Volunteering with asylum seekers and refugees

You are free to interpret it as you please, of course.

We all know what you mean, its in the Starmer playbook.

I know what I meant, thank you. I stand by what I said.

If you vote IABU, please explain why you think it is unreasonable to get to know someone from this group that people seem to fear so much, and build up an individual relationship to get to know the situation from someone else's point of view? As well as supporting someone with a need that you can help out with, which is very satisfying in itself. Why would you not want to do that?

Funnily enough I don't see these racist and xenophobic comments as MN moderators would be removing them pretty fast.

What you actually mean is that there are more and more people whom disagree with your views and so you want them silenced with labels.

Funnily enough I don't see these racist and xenophobic comments as MN moderators would be removing them pretty fast.

What you actually mean is that there are more and more people whom disagree with your views and so you want them silenced with labels.

Because I don’t speak Arabic, Pashtun, Somali or any other non European language, and judging from the few interchanges I have heard Very few of the arrivals speak more than a few words of English or any European language . So I would have to have an interpreter, which would render my involvement rather expensive and probably ineffective.

I was referring to people who are very anti migrants/asylum seekers. That it's unlikely they'll wish to volunteer in such a capacity.

I don't care what other people do with their spare time as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.

why is it patronising? Please explain what is patronising about the suggestion? it would help people get to know each other. It just seems a way to break down the barriers. personal relationships and working towards a shared goal benefits everyone. It doesn't have to be either/or, does it? Some people do very little voluntry service, and could start with this, some people already do a lot, but could perhaps extend a little, and as I said, some areas of voluntry work such as helping run night shelters for the homeless help both the local population, and refugees, many of whom are sleeping rough

Probably. There are a lot of racist and xenophobic comments on the site nowadays.

Honestly don’t care to know the ‘difference’

None of them here, please

It's high time people learned the definition of
Asylum seekers
Economic migrants
Refugees

before throwing around terms like "illegals".

I was referring to people who are very anti migrants/asylum seekers. That it's unlikely they'll wish to volunteer in such a capacity.

I don't care what other people do with their spare time as long as it doesn't hurt anyone.

I've nothing against asylum seekers personally, but it's a bit naive to tell a load of racists to spend their time for free helping the people they purport to despise.

Are you talking about asylum seekers and refugees who come into the country legally, or those who come in illegally?

my answer would be different for each group. 🤷🏻

Who are you referring to here? Anyone who doesn’t volunteer as the op thinks they should

You are wasting your time op. I worked with asylum seekers for years. Primarily young men and I worked alone, often visiting HMOs. I had no issues at all. Well, that’s not true actually, I got fat! Because for many, culturally, it is hospitable to cook for visitors, so I’d visit 6 properties in a day and be given six meals. Properties occupied by 6-10 men, 18-25 yrs old, were immaculate, everyone was polite and I never once felt unsafe.
Many people don’t understand that asylum seekers aren’t allowed to work. They absolutely should be and they do want to, but for some reason I simply don’t understand, we don’t let them.
In contrast, in a different role, visiting white British people in their own homes, I’ve been spat on, called a cunt more times than I can count, had my car vandalised, my purse stolen and been attacked with a hammer.

I have no time for middle class liberals who say oh just get to know them and blame everything on the right wing press. I'm the trustee of a charity working with vulnerable local people and live in an area that is 80% non-white British, with huge numbers of refugees, asylum seekers and their wider families. Crime has gone through the roof, women are regularly harassed, and a woman was raped by an asylum seeker just round the corner from me.

The streets are covered in litter, men congregate on street corners and spit or urinate where they please. I rarely hear English spoken and via the charity all I hear are demands for more - expectations for a house, money, health care, schooling for their many children etc. They get established then bring over a huge extended family.

Wake up OP and stop patronising us. It is not racist to want our borders closed. Let them claim asylum in one of the many safe countries they went through to get here.

I've nothing against asylum seekers personally, but it's a bit naive to tell a load of racists to spend their time for free helping the people they purport to despise.