Refugees

Australia, Covid and the Djoković affair

The Australian government is to blame, not a tennis player, says Dragan Plavšić
Palestinian season on Netflix

Michael Lavalette reviews a number of Palestinian films currently streaming on Netflix
Johnson: who is that unmasked man? – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on our benighted prime minister, the politics of migration and university strikes
Murder in the Channel

The tragic deaths of refugees trying to get to Britain are the consequence of the government's hostile environment, argues Shabbir Lakha
PCS challenges Priti Patel’s ‘pushbacks’: how trade unions can resist racism

The PCS union has threatened legal action over Home Office plans to make border agents carry out international-law-violating attacks on refugees, reports Floyd Codlin
Stateless children: the next victims of Priti Patel’s war on refugees

The Nationality and Borders Bill enshrines outrageous measures threatening the internationally agreed rights and welfare of children, argues Aaron Gates-Lincoln
The oppression of refugees: a UK-France collaboration

Jacob Bailey, a volunteer for Oxford Refugee Solidarity, calls for solidarity with migrants, reporting on the conditions in the camps in Northern France
The shame of Europe – weekly briefing

Lindsey German on the horrors of modern border control and the fallout from COP26
Europe's shame: The horrific treatment of refugees on the Poland-Belarus border

A humanitarian crisis is deepening on Europe's borders as one country after another militarises itself against the movement of refugees and desperate people, writes Kevin Ovenden
Making saving life a crime: the brutality of the Nationality and Borders Bill

Hundreds protested against the latest assault on the rights of refugees on Wednesday. Peter Bird was there
Stop the Tory attacks on education - Staffroom Voice, Counterfire Schools Bulletin October 2021

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on Tory cuts, climate change and refugees
Priti racist: Patel's war against refugees

The vile inhumanity of the Tories trying to send refugee boats back across the Channel is part of creating a scapegoat for the cuts they're inflicting, argues Yonas Makoni
‘Woefully inadequate’: the Home Office’s pitiful plan for Afghan refugees

The hostile policies towards Afghan and other asylum seekers stem from a long-standing anti-immigrant agenda of successive Tory governments, argues Raoul Walawalker
Learn the lessons of Afghanistan: protesters call for no more foreign wars

Protesters were joined by anti-war MPs ahead of the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan in calling for an end to imperialist wars, reports Lucy Nichols
This is a Tory crisis, not a migrant crisis

The Home Office's new Nationality and Borders Bill exemplifies the racism at the heart of the government's immigration policy, writes Jamal Elaheebocus
Criminalising the vulnerable: the nationality and borders bill

The new ‘Nationality and Borders Bill’ is a callous move which will make life even harder for migrants and refugees, argues Jamal Elaheebocus
How feeding racism ultimately became the Home Office’s main plan

By Raoul Walawalker, a writer at theImmigration Advice Service, an organisation of UK and Ireland immigration lawyers
Black footballers and the media: Amad Diallo, the tabloids and racism

All young Premier League players live a glamorous lifestyle not available to most people. But only some of them get constant criticism for it, argues Euan Burns
The Israeli War Machine is deliberately destroying Palestinian families - CounterBlast

Terrorising civilians has always been part of Zionist military doctrine and is not accidental, writes Sean Ledwith
The battle of Kenmure Street: the new Tory assault and the growing resistance

The community resistance to the Tories in Glasgow is the beginning of what could prove to be an explosive few years, argues David Jamieson
Priti Patel is addicted to attacking refugees - CounterBlast

The Home Secretary’s latest asylum proposals are characteristically racist, callous and devoid of compassion, writes Sean Ledwith
Napier Barracks: Priti Patel’s human rights scandal

The horrific treatment of asylum seekers in Napier Barracks is a deliberate part of the Home Office's hostile environment, reports Shadia Edwards-Dashti
Stansted 15 not guilty: a victory for the whole movement

The victory for the Stansted 15 in overturning their convictions is a step forward against the attempts to criminalise protest, writes Shabbir Lakha
'Worse than prison': shocking treatment of refugees at Napier Barracks exposed

Asylum seekers who have survived horrific journeys are now being held in such inhumane conditions they're committing self harm and attempting suicide
Scotland: independence, coronavirus and immigration policy

