The Nationality and Borders Bill passed through the House of Commons on 8th
December 2021, with barely a flicker of recognition from the national newsagenda. But this dehumanising legislation deserves our attention and ourindignant rage. ---- The legislation makes it much easier to deny asylum topeople who have been convicted of a crime and includes measures which denyprotection to victims of modern slavery if they have been sentenced to 12 monthsor more in prison. The logic being that if someone has committed a crime, thenthey deserve to lose unconnected human rights. We don't agree with thatassumption to start with but let us burrow down into the reality.The hostile environment that Priti Patel is building will criminalise many dailyactivities like working and driving, if you are someone without immigrationstatus. Staying on the right side of the law is already a daily tightrope forpeople with no secure immigration status. To add to this precarious existence,the Nationality and Borders Bill creates new criminal penalties for peoplearriving in the UK without documents. This cynical manoeuvre puts people seekingasylum and victims of trafficking at risk of prosecution, ensuring they aretrapped by a Catch-22 designed to criminalise them. Once criminalised, the newBill will deny them the protection that capitalist society owes them, havingplayed such an active role in destabilising their countries of origin in thefirst place.The language the government uses, flexing its muscles against "foreigncriminals", is shown up for what it is: a dishonest manoeuvre intended to oncemore widen the net of the state already employed so cruelly against people indesperate situations.Furthermore, people who are victims of modern slavery will often be in danger ofconvictions arising directly from the conditions of their exploitation.Manipulated and abused by their slavers and by the law, they have nowhere toturn. Who do they trust when a hand is offered to help them? How can they reporttheir situation when the legal path that opens up for them has such direconsequences?This dehumanisation of people who should be able to expect protection, dignityand hospitality ought to be nauseating to all decent people. We should behorrified, and take this as a warning against the authoritarian path we are beingled down, but in this as with so much else, our journalists are failing us. Wecannot rely on others to warn us, we must warn each other.Talk to people, explainto them the facts, don't allow the government spin to win.https://www.anarchistcommunism.org/2021/12/09/the-nationality-and-borders-bill-horrifying-and-dehumanising/_________________________________________A - I N F O S N E W S S E R V I C EBy, For, and About AnarchistsSend news reports to A-infos-en mailing listA-infos-en@ainfos.ca
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