The Home Office use of mobile hoarding signs emblazoned with the message to illegal immigrants, ‘Go Home, or face arrest’ has been condemned by Trade Unions and community leaders alike.
The impact it may have in the workplace has not been commented upon, but it is clear that any tensions within the wider community involving those from ethnic backgrounds, has the potential to impact upon the way people go about their work, creating the possibility of disputes between workers and a resultant increase in accidents and injuries.
Further any localised incidents sparked off by these vans, could have consequences of physical injury to telecoms engineers and Post men and women as they go about their daily work. This has happened before and may be a serious concern to those working in the ethnic communities within which these vans are being driven.
But now the Advertising Standards Agency has undertaken a review of this campaign by the Tory-led coalition government, to examine whether or not the campaign is racist, inflammatory, or indeed is an incitement to racial hatred.
Their probe comes after the Equality and Human Rights Commission launched a separate inquiry into claims that Home Office migration stop-checks and raids broke discrimination laws.
The vans were driven around Barnet, Hounslow, Barking and Dagenham, Ealing, Brent and Redbridge as part of the campaign, which started on 22 July and lasted a week.
In a statement, issued on 9th August the ASA spokesperson said:
“I can confirm that the Advertising Standards Authority has launched a formal investigation into the Home Office ‘Go Home’ ad campaign following 60 complaints.
Complainants have expressed concerns that the ad, in particular the phrase “Go Home”, is offensive and irresponsible because it is reminiscent of slogans used by racist groups to attack immigrants in the past and could incite or exacerbate racial hatred and tensions in multicultural communities.
Separately, some complainants have challenged whether the claim “106 ARRESTS LAST WEEK IN YOUR AREA” is misleading. They’ve also challenged whether it is misleading because it implies arrest is the automatic consequence of remaining in the UK without permission.
We will publish our findings in due course.”
The parallel with Nazi acts was drawn by UKIP MP David Coburn branding it as like, “ Nazis driving around a Warsaw ghetto!” and “Not at all British!”
But the issue has raised the ugly spectre of entrenched racism within the UK, as the BBC news website reported that, “The ASA said it had been "flooded" with calls in support of the scheme following its decision to investigate.
With the government being accused of ‘gimmicks’ and ‘pandering’ to the prejudices which they are only too happy to exploit, many commentators believe that race is being used in order to bolster the Tory party’s poll ratings as we move nearer to the next general election.
Unionsafety asked Linda Roy, CWU’s Equal Opportunities national officer for her view of this issue. She said:
“The ‘Go Home, or face arrest’ message which the Tory government shamefully employed, advertising the targeting of illegal immigrants showed a new depth to the intolerance of the Conservatives on this issue and I am pleased that the Advertising Standards Agency is now investigating what I regard is an abuse of advertising.
Chris Bryant’s recent comment comparing these actions to an offensive stunt as opposed to working to bringing in effective policy on immigration is absolutely right. I would go further and say this is akin to far-right slogans from the past which deliberately targeted immigrants not thinking of the repercussions of such irresponsible behaviour”.
Indeed despite the Labour Party leadership being relatively quiet on the issue, Chris Bryant MP spoke out following the ASA’s announcement, pointing out that many illegal immigrants are stuck here illegally are “very, very, vulnerable”, and said:
"I'm delighted that the ASA are looking at this campaign...gimmicks will not solve a thing for anybody and that's what this is. The ASA should be looking at whether this campaign, not only if it was tasteful and appropriate but frankly whether it was honest."
The criminal element of gangs of ‘people traffickers’ who promise migrants jobs and security in the UK, then force their victims into working to sell counterfeit goods, drugs, pirated DVDs; and prostitution; is almost totally forgotten by those condemning all immigrants as scroungers who give nothing to this country in return for council houses, free healthcare, and benefits.
The fact is by the very nature of being ‘illegal’ benefits cannot be claimed, and that is why so many are left in the hands of the criminal gangs who brought them here in the first place, as well as those entering illegally through other means.
Chris Bryant went further in a speech to the IPPR at the Local Government Association today 12th August, by reminding us of the role played by immigrants to this country:
“Kipling might be the quintessence of Edwardian Britishness, but he was born in India, George Bernard Shaw was Irish, Elias Canetti was born in Bulgaria, Doris Lessing was born in Iran and brought up in Rhodesia, V S Naipaul was born in Trinidad, T S Eliot came to study here as an American and stayed and even Winston Churchill had an American mother.
The French Huguenots who built the London silk market from scratch in the eighteenth century, the likes of Mary Seacole who nursed our troops in the Crimean War, the Afro-Caribbeans who came in the First World War to work in the munitions factories of the North West, or as part of the Windrush Generation to fill gaps in the post-war Labour market, the Poles or the Indians who fought with us in the forties, the Italians who came to work in our mines in the nineteenth century, the Indians who work today in our burgeoning IT and gaming industries, the eastern Europeans who have picked our crops or kept our hotels running, have all played a part in building modern Britain.”
Commenting on the Home Office campaign, Liberty's Rachel Robinson told ITV News:
"We know for a lot of people out there that's brought back terrible memories of the last 'Go Home' campaign we had in this country, which was of course orchestrated by the National Front in the 1970s.
Another day, another sign that this cheap Home Office stunt has seriously backfired.
Driving National Front-style slogans around ethnically-diverse areas was bound to cause deep offence. I think the Home Office have to really think carefully before they use this kind of language.
The Home Office have a duty to promote good relations and eliminate discrimination - it’s time for them to think again.”
Source: CWU / ITV / BBC / Labour Party / Liberty / Daily Mirror / Unionsafety