With growing support for Scottish independence, Kieran Isgin looks at the widening gulf on handling the pandemic and immigration between Scotland and Westminster
Penally camp: Pembrokeshire unites to boot the fascists out

The far-right have been mobilising at Penally camp where refugees are being housed, but anti-racists have have stepped up their organisation in response, reports Jim Scott
Racist America: forced sterilisations of refugee women

Refugee women in detention being given forced hysterectomies without consent is yet another reason why Ice must be abolished, argues Eleftheria Kousta
Lesvos refugee camp fire: a place like Moria should never exist again

The devastating consequences of Fortress Europe are being laid bare in the horrific burning down of Moria refugee camp and its aftermath, writes Eleftheria Kousta
Serbia and the 'refugee crisis': from good Samaritan to guard of 'Fortress Europe'

Obedience to European diktat and fierce competition in national politics has helped to harden Serbia's policy towards refugees and migrants, argues Anja Ilić
No refugee Is ‘illegal’

As the government and media continue to mislead us over the refugee crisis, the reality of what they have to endure tells a different story, argues Norman Wood.
The 'drowned and the saved': why migrant and refugee lives matter

As racist politicians attempt to fan the flames of prejudice and hatred, refugees need our complete solidarity, argues Floyd Codlin.
Refugees are not the enemy, the Government is - CounterBlast

The Tory government are once again scapegoating vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers to cover up for their own failings, argues Lucy Nichols
Dunce’s cap for Williamson, and a big Fail for the exam system - weekly briefing

Lindsey German on Tory education and why socialists defend refugees
Refugee crisis is one of the major legacies of Britain’s recent interventions

'Wars are welcome, refugees not' seems to be the only mantra the media and politicians want to repeat, says Lindsey German
Victims of torture continue to fall through the cracks of the UK’s asylum process

A political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service explains how asylum seekers, especially torture victims, are being failed by the hostile environment
Socialist Register 2020: Beyond Market Dystopia - book review

The wide range of essays in Socialist Register 2020 provide important reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of recent left movements, finds Sean Ledwith
The crisis within the crisis: refugees and the pandemic

Already vulnerable refugees living in unsanitary and squalid conditions are now bracing for the worst from the global pandemic, writes Eleftheria Kousta
EU-Turkish border crisis spills over to Serbia

Racist patrols and protests are spreading in Serbia, as the far-right seeks to exploit the migrant crisis for political gain, says Vladimir Unkovski-Korica
The EU is responsible for refugees on the Greek border

Refugees are being used as pawns in a geopolitical chess game, writes Shabbir Lakha
On Holocaust Memorial Day

Never again! This requires action now, as well as reflection, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg
The hostile environment and Fortress Europe are responsible for the 39 dead

The shameful Tory and EU policies stopping safe passage for refugees are the cause of the tragic deaths of 39 people in the back of a lorry, argues Mona Kamal
Trump betrays the Kurds: never trust the imperialists

US and British imperialism will never be an ally for the liberation of people anywhere, writes Shabbir Lakha as Erdogan begins bombing northern Syria
The refugee crisis: the situation worsens in Greece

Attacks on refugees in Greece are indicative of the situation throughout Fortress Europe, argues Eleftheria Kousta
Nato and the new imperialism

Written in June 1999, John Rees explains why the war in the Balkans was not about the plight of refugees but part of Nato’s expansion. It wanted to dominate the Balkans and eastern Europe as well as control the oil rich areas of the Caspian Sea
Theresa - the powerful new song from Cabinet of Millionaires

Unlike the Prime Minister, Cabinet of Millionaires' Theresa is reliably good, with a catchy tune and a powerful message, writes Graham Lockwood
Saying never again means resisting in the present

Remembering the Holocaust means remembering the horrific slaughter of Jewish people, but also the resistance and solidarity, and resolving to put 'never again' into practice, writes Dana Mills
There's no refugee crisis in Britain, only a hostile environment and racist scapegoating

The current Tory-manufactured “refugee crisis” is part of the same hostile environment that this government has created for its own citizens, argues Cathy Augustine
Rage at the Home Office - solidarity with the Stansted 15

