The Scottish Government

« Previous | Contents | Next »

Listen

ASYLUM SEEKERS IN SCOTLAND

CHAPTER FIVE: COMMUNITY RELATIONS

5.1 INTRODUCTION

Interviews with local community organisations were held, as part of the analysis of community relations. The organisations selected for interview were all based in areas in which asylum seekers were living. Such organisations were to include tenants associations, churches (who have had a high profile in public debate about asylum seekers), youth clubs, voluntary groups etc. Organisations were asked for their assessments and experiences of community relations, drawing on their knowledge of community networks and activities. Included in the interviews were ones with local Social Inclusion Partnerships (SIPs), who were considered to have an overview of local communities.

5.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF COMMUNITY GROUPS INTERVIEWED

The groups ranged from being very locally based to those, like the Social Inclusion Partnerships, which covered a wider area. Some, like the Glasgow Campaign to Welcome Refugees, had been founded specifically to work with refugees and asylum seekers. Most groups had been established within the previous four years, although two had existed for ten years. All had a board or committee of management, which made the strategic decisions. Day to day decisions were more likely to be made by staff although where there were no permanent paid employees, volunteers and committee members took decisions together.

Interviews were generally held with senior people within the organisations, usually a co-ordinator or development officer, who would be most likely to have an overview of the issues surrounding their services to asylum seekers.

5.3 Funding

Funding for the projects came from a variety of sources. Most received some form of public funding, often ultimately from the Scottish Executive, but also from Glasgow City Council and the European Social Fund. There was also substantial funding from charitable trusts and foundations, and from individuals.

All organisations received time-limited funding, usually for a three year period. Thereafter, funding appeared to be quite uncertain, although monitoring of the success of certain projects might lead to grant extensions. This has implications for the long term survival of some of these important projects.

5.4 GROUP REMIT

The remits of the groups varied widely, but all claimed to have a remit to tackle some area of social exclusion through their work, whether this be through direct service provision or wider campaigning. Among specific groups being assisted were women (particularly those suffering from domestic abuse), and young people, as well as asylum seekers.

Groups provided general advice and information, practical help and support (such as a crèche), and befriending services and were often involved in campaigning and publicity work. In relation to asylum seekers, several organisations referred to the need for detailed practical help and advice, but also arranged social events, facilitated language provision, lobbied relevant authorities and sought to confront negative media images. There was thus a strong campaigning theme running through the remit of many of the groups.

The services therefore complemented those provided by the statutory sector and were sometimes thought to be more flexible and sensitive. Some community leaders felt that the attitudes of some staff in the statutory sector were not always very sympathetic to the needs of asylum seekers.

5.5 SERVICES PROVIDED FOR THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Services provided for the local communities included crèches, drop-in and advice centres, and a range of classes including languages, sewing, creative writing, dance and relaxation, as well as children's and youth groups. Access to these services was completely open and asylum seekers were automatically assumed to be part of the client group:

Are asylum seekers not the local community? We provide English classes and support which has been running since August 2000. It is run by volunteers and never closed. There are two classes - one during the day and one in the evening. Children are allowed to come; we have toys but no crèche. At its busiest there have been 30 adults and children. BBC Children in Need have funded a pilot project - Sighthill Unity Youth Project. It was set up to support both asylum seekers and local youths aged 12-16. Its aim is to aid integration and concentrates on holiday periods up till next Easter. It has some paid workers but it is organised by volunteers, linking with other organisations (2302).

Prior to the asylum seekers coming, [this organisation] did a lot of community work in schools, highlighting integration, addictions and youth work. Since the asylum seekers have come to the area, we have provided a weekly drop-in offering fresh fruit, tea, coffee, humanitarian aid and a crèche facility. Someone has taken on the responsibility for the crèche, although it is in the same room as the parents but they have provided toys etc. We provide arts and crafts and the involvement of local organisations providing alternative medicine and massage……… We provide English classes in conjunction with the Nautical College……… Social Services provides us with interpreters for the drop-in, which is a very positive thing. People call into the office to see us between drop-ins - it may be something simple, like help with reading a letter they have received or something more complex like vouchers not arriving. We are trying to develop a befriending scheme to help asylum seekers feel part of the community. Most of the volunteers who work at the drop-in have expressed an interest in befriending (2305).

That said, some services, such as youth clubs, were not thought to be widely used by asylum seekers, and this may be due to lack of awareness of the service or uncertainty about the extent of their welcome. There were also some problems in accessing halls which could be used for the various activities. Although most organisations claimed to monitor the ethnicity of their service users, it was not clear that this was being done consistently or effectively.

