The press and politicians must share the blame for rising racism

The press and politicians must share the blame for rising racism

5 September, 2025

The situation in the UK, and elsewhere in the world, is becoming a lot scarier for many migrants. We are seeing a “normalisation” of hatred and division, politicians claiming to “understand” those who are harassing people who came to this country to seek safety, the media amplifying a minority of hard-line racist xenophobic ideologues as if they represent the majority of the public, and a failure from policymakers and journalists to confront and contradict the rampant misinformation, and flat our lies, made against already marginalised communities.

The summer months when Parliament breaks for recess was always a “silly season” for the news. Whereas once it was stories of the Loch Ness Monster being seen, for the last few years it has been focused on “small boats” and immigration. This year though it seems to have been taken to a new level.

What cannot be overlooked is the way in which the voices of those spreading hostility and hate against those who have come to the UK have been massively over-represented and amplified. They have been portrayed as the “will of the people”, when everything shows that they are in the minority.

This amplification in the media has, arguably, emboldened those who already held racist and xenophobic ideologies. This emboldening has seen vigilantes on the streets targeting innocent people, including delivery drivers, and individuals feeling comfortable in hurling racist abuse at others on live television.

It is not just the media which has enabled this, although an almost institutional failure to challenge the lies and hate we have seen must surely be recognised as a significant driver. Policymakers also have their share of the blame to take. The pandering to those who have protested outside of hotels, despite the numbers of them being actually remarkably low, (on bank holiday Sunday for example it is estimated that fewer than 1,000 people attended all protests nationwide by some reports), has become a standard reaction, including from senior government officials.

Throughout all of this there has been one group noticeably under-represented, the voices of those most affected, us, migrants. There have been a few pieces, no-one is denying that, but for a sector which allows individuals to demonise and dehumanise us then argues that it is only being “balanced,” our voices are noticeably lacking.

The reality of the situation is that the disproportionate scale of coverage of anti-asylum attitudes, and the rhetoric from certain prominent politicians, has distorted the whole narrative. Outright lies, such as people seeking asylum all living in five-star conditions and receiving iPads, have gone unchallenged through some notion of “balance”.

The actual reality is something which has been widely ignored by the media and policymakers over recent weeks in an attempt to pander to those who believe it is acceptable to further traumatise and abuse people who have already faced so much. The facts are clear, and show that the arguments put forward against those who came to the UK seeking asylum are plain false.

This media narrative, and in turn far-right agitators, have been emboldened though by this government’s own messaging and policies. Instead of contradicting the misinformation they have leaned into it, introducing a raft of new hostile measures, including banning those receiving a small living allowance from being able to save up to buy a toy for their child, or preventing refugees from being able to reunite with their spouses and children who remain in the same countries they themselves were forced to flee.

This summer, for the first time in more than five years, we have seen immigration replace the economy as people’s “main concern” according to polling, yet those “concerns” have been stoked by a relentless media narrative portraying the voices of anti-asylum activists as the majority opinion, and allowed their lies to go unchallenged.

Many asylum seekers and migrants are living in fear because of the escalating far-right activities we have seen across the country, the hostile rhetoric and hatred which has been allowed to grow. It is not from the majority of people, but when you look at the media you could easily think that it is, and that adds to that fear for migrants, and other minorities.

The violence we have seen directed at people, who are just living their lives, can be blamed on thugs on the streets, but our media and policymakers must also take their share of the blame for allowing these people’s twisted ideologies to be “mainstreamed”.

The question any decent journalist and politician should be asking themselves right now is “how have we got to this stage”? The sad answer, in part, is because of the actions of the press and politicians though. Not only those who have actively stoked the hostility seen rising against us, but also those who have stayed quiet, or claimed we need to listen to “both sides”. They haven’t listened to both sides. Our voices are not being listened to; our fears are not being heard. They have failed us, they have failed to support communities under attack, and instead have allowed the attackers to claim they are in the right.

This summer should, must, act as a wake-up call to change the way in which immigration, including asylum but not limited to it, is discussed. The violence and division we have seen rip through communities, stoked by the far-right, should not be treated as if it is “business as usual”, or just another story. It should be confronted, challenged and condemned, and we must be listened to as those most affected by it.