Posts Tagged ‘migrants’
Immigration balls: Daily Mail says illegal immigrants in Dorset demand less British food
The Daily Mail has news of migrants – who are changed in the UK media from swarming, scrounging scum to joyous symbols of our noble humanity. The paper declares:
Immigrant deportation centre is ordered to make its food less British after inmates from more than EIGHTY countries complain about meals
Less British? What does that mean, then – less chicken tikka masala, lasagna and nachos?
Ben Wilkinson writes:
Illegal immigrants from more than 80 countries have complained about being served food that is too British as they await deportation.
Ok. So…
Nearly three quarters of the 575 men housed at one removal centre – half of which have criminal convictions – told inspectors they were not happy with the food.
They were asked is they liked the food.
Rather than traditional prison fare such as shepherd’s pie or fish and chips…
Traditional prison fare… Fare? Is Ben Wilkinson living in the 1850s? And, Ben, mate, porridge and gruel are traditional food for lags. ‘Doing bird’ is not a reference to roast chicken.
…the Verne Immigration Removal Centre in Dorset has now been told to serve up ‘more culturally diverse’ dishes in an effort to cater to the huge range of nationalities.
Big deal..
The HM Chief Inspector of Prisons report published last month also said the English language menu should be printed in a range of dialects. The report reads: ‘The quality of food was adequate but it lacked cultural diversity – menus were not diverse enough to meet the needs of the population.’
The menus are only in English. You can read the full report here.
And in case you thought housing detainees in an old Victorian prison fort on Portland was anything but grim, Peter Bone, Tory MP for Wellingborough, is here to tell us that it’s not grim enough:
“To suggest we should mollycoddle these people who have no right to be here, or have been in prison, is ludicrous. We shouldn’t worry about the food as long as it is healthy and nutritional.”
Maybe Pete will be unhappy with this part of the report:
The separation unit environment was poor and it was used frequently. Some detainees were held there for several weeks. Cells were dirty, some toilets were filthy and the exercise yard was stark. Relationships between staff and detainees were affable but the regime was generally poor.
Or this bit:
The inspectors found 30 minutes of free legal advice was available and many detainees “struggled to obtain representation to fight their cases”.
Their report also highlighted “excessive stays”, including almost 40 men being held for more than a year, and one held for five years, which inspectors described as “one of the worse cases of prolonged detention we have seen”.
The prisoners were given a survey. One question was:
Wilkinson adds:
Nearly three quarters of the 575 men housed at the Verne Immigration Removal Centre in Dorset – half of which have criminal convictions – told inspectors they were not happy with the food
No, Ben, that’s not true. On the above response, 52% said the food was ok or better.
And when compared to the last survey, 29% saying the food was very good or good does not mean nearly 75% said it was bad.
As for making a complaint about anything – not just the too-British food – just 21% have.
Such are the facts.
Posted: 18th, September 2015 | In: Reviews | Comments (4)
Petra László’s non-apology apology for kicking a man and his child in ‘self defence’
Lage in #Roeszke #Hungary weiter schlimm – Polizei überfordert – Flüchtlinge durchbrechen Polizeikette – Verletzte! pic.twitter.com/GlMGqGwABb
— Stephan Richter (@RichterSteph) September 8, 2015
The refugee crisis has introduced us in the West to Hungarian newshound Petra László. We’ve yet to review all of Petra’s work, but we know her showreel ends with a broadcast from the Röszke refugee centre. In it we see Petra tripping up a man carrying a small child. He falls to the ground. She stands over him. Sacked by her employers, Petra has explained all in right wing daily newspaper Magyar Nemzet,
It is in every inch the non-apology apology, a dishonest tactic that constructs a sympathetic backstory and motive for the action.
Migrant boat sinks off Turkey – the swarthy expat dead speak loudy
What to do about migrants? What yo do about people searching for better lives? It should not be a hard question. But it is for the adults who make the decisions. There is only one thing to do: let them in.
Does langauge matter? Does it matter that we call the migrants as “swarm” or “flood”? No. It does not. These people can deal with the words. It’s the sticks and stones they fear.
Mehran Khalili on the terms for people from other places:
Immigration, a lexicon: You’re a ‘migrant’ when you’re very poor; ‘immigrant’ when you’re not so poor; and ‘expat’ when you’re rich.
Semantics matter: the images evoked by the words used to refer to a group of people will, over time, help to define what we think about that group and how we act towards it. And in the case of people migrating to Greece who have in recent years been badly mishandled by the state, the use of neutral language in reporting by international media and NGOs is vital.
Literally speaking, ‘migrants’ and ‘expats’ do indeed have the same meaning. But since practical usage can be something else entirely, feed both terms into Google Images to see how they’re illustrated. ‘Expats’ in Greece are depicted as white; ‘migrants’ as darker-skinned.
Who decides what ethnicity a person should have to be called a migrant? Who decides what socio-economic background, or legal status, qualifies someone for the ‘expat’ label?
Let’s scrap the ‘migrant’ label and call everyone living outside their native country an expat.
Posted: 2nd, September 2015 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment
Calais Migrants Resort To Their Last Hope Of Reaching The UK: The Human Rights Posters
IN Calais, France, migrants have been protesting, demanding human rights protection. They have alleged police brutality against them, with some claiming to have suffered broken hands and legs.
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