The group will be in the Market Square on Saturday as part of Refugee Week
June 2026
Immigration, refugees and asylum seekers are top of the political agenda and generate huge anger in many communities. Some is understandable with a firm called Serco buying up properties and converting them into HMOs* filling them with among others, immigrants.
The debate around this topic has fuelled more heat than light. As we have noted in our reports, the general impression is of an ever rising trend of immigration, mostly by boat, and all of them being housed in ‘luxury’ hotels. They are taking our jobs and are responsible for a great deal of crime it is claimed. Some politicians and their parties have responded to these ideas, with great success. A key element of the forthcoming Makerfield by-election will be the immigration issue.
QUIZ
So how true is all this stuff? How sure are you of your knowledge around this issue? You can find out on Saturday 20th starting at 9 am and finishing at noon in the Cheesemarket (outside HSBC). There we will be hosting a quiz.
This is important in the sense that massive amounts of misinformation and false beliefs are determining policy. The value that immigrants bring to the economy is largely overlooked. The reaction to the Channel crossings verges on the hysterical. There is not denying there are problems to do with immigration but the scale of them is much exaggerated. So come and find out!
The latest minutes are available thanks to group member Lesley for the work in preparing them. More than just minutes, they contain a lot of interesting material on the death penalty, the increasingly worrying state of rights in the UK, immigration matters and statistics concerning our website and other social media activity.
We shall be in the Cheese market this Saturday 20th June from 9 am with our refugee quiz. This is Refugee Week and the whole topic of refugees, immigration and asylum seekers raises more heat than light with considerable mis and disinformation. So if you are in the Salisbury area, pop along and see how you get on.
Immigration has shot to the top of the political agenda again with a vengence
June 2026
Riots in Belfast with houses lived in by immigrant families burned out, a massive police presence with water canons being used and civil disturbances in Southampton, have filled out screens in the past few days. A fierce debate in parliament and what some might term inflammatory statements by politicians have added to a sense that there is a crisis at the centre of which is immigration.
The violent knife attack by a Sudanese man who had entered Northern Ireland via the Republic, and before that France, has inflamed tensions with mobs directing their ire at all immigrants even those who have lived here for years and are a key part of the NHS for example. Posters in Southampton said things like ‘Enough is Enough’ and ‘Illegal migration is destroying our civilisation’. They claimed solidarity with those in Belfast. There were also counter protests (see image).
As with so many things to do with immigration, there is a great deal of misinformation fuelled by social media in particular although print media is not too far behind. Elon Musk has been widely criticised for his remarks on X and the promotion of comments by Tommy Robinson and Rupert Lowe (Restore Party).
Immigration: some of the facts
To get a global perspective on the trends in migration, a recent article in the Journal of Refugee Studies has found that most “forced migration”(its preferred term) in recent years has taken place in the Global South (76%), most of that being into neighbouring countries (in Africa and Asia primarily). Turkey and Iran have been the biggest recipients. At the same time, the UNHCR say that 10% of global refugees (some 11 million) have lost funding from the Commission in the last year.
In Europe, the Chisinau conference on dealing with the immigration issue ended without a decisive result. Last year 7 Council of Europe countries declared that the ECHR had “gone too far” and “protects the wrong people.” The Secretary-General convened this meeting of European justice ministers, which issued a joint statement (not including France, Germany, Spain or Turkey, who take 60% of refugees to the continent), reaffirming their commitment to the ECHR, but allowing some movement in removing claimants and using offshore hubs. The declaration is not legally binding, so local laws override it. It is worth pointing out that only 0.7% of foreign offenders have won appeals against the UK at the Court (and a recent case at the UK Court of Appeal has shown how hard it is to use the infamous Article 3 argument).
Are the figures up or down?
Latest (2025) figures on irregular immigration to Europe showed Spain as the main host, followed by Italy and France (UK was 5th, but only 9th on a per head basis). It is worth noting, though, that the number of arrivals on the European borders is down this year (by 40%), as it is in Britain.
