{"id":6435,"date":"2015-10-23T14:58:49","date_gmt":"2015-10-23T13:58:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=6435"},"modified":"2015-10-23T14:58:49","modified_gmt":"2015-10-23T13:58:49","slug":"we-dont-come-here-to-steal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=6435","title":{"rendered":"\u00e2\u20ac\u0098We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come here to steal\u00e2\u20ac\u2122"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

If the newspapers are to be believed, nearly all of the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ills can be attributed to migrants \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they steal our jobs, yet at the same time they rely on benefits. And they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re making it \u00e2\u20ac\u015bimpossible to build a cohesive society\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 in Britain, in the words of home secretary Theresa May in her recent speech to the Tory Party Conference.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But a new film Immigration: What\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the Story?<\/em> dispels the myths about immigration, in the words of migrants themselves. Produced by Show Racism the Red Card \u00e2\u20ac\u201c an educational charity that utilises the high profiles of football players to help tackle racism in society \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the film shares the stories of migrants from all walks of life.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

A special preview of the film was screened yesterday (October 22) at the National Union of Teachers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 headquarters, with guest speakers attending including Unite general secretary Len McCluskey, Unite political director Jennie Formby, NUT general secretary Christine Blower, and director of Migrant Voice Nazek Ramadan.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Workforce gaps<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Among the migrants featured in the film were several people who had moved to the UK to work for the NHS. Far from stealing jobs, they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been recruited from overseas to fill critical workforce gaps in areas such as nursing.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

But their crucial contribution to society is overshadowed by unimaginably cruel racism.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

One nurse recalls being stopped in the street and yelled at \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u015b\u00e2\u20ac\u0098Go home, you are not needed here,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat hurts us most is when it comes from little children,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he explained. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bOne time they vandalised our car. They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve thrown eggs at our windows.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Targets<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

He noted that after being the targets of racist abuse on the street where he lives, his children are now not allowed to play outside.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The film featured, too, the stories of refugees, among them a young woman who had fled war-torn Rwanda, where child rape, murder and child soldiers were common.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou risk your whole life to come here \u00e2\u20ac\u201c to come somewhere safe,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 she noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bBecause when you live through a war, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not safe at all. We don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t come here to steal or get whatever belongs to British people \u00e2\u20ac\u201c that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not our aim. Our aim is to have peace and also to contribute to society.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The migrants\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 testimonies are supported by professional footballers and celebrities including Gary Lineker, Manchester United and England\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Chris Smalling, Sunderland AFC and England\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Jermain Defoe, as well as Chelsea and England\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Eniola Aluko.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Unite, along with the NUT and other unions and charities helped support the production of the film.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speaking after the screening, Unite general secretary Len McCluskey noted that what he found most troubling was when one migrant nurse said of the racism she experiences \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u015bYou just get used to it; it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s part of life.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Challenge racism <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis is what we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re fighting against,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 McCluskey said. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bMaking certain that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get used to it, that it doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become a normal part of our lives; that we don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t become anesthetised to it; that we challenge it everywhere.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

McCluskey argued that the entrenched racism and anti-migrant sentiment we see today is an offshoot of the current crisis of zero hours contracts, food banks, unemployment and homelessness.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe establishment always tries to divert attention from their greed and their inadequacies and of course the obscenity of the system itself,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he noted. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re always seeking to divide people; to turn worker against worker based on the colour of their skin or where they come from. And we have to stand up against it and say \u00e2\u20ac\u201c \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Not in our name\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWhat we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re engaged in is challenging the system, challenging the unfairness and the inequality and the injustice that exists within our society,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 McCluskey added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bAnd making certain that no matter where you come from, working people have decent values and that we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re all in it together.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bI\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve often said I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got more in common with an African worker, an Argentinian worker or an Eastern European worker than with a British boss.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Show Racism the Red Card\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s chief executive Ged Grebby explained that the inspiration of the film was to challenge so many of the negative stereotypes about immigration that dominate the media and political discourse.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe believe that this [film] will be an effective resource which will change perceptions of those people seeking to come to the UK and look at the social and economic benefits to the country as a whole,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he said.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Clips from the film can be seen on the charity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s YouTube channel<\/a>. Early next year, the full film will be produced as a DVD, along with an educational pack for use in schools and workplaces. Find out more about the charity here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the newspapers are to be believed, nearly all of the country\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ills can be attributed to migrants \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they steal our jobs, yet at the same time they rely on benefits. And they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re making it \u00e2\u20ac\u015bimpossible to build a cohesive society\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 in Britain, in the words of home secretary Theresa May in her recent […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6437,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[352,387,395,44],"wps_subtitle":"Migrants speak about cruelty of racism","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6435"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6435"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6438,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6435\/revisions\/6438"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}