The organisations themselves had a very local focus, serving particular areas of Glasgow, such as Castlemilk, the greater Springburn area, or Gorbals. Some of them therefore dealt with only relatively small numbers of asylum seekers, although reference was made to asylum seekers 'bringing their friends from all over Glasgow'.

5.6 RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITIES

The groups interviewed all claimed to have good relationships with the local communities, and often local people served on management committees or boards. Sometimes, however, activists were disproportionately drawn from older people or from women. Groups which were involved in recycling activities relied on good local support for materials and goods. In the case of Social Inclusion Partnerships, local councillors were also involved in the Partnership Boards.

The ways in which asylum seekers engaged with the local communities varied. On the one hand, language barriers were still evident, which prevented asylum seekers becoming fully involved:

Because asylum seekers and refugees are a relatively new addition to the local community, ways of engaging them through existing mechanisms are largely ad hoc and still being developed, with language the biggest barrier………… The Partnership is working with SRC and GCC on the Framework for Dialogue initiative which will identify representatives from the asylum seeker and refugee communities through which improved contact can be made (2303).

On the other hand, some respondents felt that local people believed that some projects were for asylum seekers when, in fact, they had been set up with a more general remit:

The organisation has a very good relationship with the local community, although some think it is only for asylum seekers. Black people are more noticeable. Locals are self-excluding (2306).

5.7 COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND THE REACTION TO ASYLUM SEEKERS

Community groups reported that, in the main, local reaction to asylum seekers had been broadly positive, although there was also some hostility. Organisations operating in areas such as Castlemilk and the south side of Glasgow suggested that problems were most severe in Sighthill. This may be over-emphasising the problems of Sighthill, although organisations there did acknowledge the difficulties in absorbing such a large influx of new people:

I think the majority of the community has reacted as well as they could be expected to, with the lack of information and the constantly negative media and political representations of asylum seekers. The sheer scale of dispersal to areas dominated by high rise flats has meant it is difficult for any single community organisation to take a lead in positive or negative relationships with the asylum seekers. These areas have seen very low levels of investment in community development over recent years which, along with the focus on Stock Transfer taking up activist time, has meant that unlike in other areas of the city, tenants organisations etc have not had a big role in responding to dispersal. So community relations have been more difficult to gauge. Generally there has been wariness between the communities (2303).

The point about the historical lack of investment in the area - in both community relations and in the housing itself - was cited by several organisations as a problem. This had allowed some negative aspects of community relations to surface:

We need more investment in Sighthill, more money for community development. We've allowed a few racists to frighten thousands of folk. The police have difficulties in dealing with troublemakers under 16 (2302).

It was also suggested that other services such as health and social work were now being spread too thinly, as a result of asylum seekers arriving in the areas.

There was a strong view that the Housing Department had neglected Sighthill, so that when asylum seekers were given properties which had been newly decorated and furnished, there was considerable resentment on the part of existing tenants:

[There's] a mixed attitude - from 'What a terrible time they are having' to 'Look at them getting brand new cookers and we get nothing' (2307).

This place has been beset with every social problem in the book. The reason there are empty houses is because nobody else wishes to live there. Housing was very badly run down and……over the years the area had been used as a dumping ground for problem families. Five years ago, the drug dealing was blatant.…..Suddenly, asylum seekers were getting new doors and brand new furniture. Locals started grumbling away at the bus stop (2308).

A lack of information from GCC meant that initially the local community were very scared and hostile. Dispersal was to two main areas, Red Road and Sighthill…………. Both areas were already suffering very high levels of deprivation and low levels of investment in housing and other services. When large numbers of GCC vans started arriving to redecorate and refurbish flats, even if only to basic standards, local people felt cheated as they had waited months for even basic repairs to their homes to be done. When large numbers of asylum seekers started arriving, often in the middle of the night, with no warning or information about who they would be or where they were from tensions began to rise (2303).

This resentment had, in some cases, developed into racism and several interviewees referred to hostility and racially motivated incidents. In some cases, however, it was pointed out that incidents, such as youths fighting, might not necessarily be racist and it was suggested that there was a small minority of people who already had a history of getting into trouble and had simply found new victims. It was also pointed out that some communities might react badly to an influx of new people, regardless of their ethnicity:

There is a racist element which has set out to target asylum seekers, but mostly antagonism is towards this new group because of ignorance and fear. They could be from Paisley and would be treated much the same way (2303).

It was suggested that the lack of a specifically racist element was demonstrated by the fact that the British National Party had tried to establish itself in Sighthill but found itself unwelcome.