The courage of the Stansted 15 in stopping this cruel deportation flight is an inspiration, not a crime, argues Ellen Graubart, reporting on the protest outside the Home Office
Averting chaos: class, climate change and the movements

Profit and powerful interests are precipitating planetary disaster. Protests such as Saturday's in London must be developed into a mass movement to force political change, argues Feyzi Ismail
Trump's teargas and racist brutality at the US-Mexico border

As the Migrant Caravan arrived at the US border, they were met with heavy tear gas and rubber bullets in a show of inhumane violence, John Clarke reports
The importance of mass mobilisation against war

Build the mass movements against war. Kevin Courtney's speech from the Stop the War Coalition national conference
Failed: what two decades of the refugee crisis could not teach Europe

Europe's failure to deal with the refugee crisis is resulting in more deaths in the Mediterranean and the growth of the far right argues Eleftheria Kousta
Libya: chaos reigns seven years on

Libyans are still paying the price with their lives for the 2011 Nato intervention. A stark reminder of why we urgently need an antiwar government argues Eleftheria Kousta
Frankenstein at 200

On the anniversary of Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Jacqueline Mulhallen looks beyond the cliches and finds a fable laced with powerful and timely commentary
Together against Trump: a mass show of opposition

Looking back at the quarter of a million strong demonstration against Trump, Daniel Jakopovich argues that it was a mass display of people power
Trump Out, Tories Out, General Election Now! - Counterfire Freesheet July 2018

Trump's visit and his trade delusions, crisis for the Tories, Grenfell, is the EU really a friend to migrants and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 027, July 2018
Time's up Theresa - Counterfire Freesheet March 2018

Brexit, Corbyn and the Labour right, gender pay gap, commodification of universities and more...
The Face of Modern Racism

With a refugee crisis of epic proportions, we must be part of the solution, argues Sean Ledwith
Institutional racism encouraged the murder of Bijan Ebrahimi

The actions of the authorities showed not only gross neglect, discrimination and injustice but in fact exacerbated hostility towards Ebrahimi, writes Naz Massoumi
Extreme Podiatry: the situation for refugees in Calais and Dunkirk

The Jungle camp may have been demolished a year ago but refugees are still arriving in Calais and Dunkirk and suffering in intolerable conditions reports David Bailey
Threads: From the Refugee Crisis - review

Threads is the story of the Calais refugees, and the growing crisis that the world ignores to humanity’s peril, writes Ellen Graubart
Voices from the 'Jungle': Stories from the Calais Refugee Camp - review

The stories of the Calais refugees reveal their struggles and solidarity, as well as their experiences of racism and oppression, finds Tom Griffiths
Sound system solidarity: Bristol marches against ‘Muslim Ban’

On Saturday Bristolians marched against Trump's 'Muslim Ban' and 'Theresa the Appeaser'. Owen Lloyd-Jones reports on the sound system powered demonstration
Why we demand free movement of people

We cannot give ground to the racists but must defend free movement of people as one of the most basic of rights
Fire, turmoil, and abandonment in Calais

French authorities and the British Home Office have washed their hands of remaining refugees in Calais, explains Shabbir Lakha
Calais: Europe's shame

The closure of the Calais camp is an act of barbarity, but solidarity with refugees remains strong, argues Shabbir Lakha
Calais: the British government's abject failure

The government is not just being bureaucratic, it’s deliberately shirking its responsibilities, argues Shabbir Lakha
Hungary: big defeat for Viktor Orbán

In spite of its desperate campaign, the Hungarian government failed to mobilise enough voters to support its anti-refugee policy, writes Bob Oxley
Refugees, solidarity and struggle for social change

Protesting is crucial to maintain pressure on Theresa May, both to reverse policy and end the wars that create refugees, reports Jonathan Maunders
Message from London to UN summit: Refugees welcome here

As world leaders prepare for the UN summit on refugees and protesters mobilise in London, Shabbir Lakha looks at some of the issues involved
UK after the rain

Shabbir Lakha looks beyond the media blizzard surrounding last week’s referendum result and identifies anti-racist work as a campaigning imperative
The EU is no friend to refugees

The EU is has a terrible record on it's treatment of refugees, argues Shabbir Lakha
A beacon of hope in dark times

