Red doors, coloured wristbands highlight refugee problem in the United Kingdom
What you need to know:
- Red doors and coloured wristbands have become the latest flashpoints in the ever-delicate issue of foreign immigration.
- The Times newspaper visited 168 Jomast houses in Middlesbrough and found 155 had red doors.
- The wristband issue arose in Cardiff, where a private company that provides meals for asylum seekers demanded they wear brightly coloured bands as a condition for receiving food.
Red doors and coloured wristbands have become the latest flashpoints in the ever-delicate issue of foreign immigration.
Not to mention a schoolboy spelling error. The government gave the global security firm, G4S, responsibility for housing asylum seekers in the northern town of Middlesbrough. Its sub-contractor, Jomast, owns and maintains their accommodation.
A row blew up when Jomast painted most of the front doors red. Asylum seekers said eggs and stones had been thrown at their houses because the red doors identified them as foreigners.
The Times newspaper visited 168 Jomast houses in Middlesbrough and found 155 had red doors. A local councillor said as long as four years ago immigrants were worried the red doors marked them out and made them vulnerable to violence. G4S said there was no policy to house asylum seekers behind red doors but promised that Jomast would be repainting them.
The wristband issue arose in Cardiff, where a private company that provides meals for asylum seekers demanded they wear brightly coloured bands as a condition for receiving food. The asylum seekers said the system was dehumanising and they had become targets of abuse from some local people.
Refugee Eric Ngalle said the rule was “labelling” and “stressful,” and Welsh Conservative leader Andrew Davies said, “Frankly I’m shocked and appalled.”
The company involved, Clearspring Ready Homes, said the policy had been introduced after an increase in asylum seekers. It said it would drop the demand in the face of the protests.
YELLOW TRIANGLES
Nobody has mentioned the yellow triangles which Nazi Germany made European Jews wear on their sleeves, but identifying individuals by visible signs causes unease among Britons with a sense of history.
An absurd example of these nervy times came in Lancashire when a 10-year-old Muslim boy wrote in an essay that he lived in a “terrorist house” when he meant a “terraced house” — side-by-side, linked homes. His error resulted in a visit from the police, who questioned the boy and examined the family laptop.
Security legislation requires schools to report any signs of terrorism. The boy’s cousin said she initially thought it was a joke. “If the teacher had any concerns, it should have been about his spelling. He’s now scared of writing, using his imagination.”
Police said: “This was dealt with by a joint visit from a police constable and social services. There were not thought to be any areas for concern and no further action was required.” Miqdaad Versi of the Muslim Council of Britain said he was aware of dozens of similar cases. “There are concerns that individuals going about their daily life are being seen through the lens of security, as potential terrorists rather than students.”
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Napoleon called us Brits “a nation of shopkeepers.” Maybe he should have said shoplifters.
Official figures show that in 2014-2015 there was one case of theft from stores for every 176 people, an average national rise of two per cent, though in some cities the increase was as high as 20 per cent.
Many of the crimes are opportunistic — not from the shop itself but from customers who leave their purses, bags and mobile phones out of sight.
Shoplifting is a huge issue, especially for small businesses, and traders are asking for stronger action by police. The maximum penalty is seven years’ imprisonment but more often a Criminal Behaviour Order is made, banning a convicted thief from returning to a specific mall, store or business district.
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It is the biggest-ever national lottery prize — £66 million shared by two winners. A couple from Hawick in Scotland promptly claimed their £33 million, but the other half has not yet been awarded because the Lotto operator, Camelot, is still waiting to see the winning ticket.
After announcing that the ticket was sold in Worcester, officials were inundated by people claiming their winning ticket was lost or stolen. One woman said she bought it from newsagent Natu Patel’s wife.
But Mr Patel’s wife was in India at the time. One claim, however, has been highlighted. A woman in Worcester said she bought the winning ticket but left it in the pocket of a pair of jeans which she then washed. She produced a ticket which bore the winning numbers but the date and the barcode were illegible.
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Mr Goldberg was having a hard time financially, so he raised his eyes in prayer. “God,” he said, “I really need some money.
If you arrange for me to win the lottery, I will pray every day.” Mr Goldberg prayed every day and lotteries came and went, but without success.
Finally, he pleaded, “God, why have I not won?” Whereupon a voice came from on high: “Saul, my son, help me out. Buy a lottery ticket!”
