Offering asylum is a privilege not a burden

Hundreds of people gathered at the Red Road flats this morning and marched to the city centre, following the tragic events of last weekend when three asylum seekers jumped to thier deaths from the 15th floor, having been told that their application had been refused.

There was a mixture of emotions of course. There was grief, shock, upset. There was shame from many of us at the conditions which asylum seekers live in, and of course there was the fear and vulnerability that many asylum seekers live with on a daily basis, but which was brought into sharp relief today.

But there was also anger. The UK government has appeared determined to operate a sham of an asylum policy for years now, with values imported from a Daily Mail editorial. It’s often little more than a human stocktaking exercise, and as a Wesminster committee heard recently from a whistle-blower, it suffers from shocking levels of instituional racism.

Asylum is not a privilege for us to bestow, some favour which we may grant to those we choose. Rather it is a privilege which we enjoy – we are the ones able to offer refuge to those who need it. We’re not the ones to need to ask for the protection of strangers. We’re the lucky ones.

An asylum policy which recognised this would have compassion at it heart. It would be less concerned about “letting in” a few undeserving cases and more concerned with ensuring that no-one should be sent back to the threat of persecution or death. It would provide the same standards of legal representation, health care and economic rights that our own citizens enjoy.

Sadly, speeches about the system we want to see will make little difference to the lives of the people here today seeking refuge. We can expect little in the way of change from the current UK government, or from any likely replacement. The best that we can expect from the Scottish Government is a fatal accident inquiry, with a remit broad enough to address questions like -

What was the chain of events leafing up to these suicides, and what was the UK Borders Agency’s involvement particularly in the last few days?

What was the status of the asylum application at the time of their deaths, and how was any decision communicated to them?

Was any mental health issue known about in relation to any of the three people in this case, as has been reported in the media?

If so, what assessment was conducted of their mental health needs, or of suicide risk?

Which agency has overall responsibility for the mental health needs of asylum seekers, and are it’s resources adequate to cope with the level of demand?

How does the UKBA determine the support needs of asylum applicants before and after their application is determined, and does it have the right staff to offer that support?

No doubt these would seem strange questions to many a Daily Mail reader. But for as long as asylum seekers are here they are in our care. If this incident had happened in a school, a hospital, a care home, even in a prison, these are the questions we would be asking.

The Lord Advocate has the power to call a fatal accident inquiry, if she believes that the circumstances give rise to serious public concern. Every letter or email she receives in the next few days will help her to see the public concern which exists. Please add your voice.