Several groups gathered in Newcastle to show solidarity with refugees as a counter to a planned far-right protest.
There was a heavy police presence at the Blue Carpet in anticipation of far-right group the 'North East Frontline Patriots' protesting against the housing of refugees and people seeking asylum in the city on Saturday afternoon. However, the protest did not go ahead as expected, but anti-racism groups, trade unions and local support organisations still showed up with the message that refugees are welcome in Newcastle.
Yunus Bakhsh, of North East Against Racism, added: "The idea that people who have fled warzones and dictatorial regimes arrive in Britain looking for a place of safety and then get attacked is so incredibly abhorrent. It doesn't even bear thinking about, it's absolutely outrageous."
Read more: Newcastle MP slams far-right extremists handing out propaganda to homeless – in food parcels
Home Office figures shows that 51,000 people seeking asylum are currently housed in hotels, at a cost of £6m to the UK taxpayer. The North East hosts a larger proportion of people fleeing persecution than any other region in the UK, with a rate 10 times higher than the South East and South West.
Last September, the West End Refugee Service called the use of hotels “an inhumane way to treat people fleeing persecution”. An investigation published in 2022 revealed that refugees in the city were left without fresh food or basic Covid protection during the pandemic, which was delivered to home secretary Suella Braverman in April 2023.
The report also aired concerns that hotels were being targeted by far-right groups, and the living situation reminded torture victims of being in prison.
Shumel Rahman, Labour Party councillor for Newcastle city centre, told ChronicleLive: "We want to support refugees and asylum seekers in Newcastle. We're a city of sanctuary, we're a very welcoming city and I want to send out a clear message that refugees and asylum seekers are welcome in this city.
"They have a place here and we've always had immigrants coming to Newcastle. It's simply not true that asylum seekers are a drain on society. Refugees and asylum seekers put more into the system than they ever take out once they're able to be integrated into society."
Cat Hurst-McGahey, of the LGBT+ Northern Social Group, said: "We're here because seeking asylum is legal. Asylum seekers have the right to come here and live in a nice environment without the threat of violence, abuse and discrimination."
Jesse Alexander, a 23-year-old barista, told ChronicleLive: "Being here just shows that we're human and we support other humans. We're so privileged in this country, we can't possibly imagine how much people have had to go through to leave their countries.
"They're felling warzones, religious persecution, or persecution for their sexual orientation. Despite them crossing borders and crossing oceans, they get here and they're still not welcomed, it's ridiculous."
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