Shabbir Lakha reports on the Convoy to Calais, which the French police shamefully turned back at the border
The Orlando massacre was a homophobic act

We cannot let the massacre in Orlando be used to stoke up homophobia and Islamophobia, argues Lindsey German
Fortress Europe: Inside the War Against Immigration

Matthew Carr’s Fortress Europe is a powerful indictment of the inhumanity of the EU’s policies towards refugees, argues Tom Griffiths
All roads lead to Calais

We need working class solidarity in support of the refugees - John Westmoreland reports on building the convoy in Doncaster
I’m a nurse, not a border guard

Student nurses will be joining the Convoy to Calais on 18 June. Danielle Tiplady from Bursary or Bust explains why
Why you should be on the Convoy to Calais

Major mass movements in Britain are collecitvely organising a Convoy to Calais. Now is the time for solidarity with refugees
Racism killed my father

Today marks the third anniversary of Maz Saleem’s father Mohammed Saleem's brutal murder by neo-Nazi Pavlo Lapshyn
Libya: they want us to go to war against the refugees

The government wants to fight another war in Libya, and without going to parliament, writes Chris Nineham
Getting the Convoy to Calais rolling in Doncaster

Things are changing quickly, and activists who want to shape events need to keep up, writes John Westmoreland
Macedonia at the crossroads

Activist Maz Saleem continues her frontline reporting from the refugee crisis with this insight into the Alexandreia Camp
The refugee narrative and the myth of the EU-Turkey deal

The language that politicians and the mainstream media use fuels right-wing ideologies, writes Shabbir Lakha
Greece: the port and the storm

Anti-racist activist Maz Saleem reports from Piraeus Port, Athens, the frontline of the current refugee crisis
Refugees welcome here demo in photographs

Demonstration in support of refugees on Saturday 19th March captured in photographs by Jim Aindow
Left anti-EU campaign launched

Shabbir Lakha reports from the first anti-EU meeting organised by the left. This needs to be the start of a concerted campaign
Unite across borders against racism and Fascism

We must use every opportunity to build a united movement against racism
Close down the space for the far right

Writer and activist Kevin Ovenden discusses the rise of racism across Europe and the struggle against it
Lindsey German speaks at Refugees Welcome demonstration

Watch Lindsey German's speech from the ‪#‎RefugeesWelcome‬ demonstration in London in solidarity with those fleeing war
The return of an old evil

The racist scapegoating of refugees recalls the darkest moments in Europe's history, writes Lindsey German
No to Fortress Europe: solidarity with refugees and migrants

While the War on Terror has destroyed the Middle East, it has also been the source of racism across Europe
Sexual assault allegations exacerbate German racism

Sexism and racism have to be challenged without bowing to the far right, who are using sexual assaults to attack refugees, argues Kaveh Yazdani
Cameron’s outburst shows Colonel Blimp lives on

The Prime Minister's denigrating language about migrants is true to his class, says Alastair Stephens
Neglect and contempt: how the UK government welcomes refugees

John Grayson looks at the way in which private security companies treat asylum seekers
At the borders of humanity

Shadia Edwards-Dashti reports on a delegation from England and Scotland to the refugee camp near Calais on Saturday
Counterfire Freesheet October 2015

Counterfire's new free sheet edition 004, October 2015
Counterfire Freesheet September 2015

Counterfire's new free sheet edition 003, September 2015
Refugees welcome here

The idea that securing the borders and making life for asylum seekers harder represents an adequate response to the refugee crisis is not only inhumane, but deeply naïve
The EU declares war on migrants

We must end a foreign policy that is causing mayhem and misery across vast swathes of the globe

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Refugees

Refugees

The Australian government is to blame, not a tennis player, says Dragan Plavšić

Michael Lavalette reviews a number of Palestinian films currently streaming on Netflix

Lindsey German on our benighted prime minister, the politics of migration and university strikes

The tragic deaths of refugees trying to get to Britain are the consequence of the government's hostile environment, argues Shabbir Lakha

The PCS union has threatened legal action over Home Office plans to make border agents carry out international-law-violating attacks on refugees, reports Floyd Codlin

The Nationality and Borders Bill enshrines outrageous measures threatening the internationally agreed rights and welfare of children, argues Aaron Gates-Lincoln

