A human story for Shabana Mahmood – and us all

JVL Introduction

Glyn Robbins has written a moving personal story about his own family’s experience of supporting and getting support from a Syrian family who came seeking asylum.  It is so important in the face of the endless hysteria about “small boats”, “migrants being to blame for…(fill in the blanks)” and terrible and unjustified negative generalisations to remember the simplest fact, asylum seekers are human beings, people like everyone else and who have done what anyone would do in the face of the dangers with which they are faced.

A key point here is how this has not been a one way street; a story of British generosity and Syrians’ grateful acceptance. Instead this is about how a mutual relationship can develop when people are genuinely open to learning and sharing.  What this Labour government, as far too many other politicians, are proposing will make life harder even for this family who have been here for c 14 years and will make the sort of integration they, like many other refugees and asylum seekers have managed, much more difficult exposing people to more ostracism, isolation and racism. Will the next thing be the equivalent of ICE agents of UK streets?

LL

This article was originally published by Labour Hub on Mon 17 Nov 2025. Read the original here.