In Britain, the latest British Future survey of public opinion noted that 49% of respondents believed that immigration is rising, when it is falling rapidly. They also believed that asylum seekers make up 33% of immigrants (the actual figure is 9%). The latest figures on small boats (to late May) indicate that, at 8,565, they are down by 37% on 2025. Pending asylum applications in Q1 were at 93,000, 12,000 down on last year.
Down, but you would not know it from the media or from politicians.
The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has published a very critical report on the workings of the asylum system, which it says lacks direction and is given to short-term fixes. Particular criticism was directed at the failings of the system of monitoring failed asylum seekers and the lack of a clear strategy for the move away from hotel accommodation for new claimants. One aspect of the failing system is that research has shown that, of persons held in immigration detention, only 27% had a lawyer and half were having to do their own legal representation.
The ongoing debate about indefinite leave to remain rumbles on. Plans have been mooted to make the 5-year time requirement retrospective, which would affect 2 million people, including 300,000 children. The Institute of Government has declared against such a scheme. There is also an ongoing issue about classifying children as adults (with the Home Office attempting to use AI to help decide.) The Helen Bamber Foundation claim that 755 children were classified as adults in the last year. They have also a report out, interviewing some children on the stress of the proposed new restrictions.
The Migration Observatory report that the share of asylum seekers in hotel accommodation has halved since 2023 to 21%. The North West has the highest incidence. They also report the 3 in 10asylum seekers with active claims were not receiving any government support at the end of 2025.
The Rwanda deportation plan, now abandoned, cost the UK £270 million, to remove 4 people. The Rwandan government’s claim for compensation was turned down this month by the International Court at The Hague.
Refugee Week
The Salisbury Group will have a presence in the Cheese Market in the City centre on Saturday 20th June from 09:00 till noon. Details in a later post.
A new feature on the site which will appear from time to time, is podcasts. The first is below. Note they are produced by AI but from texts written and researched by us not using any AI. It is an amalgamation of more than one text post. Feedback is welcome. We hope you enjoy listening! If you are not used to these, click on the heading and you will see a sound bar with the text displayed below it.
The steady destruction of Lebanon continues while the world looks on
May 2026
The systematic destruction of large parts of southern Lebanon continues apace and on Wednesday, Israel ordered the evacuation of the city of Tyre a city of 200,000 inhabitants. Beirut has be hit by multiple missile and drone strikes which the IDF claim are targeted. It is interesting to note that news media are putting the word ‘targeted’ in inverted commas: progress of sorts.
It is a tragedy that shows no sign of an end. Death and destruction in Gaza with Netanyahu now saying they want to annex 70% of the territory from the 50% they control now. Nearly 73,000 have died there and many thousands more injured. The tragedy of the West Bank where settlers are attacking Arab and Palestinian homes, attacking people and destroying trees and crops. It is a tragedy in south Lebanon where more killing is taking place, white phosphorous is being used and entire villages erased from the map. The attack on Iran is a tragedy with much destruction and many deaths.
The West’s response has been feeble, the UK’s particularly so. Weapons are still being provided to Israel and RAF flights continue. The appalling treatment of the flotilla and those on board drew only a muted response from our government. Israel continues to act with impunity and seems if anything to be ratcheting up the violence. They have successfully put the US in an extremely difficult position. Trump is desperate to secure a deal with Iran which many believe Israel does not want. The lack of a concerted response by the UK and a willingness to follow in the wake of the US and President Trump is a tragedy all of itself.
Part of the UK’s pusillanimous response is because so many of the government’s MPs and many other MPs from other parties are members of the Friends of Israel groups, the best funded of lobby organisations in parliament. If you read the link to the Canary you will see the comment: ‘Finally, this raises serious questions about whose interests these officials actually work for. In turn, a serious long-felt concern is brought to the forefront: is the UK government occupied by Israel? This is precisely the question we asked of the Salisbury MP, Mr John Glen, who is a ‘proud member’ of the Conservative Friends of Israel. Who are you representing, many people in Salisbury who find the violence to be abhorrent and counter productive, or, the Israeli government? He said he would not dignify the question with an answer.
