Migrants in the United Kingdom (UK) condemned the ongoing anti-migrant violence by what they call ultra-Right groups and individuals. The latest incident in a series of anti-migrant violence erupted in the last week of July after the erroneious news spread that a migrant stabbed three young women.

Ultra-Right groups used this incident to launch violent actions targeting hotels and facilities where the UK government house asylum seekers. The groups also targeted mosques and individual Muslims and other ethnic groups in the country. The violence has been characterized by racist slogans, calls to deport migrants and violence against police and non-white persons.

On August 2, two Filipino nurses bound for their hospital for emergency work were targeted by a racist attack. Racist individuals threw stones at their taxi. Although unhurt, the two were terrified. This struck fear among other Filipino nurses which prevented them from going to work.

“The recent acts of anti-migrant violence in the UK are a consequence of the rise of anti-migrant governments,” Migrante International said. “Far-right governments and anti-migrant policies are on the rise in the UK, Europe, and the broader Western world. Western governments like that of the UK are provoking a racist culture of hate and discrimination against migrants. They are denying millions of migrants their rights to live and work without hate and discrimination.”

Migrante International appealed to the government of the Philippines, through its embassy and offices in London, to urgently provide emergency services, aid and sanctuary to protect Filipino migrants in the UK.

“We condemn in the strongest terms the racism, violence and hostility directed [against] healthcare professionals as they made their way to provide essential emergency care,” the Filipino Senior Nurses Alliance UK said. “The assault on them not only threatens their safety but also the healthcare system.”

Migrant UK calls on the UK and Philippine governments to take swift action to hold the perpetrators accountable and ensure the protection and safety of all Filipinos living and working in the country.

“We stand in solidarity with other migrant communities in condemning these far-right, anti-migrant attacks,” the group said in a statement last August 6. “It is imperative that all nations work together to combat hate and discrimination, and to uphold the rights and dignity of every individual, regardless of their background.”