Promote the migrant vote.When I escaped
Sarajevo under the siege at the end of 1993, there was no plan. I had no idea
where I was going. I only knew what I was leaving behind. Violence, destruction
and all my loved ones. I ended up in London through a strange set of
circumstances. I was heartbroken, but finally safe, not only from sniper fire
and shelling, but safe to start dreaming of a future.
Britain felt
like the most democratic, free and fair country in the world, where reason and
the law ruled and fascists never seized power. People were kind, supportive,
welcoming and understanding. London quickly became home. That is still the
case, even more so, after all these years. But, I am no longer sure how safe I
feel outside my London bubble.
In our public
conversation, migrants and refugees, like me, are shamelessly dehumanised. The
debate is often referred to as ‘toxic’. After the EU referendum, this
toxicity quickly turned into vitriol and hate attacks. As someone who survived
genocidal war in my country, I know too well that there is no intellectual
version of hate. Aside from making lives of minorities and immigrants unsafe
and unpleasant, sooner or later someone
gets hurt.
But this bleak
picture is only half the story. Up and down the country there are people and
communities resisting the rise of the right wing and standing up for justice
and decency. We do this by talking about refugees forced to flee their homes,
we tell of their suffering and resilience in spite of the unimaginable loss and
we describe the contribution that migrant workers make to NHS, science and the arts.
We tell stories of achievement and gratitude, despite
the obstacles put in place by governments to
reassure the anxious that borders are safe. We work hard to re-humanise
immigrants.
However, we
often neglect to mention that refugees and migrants are also political, and
possessing the same agency to democratically determine their future. This
agency is exercised despite migrants often being denied their rights, forced to
endure prejudice and degrading treatment and being formally excluded from the
democratic process.
We have been citizens somewhere
and many are soon to be citizens here. In fact, many refugees ended
up fleeing their countries because they risked their lives being citizens in
pursuit of justice and democracy. For many refugees and migrants,
politics, democracy, voting and civic participation is an essential part of our
identity and, without exaggeration, a matter of life and death. Just before the
war in Bosnia, I checked myself out of hospital in order to vote in the
independence referendum. Not voting was just not an option for 24 year old me.
Promote the Migrant Vote.Refugees and
migrants test Britain’s claim to be a representative democracy, a test which
Britain is not passing. Generations of migrants and
refugees – together with
those already living here – built the democratic system we have today, through
a collective, popular struggle of which we are all beneficiaries. But today,
migrants and refugees are the least represented and most maligned group in
society: appearing in party manifestos only as numbers, with no mention of the
issues affecting their lives.
When the snap
election was announced by the Prime Minister, migrant and refugee communities
responded in the best way they knew – through a nationwide mobilisation.
Communities seized the opportunity to make this election different by organising
everybody to speak out, register to vote and ensure that their voice in
heard. Even those who cannot vote were able to work together to ensure
that their communities and their interests are not lost in this election. In a
clear voice, migrants said that decisions about us should not be taken without
us.
Within a week,
groups and communities, arts and faith institutions, trade unions and
universities as well as individuals around the country co-created more than 30
voter registration events. At mosques and churches, in community centres
and on the high street, migrant and refugee communities came with phones,
laptops and links to the official voter registration website. They also came
with stories of courage, a passion for democracy and a willingness to reach out
and connect with candidates, colleagues and neighbours. They came with a keen
understanding of the intolerable burdens placed upon them by this country, and
with plans for how they intended to change it.
What we at Migrants Organise heard in hundreds
of conversations around the UK were powerful stories and legitimate concerns
about the future shared by immigrants and citizens. We heard concerns about the
state of British democracy, engaging in destructive wars and colonial practices
in our countries whilst excluding us from representation in our new home.
Since April 18, more than 2 million people
registered to vote. Many of these will be migrants looking to choose a
Government that stands up for them and their communities.
We are proud to have joined
this registration drive, and feel empowered to discover how much more we
have in common once we start talking and listening to each other. But we cannot
and should not just talk. We must be the best citizens we can be and act
together to bring about fairness and justice for all those living in the UK
For the sake
of your future and ours, let’s start by voting in the General Election on June 8.
For more
information about the Promote the Migrant Vote initiative, please visit the website. If you are a migrant organisation and
would like to learn how to get out the vote on June 8, see the Get Out the Vote
Section of the website for ideas and information.