Jacob Bailey, a volunteer for Oxford Refugee Solidarity, calls for solidarity with migrants, reporting on the conditions in the camps in Northern France

Lindsey German on the horrors of modern border control and the fallout from COP26

A humanitarian crisis is deepening on Europe's borders as one country after another militarises itself against the movement of refugees and desperate people, writes Kevin Ovenden

Hundreds protested against the latest assault on the rights of refugees on Wednesday. Peter Bird was there

This month's Counterfire Schools Bulletin on Tory cuts, climate change and refugees

The vile inhumanity of the Tories trying to send refugee boats back across the Channel is part of creating a scapegoat for the cuts they're inflicting, argues Yonas Makoni

The hostile policies towards Afghan and other asylum seekers stem from a long-standing anti-immigrant agenda of successive Tory governments, argues Raoul Walawalker

Protesters were joined by anti-war MPs ahead of the parliamentary debate on Afghanistan in calling for an end to imperialist wars, reports Lucy Nichols

The Home Office's new Nationality and Borders Bill exemplifies the racism at the heart of the government's immigration policy, writes Jamal Elaheebocus

The new ‘Nationality and Borders Bill’ is a callous move which will make life even harder for migrants and refugees, argues Jamal Elaheebocus

By Raoul Walawalker, a writer at theImmigration Advice Service, an organisation of UK and Ireland immigration lawyers

All young Premier League players live a glamorous lifestyle not available to most people. But only some of them get constant criticism for it, argues Euan Burns

Terrorising civilians has always been part of Zionist military doctrine and is not accidental, writes Sean Ledwith

The community resistance to the Tories in Glasgow is the beginning of what could prove to be an explosive few years, argues David Jamieson

The Home Secretary’s latest asylum proposals are characteristically racist, callous and devoid of compassion, writes Sean Ledwith

The horrific treatment of asylum seekers in Napier Barracks is a deliberate part of the Home Office's hostile environment, reports Shadia Edwards-Dashti

The victory for the Stansted 15 in overturning their convictions is a step forward against the attempts to criminalise protest, writes Shabbir Lakha

Asylum seekers who have survived horrific journeys are now being held in such inhumane conditions they're committing self harm and attempting suicide

With growing support for Scottish independence, Kieran Isgin looks at the widening gulf on handling the pandemic and immigration between Scotland and Westminster

The far-right have been mobilising at Penally camp where refugees are being housed, but anti-racists have have stepped up their organisation in response, reports Jim Scott

Refugee women in detention being given forced hysterectomies without consent is yet another reason why Ice must be abolished, argues Eleftheria Kousta

The devastating consequences of Fortress Europe are being laid bare in the horrific burning down of Moria refugee camp and its aftermath, writes Eleftheria Kousta

Obedience to European diktat and fierce competition in national politics has helped to harden Serbia's policy towards refugees and migrants, argues Anja Ilić

As the government and media continue to mislead us over the refugee crisis, the reality of what they have to endure tells a different story, argues Norman Wood.

As racist politicians attempt to fan the flames of prejudice and hatred, refugees need our complete solidarity, argues Floyd Codlin.

The Tory government are once again scapegoating vulnerable refugees and asylum seekers to cover up for their own failings, argues Lucy Nichols

Lindsey German on Tory education and why socialists defend refugees

'Wars are welcome, refugees not' seems to be the only mantra the media and politicians want to repeat, says Lindsey German

A political correspondent for the Immigration Advice Service explains how asylum seekers, especially torture victims, are being failed by the hostile environment

The wide range of essays in Socialist Register 2020 provide important reflections on the strengths and weaknesses of recent left movements, finds Sean Ledwith

Already vulnerable refugees living in unsanitary and squalid conditions are now bracing for the worst from the global pandemic, writes Eleftheria Kousta

Racist patrols and protests are spreading in Serbia, as the far-right seeks to exploit the migrant crisis for political gain, says Vladimir Unkovski-Korica

Refugees are being used as pawns in a geopolitical chess game, writes Shabbir Lakha

Never again! This requires action now, as well as reflection, argues Reuben Bard-Rosenberg

The shameful Tory and EU policies stopping safe passage for refugees are the cause of the tragic deaths of 39 people in the back of a lorry, argues Mona Kamal