A key problem, which was identified by several people, was the lack of information which had been provided to local communities prior to the arrival of asylum seekers. As a result, hostility towards the newcomers had been based on ignorance.

Another problem was thought to be a large number of single (often young and male) asylum seekers, which local people had found rather intimidating, particularly as they 'used to hang around the shops and flats with little to do'. Tension had, however, lessened as many had received decisions about their status and moved out of the area. There now appeared to be more families and their presence was seen as better for community relations, particularly as activities in local community centres and churches were geared more towards families.

Community groups were keen to highlight the many positive things that were happening in relation to asylum seekers. For example, in Castlemilk, the organisation 'Castlemilk Churches Together' had been established in Autumn 2000 and had become an important local resource, staffed with volunteers from the local community.

In the Sighthill area, the North Glasgow International Festival took place in June 2001, originating as an idea from Strathclyde Police. It was apparently well attended locally, with numerous examples of asylum seekers and local people interacting positively, often for the first time. It was suggested that, after the Festival, the number of racist incidents in the north of Glasgow went down and it appeared that community relations were improving.

Previous experience of dealing with refugees was thought to be significant in encouraging positive community relations and there were references to the previous influx of Kosovans:

In Royston the asylum seekers feel the locals are friendly. The Kosovans were placed here a few years ago and that has helped. In the Community Centre, asylum seekers can meet local people in a friendly atmosphere and if they need any information, they only need to ask (2306).

Some sections of the community reacted very fast to the need to welcome and provide services to asylum seekers, in particular the churches and community groups that were already involved with the Kosovan programme, or who had a history of working with international students (2303).

The murder of Firsat Dag in August 2001 seems to have acted as a catalyst for improved community relations. Some people in Sighthill appeared to have reacted angrily to their portrayal as racists and 'many local people began to talk to asylum seekers, often their neighbours for months, for the first time' (2303). A particular issue was the lack of community facilities in the Sighthill area as the community centre is relatively small and has no café or meeting space. As a result of pressure from local groups the idea of converting a disused supermarket into a café and resource centre has emerged and funding for this is now being sought. This facility will help greatly in encouraging more interaction between local people and asylum seekers.

5.8 THE IMPACT OF MEDIA COVERAGE

The media coverage of asylum seekers has been an important part of this research and is reported fully in Chapter Seven. As part of our investigations into media coverage, we explored with community groups their own experiences of the issue.

The general view was one of extreme frustration with the media, and in particular the press. Journalists were accused of 'sloppy reporting' and of failing to check basic facts within stories and, more seriously, of seeking deliberately to sensationalise stories:

Before anything else, I feel I should say that the behaviour of some of the media after the murder of Firsat Dag was appalling. I know of many examples, where journalists stopped people in the street and asked them how they felt about the 'invasion of asylum seekers'. If they did not hear anything suitably negative and inflammatory, they walked off to find someone who would give the negative image of the estate they wanted. There were also cases of journalists forcing their way into community or asylum seeker meetings (2303).

One week before the murder of Firsat Dag, a local was stabbed. The BBC were not interested and were more interested in what was happening to the asylum seekers, which caused a lot of resentment (2308).

Where press releases had been issued regarding new projects or new resources being introduced, it was felt that they had been inadequately reported in the newspapers. This reinforced the view of many organisations that journalists were only interested in 'sensationalist' stories. A number of interviewees complained that stories about asylum seekers constantly referred to Sighthill, regardless of whether the asylum seekers concerned lived there or not.

That said, there was also a view that stories about asylum seekers had become slightly more positive within the last year or so.

The generally negative approach of the press was seen as being extremely prejudicial to the development of good community relations:

It's very negative. The media creates problems in communities but who takes responsibility for that? It's not fair (2306).

Bad coverage from the press about asylum seekers using all the services can breed discontent amongst the local community, who feel that they are being deprived of services as a result of the asylum seeker's presence (1301).

They whipped up bad feeling and tended to highlight negative aspects, which was destructive to community relationships and created barriers which led to fear and mistrust of asylum seekers (2302).

Locals' misunderstandings are bolted to the media term 'bogus' and some think that all asylum seekers are bogus and are here to better themselves. In reality, most are worse off than in their previous life……[Locals] can't understand what they have been through. Newspaper stories confirmed racist attitudes (2308).

Publicity may lead to fear, prejudice and the attention of right wing groups. Some people believe false statements in the media. We have been concerned about this and have not sought media publicity (2304).

The constant negative attention given to asylum seekers has only reinforced, for local people, that asylum seekers are a problem that they are being forced to deal with, that they are 'spongers', and that there is no such thing as a good asylum seeker, no matter what the evidence of their everyday contact is. It creates tension because almost every night local people are seeing stories that virtually encourage them to treat asylum seekers badly. At the same time, asylum seekers are scared of this negative attention. The tension created is one that it is very difficult for any local activities to tackle (2303).