Another tragedy is that it will not, in the long run, improve Israel’s security. By simply bombing, destroying villages and parts of towns, incarcerating thousands of Palestinians in appalling conditions – it is merely creating resentments and hatreds for the future. This has to be the ultimate tragedy for the country. Of particular concern is that violence has become embedded into the psyche of the country – a kind of first response to problems is the send for the military and bomb somewhere. Perhaps John Steinbeck’s quote is apposite: ‘All war is a symptom of man failure as a thinking animal‘.
Vigil 130
Which is why the vigils in Salisbury continue but with no sight of the local MP. The public responses are now uniformly positive with thumbs up and a few stopping by. The rights of almost all those living in the region have been compromised.
Global outcry following appalling treatment of flotilla activists
May 2026
The world was shocked this week by the appalling scenes and the treatment of activists seized by Israeli forces on the high seas. A BBC video shows some of what went on. Around 430 activists were seized in the operation and were shown with their hands tied behind their backs and made to put their foreheads to the ground while the Israeli Security minister shouted abuse at them. It has caused international consternation particularly as Ben-Gvir is a close confidant of Netanyahu the prime minister who has said the behaviour was ‘not in line with Israel’s values and norms’. Various countries have summoned Israeli ambassadors.
Haaretz reports that 15 detainees were sexually assaulted. A German Foreign Ministry spokesman has demanded a full explanation. An Israeli prison service spokesman called the claims ‘false and entirely without factual basis’. The video testimonies of those who arrived back home seem to point to widespread abuse and violence against them.
Vigil
The 129th vigil in Salisbury took place this week in bright sunshine with around 30 in attendance. A number of passers-by took photos and indicated support either verbally or by gesture.
Salisbury group attends this event with its focus on sustainability
May 2026
This event, organised by Salisbury Transition City each year with 75 exhibitors present this year. The theme is sustainability and with this in mind the Salisbury group focused on the abuse behind the manufacture an everyday item such as a pair of jeans. Billions are made every year and millions are employed in making them. This followed the publication by Amnesty International of a report Stitched Up which details the multiple abuses of this massive industry. From health hazards, physical and sexual abuse of the mainly female workforce, wage theft and the denial of union and collective bargaining rights are all described. The failure of high street retailers to control adequately what is going on is also noted.
The results were muted and only a few of the handouts were taken (see below). It is disappointing to report the Mayor of Salisbury and her party quickly walked past our stall without stopping. Perhaps it was because people view sustainability mainly as an environmental problem. The idea that globalisation and the abuses that flow from it is perhaps not so well appreciated. Massive amounts of water are consumed in their production and of course the fuel needed to move the items from country to country during the course of their manufacture.
Clearly the idea that abuses taking place on the far side of the globe are both a human rights and a sustainable issue is not well recognised. Around a quarter of the cotton used comes from the Xinjiang region of China where the abuse of Uyghurs is taking place and their culture being systematically destroyed. Thousands are engaged in forced labour to produce the cotton. The region is closed to outsiders for obvious reasons.
There is work to do to convince people that sustainability is not just about trees – important though that is – but about the clothes we wear, where they come from and how they’re made. Retailers can continue to sell goods made with the exploitation of millions of mostly female workers, some in near slave like conditions, while claiming their humanitarian credentials on their web sites.
A reduced number at the latest vigil, No 128, held in the wet
May 2026
Well it still goes on. There was a report on the Channel 4 news ostensibly about a ceasefire in Lebanon followed by footage of bomb damage from the latest raids. Surreal. One wonders if there ever will be a ceasefire so belligerent are the various parties and so deep the hatreds. Things could be better if the US curbed its seemingly unconditional supply of weapons and support for Israel.
In his latest book Israel, What Went Wrong (Fern Press, 2026) the Jewish academic Omer Bartov writes:
“By what bitter cunning of history have we come to the point that not even eight decades after the Jewish state was established in 1948 – the same year in the genocide convention was adopted by the United Nations in direct response the Nazi extermination of European Jewry – Israel engages for two years in a genocidal undertaking with almost total impunity from the very international legal regime set up after World War II to prevent and punish this crime?”