US and British imperialism will never be an ally for the liberation of people anywhere, writes Shabbir Lakha as Erdogan begins bombing northern Syria

Attacks on refugees in Greece are indicative of the situation throughout Fortress Europe, argues Eleftheria Kousta

Written in June 1999, John Rees explains why the war in the Balkans was not about the plight of refugees but part of Nato’s expansion. It wanted to dominate the Balkans and eastern Europe as well as control the oil rich areas of the Caspian Sea

Unlike the Prime Minister, Cabinet of Millionaires' Theresa is reliably good, with a catchy tune and a powerful message, writes Graham Lockwood

Remembering the Holocaust means remembering the horrific slaughter of Jewish people, but also the resistance and solidarity, and resolving to put 'never again' into practice, writes Dana Mills

The current Tory-manufactured “refugee crisis” is part of the same hostile environment that this government has created for its own citizens, argues Cathy Augustine

The courage of the Stansted 15 in stopping this cruel deportation flight is an inspiration, not a crime, argues Ellen Graubart, reporting on the protest outside the Home Office

Profit and powerful interests are precipitating planetary disaster. Protests such as Saturday's in London must be developed into a mass movement to force political change, argues Feyzi Ismail

As the Migrant Caravan arrived at the US border, they were met with heavy tear gas and rubber bullets in a show of inhumane violence, John Clarke reports

Build the mass movements against war. Kevin Courtney's speech from the Stop the War Coalition national conference

Europe's failure to deal with the refugee crisis is resulting in more deaths in the Mediterranean and the growth of the far right argues Eleftheria Kousta

Libyans are still paying the price with their lives for the 2011 Nato intervention. A stark reminder of why we urgently need an antiwar government argues Eleftheria Kousta

On the anniversary of Mary Shelley's masterpiece, Jacqueline Mulhallen looks beyond the cliches and finds a fable laced with powerful and timely commentary

Looking back at the quarter of a million strong demonstration against Trump, Daniel Jakopovich argues that it was a mass display of people power

Trump's visit and his trade delusions, crisis for the Tories, Grenfell, is the EU really a friend to migrants and more - Counterfire freesheet edition 027, July 2018

Brexit, Corbyn and the Labour right, gender pay gap, commodification of universities and more...

With a refugee crisis of epic proportions, we must be part of the solution, argues Sean Ledwith

The actions of the authorities showed not only gross neglect, discrimination and injustice but in fact exacerbated hostility towards Ebrahimi, writes Naz Massoumi

The Jungle camp may have been demolished a year ago but refugees are still arriving in Calais and Dunkirk and suffering in intolerable conditions reports David Bailey

Threads is the story of the Calais refugees, and the growing crisis that the world ignores to humanity’s peril, writes Ellen Graubart

The stories of the Calais refugees reveal their struggles and solidarity, as well as their experiences of racism and oppression, finds Tom Griffiths

On Saturday Bristolians marched against Trump's 'Muslim Ban' and 'Theresa the Appeaser'. Owen Lloyd-Jones reports on the sound system powered demonstration

We cannot give ground to the racists but must defend free movement of people as one of the most basic of rights

French authorities and the British Home Office have washed their hands of remaining refugees in Calais, explains Shabbir Lakha

The closure of the Calais camp is an act of barbarity, but solidarity with refugees remains strong, argues Shabbir Lakha

The government is not just being bureaucratic, it’s deliberately shirking its responsibilities, argues Shabbir Lakha

In spite of its desperate campaign, the Hungarian government failed to mobilise enough voters to support its anti-refugee policy, writes Bob Oxley

Protesting is crucial to maintain pressure on Theresa May, both to reverse policy and end the wars that create refugees, reports Jonathan Maunders

As world leaders prepare for the UN summit on refugees and protesters mobilise in London, Shabbir Lakha looks at some of the issues involved

Shabbir Lakha looks beyond the media blizzard surrounding last week’s referendum result and identifies anti-racist work as a campaigning imperative

The EU is has a terrible record on it's treatment of refugees, argues Shabbir Lakha

Shabbir Lakha reports on the Convoy to Calais, which the French police shamefully turned back at the border