There was almost complete unanimity amongst community groups that the media had a responsibility to report issues accurately and to take responsibility for the effects which their stories might have.

This antagonism towards the press did not, however, extend towards the smaller local papers, which were praised for their community focus and their willingness to interact with local agencies which were working with asylum seekers:

The only consistently good reporting has been from the local newspaper, the Springburn Herald , which reports every story as a local interest one and will put in positive news stories (2303).

The local papers have reported events (2305).

There have been several positive articles, quite large with photos, in the local paper, the Rutherglen Reformer, and in the local free sheets. This seems to have been OK (2304).

There had also been positive coverage of particular events, such as Refugee Week, which were seen as being helpful in the longer term:

The local community got good coverage and 'good press' during Refugee Week, which has created a sense of pride within the community and has encouraged interaction and integration with the asylum seekers (1301).

The generally negative press coverage was, however, seen as having a positive outcome in that it had forced local people to defend their community and led to improved interaction with asylum seekers themselves. The press coverage had allowed local people to emphasise that the problems on their estates, of deprivation and poor housing, affected everyone who lived there, and that the arrival of asylum seekers only made the need for more resources more pressing.

5.9 RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER ORGANISATIONS

The various community groups appeared to have strong links both to each other and to other statutory and voluntary bodies. All referred to the Glasgow City Council statutory service departments, such as Housing, Social Work and Education, as well as the Glasgow Asylum Support Team, the Health Board and the Police. The Police in particular were mentioned as having become very skilled in dealing with some of the sensitive situations which had arisen. There were sometimes very specific links, for example with local health visitors or with local colleges, in relation to language classes.

All groups also referred to the Scottish Refugee Council and to local Social Inclusion Partnerships. The churches were significant and there was a huge range of voluntary agencies mentioned, including local drop-in centres, food co-operatives, childcare groups, women's groups, and residents and tenants associations. There were strong indications that there was substantial co-operation between the various groups operating with asylum seekers.

5.10 GAPS IN PROVISION

Finally, several groups identified gaps in provision, which needed to be filled in the short or longer term.

Firstly, it was suggested that more money needed to be injected into the development of community relations. There is undoubtedly a reservoir of goodwill within Glasgow, which remains relatively untapped. Many asylum seekers experience isolation and a better provision of befriending services might start to address this. Some groups have started such services but their provision seems to be very piecemeal and underfunded. There also appears to be a shortage in some areas of adequate halls, cafes and community centres where asylum seekers can meet, read papers, and talk, as well as engage more with the established community. Such centres could provide fairly basic facilities such as telephones, as asylum seekers are often forced to queue to use public call boxes.

Secondly, there appeared to be insufficient advice on legal issues and on welfare benefits, particularly because of language difficulties. In terms of legal advice, groups felt that asylum seekers rarely knew their entitlements in terms of work, benefits, access to services and so on. It was suggested that legal advisers, based in drop-in centres on a one day per week basis would be an extremely valuable service. The model would be the CAB approach, whereby people can attend for legal advice on a range of issues.

Third, it was reported that some asylum seekers were experiencing difficulties in relation to language classes. One difficulty was a lack of childcare in some areas to allow adults to attend classes. Another was the difficulty of teaching adult asylum seekers English when they might not necessarily be literate in their own language. It was thought that the effort which was required by language teaching staff was not always appreciated and further resources were required.

Fourth, there appeared to be some concern that Glasgow Housing Department was rather slow in resolving neighbour disputes between asylum seekers and locals. The situation had been improving but misunderstandings sometimes still occurred.

Groups also raised the issue of asylum seekers being allowed to work - although this is a matter reserved to the Home Office. Some Glasgow asylum seekers have apparently talked of developing a Local Exchange and Trading Scheme (LETS), whereby they exchange their skills and services, rather than having the money to purchase them. The scheme is of importance, because on 23 July 2002, the Government announced that asylum seekers would no longer be able to work or apply for vocational training if their case remained unresolved after six months. A LETS scheme would allow asylum seekers to make use of their skills to assist local people and other asylum seekers, without getting payment and thereby breaking Government rules.

Finally, some organisations stated that it was of increasing importance that strategies were developed for asylum seekers who receive permission to remain in the UK, many of whom will then choose to remain in Glasgow. It was thought that a strategy for providing services in the long term for refugees had not yet been developed ⁸.

5.11 CONCLUDING POINTS

« Previous | Contents | Next »