Eurovision
The Eurovision song contest was held on Saturday and Israel came second to Bulgaria the winners. Five countries boycotted the contest because of Israel’s presence and there have been protests in Vienna. Coming second to Bulgaria it represents a triumph for the country despite the protests. Ireland did not to participate and RTÉ said in December that it felt Ireland’s participation would be “unconscionable given the appalling loss of lives in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there, which continues to put the lives of so many civilians at risk”. It also said it was deeply concerned by the targeted killing of journalists in Gaza during the conflict and by Israel’s barring of international journalists from the territory. At least 235 journalists have been killed there making it the most dangerous place in the world for them to work.
It is nonetheless troubling that the Israeli entrant could perform so well with reports that the voting was ‘nail-biting’ with a chance that Israel could have won. This despite the terrible events going on in the region. The European Broadcasting Union insists the contest is not political. Last year, there were reports of aggressive marketing by Israel to help secure its second place.
Most media have simply reported the results with discussions about the merits of the performances. So we are indebted to the New York Times who have investigated the Israeli contestant and reveal that the country has invested heavily to the tune of $1 million to promote him. The full story is worth a read and reveals the extent they went to achieve their success. Further details in this Al Jazeera story. Looking at the BBC coverage for example, there is no hint of this activity leaving readers or viewers none the wiser about what happened. The British entrant got the dreaded ‘nul point’ for a second year.
Around 20 attended the vigil on Saturday, down from recent ones but People in the Park kept many away as did the weather. As ever, no sign of the local MP, Mr John Glen who is a proud supporter of Conservative Friends of Israel.
Sources: Politico, Irish Times, International Federation of Journalists, NY Times.
Contains a number of interesting items about human rights today
May 2026
We are pleased to attach our latest minutes and newsletter. We do not publish a newsletter as such but the minutes double as one. They contain pieces about immigration, the death penalty and the slowly deteriorating state of rights in the UK. Towards the end you will find details of forthcoming activities if you were interested in making contact.
Good turnout for the latest vigil. High level of recognition from passers-by
Excellent turnout to today’s vigil with around 35 coming. There was also a fairly steady flow of car horns from passing motorists. A larger number than usual of people stopped to take note – nearly a hundred – which is encouraging. In a few days it is Nakba Day, which commemorates the expulsion and death of at least 700,000 Arabs and Palestinians following the establishing of Jewish state in 1948 at the end of the British mandate. Prior to that event and the violence which took place in 1948/49, Jews and Palestinians lived side by side in the area together with other communities.
It is important to remember the events of 1948 which cast a shadow over what is happening today. In the photo below you’ll notice a key which has symbolic importance. When people were evicted from their homes by Israeli forces or the Hagana, they kept their keys in the hope of returning one day. It never happened as most of the settlements were destroyed. Much of our media focus on the terrible events of October 7th and ignore the considerably more massive events of an earlier era.
Nakba event
There will be an event run by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign in London on 16 May, see the Salisbury CND site for further details and background. Following the terrible events and attacks in Golders Green, there have been calls for a ban on marches such as this.
Being able to protest is an important right we have and governments of all persuasions have been keen to limit or control them. Labour has introduced further legislation and controls and left to their own devices would probably cancel this one. They are aided by some elements of the media labelling them ‘hate’ or ‘terror’ marches.
Once again we must note the absence of the local MP Mr John Glen at this or any of the previous 126 vigils. In a letter to the Salisbury Journal, which provides him with a column each week, he said he was a ‘proud member’ of the Conservative Friends of Israel lobby organisation in Westminster. Labour and LibDem MPs are also members of their respective friends groups making it the largest such lobby organisation.
We shall be at People in the Park next Saturday 16th, so if you are interested in joining us or saying ‘hello’ that would be a good opportunity to do so.
Amnesty in Salisbury & South Wiltshire 