and cakes join No-0ne is a Stranger in Walthamstow. Organised by Stand up to Racism, Love Music hate Racism and Care4Calais. I will be contributing the talk on Pylos and the deadly effects of Fortress Europe. 
Background : in 2023 over 117 million people were forcibly displaced world-wide : 3 out of 4 refugees are hosted in low and middle income countries near their countries of origin. 75% of displaced people globally are from just 20 countries featured on the IRC’s latest Emergency Watchlist, which highlights the places at greatest risk of facing deteriorating humanitarian emergencies this year. However, the vast majority of people forced from their homes remain in their own region , and just a tiny fraction seek to reach protection in Europe. Still, EU states have consistently failed to reach an agreement on how to deal with people seeking safety on its territory, resulting in political polarisation and immense suffering and human rights violations at Europe’s borders. (figures from Rescue.org/EU). [click to continue…]
