"Windrush"

Look at how the people from the Caribbean from the Windrush generation have been treated. They are all British citizens but:

Some of them have been illegally deported and falsely imprisoned without judicial intervention.

Some of them have been illegally denied NHS treatment.

Some have been sacked from their jobs because their employers do not believe they are British.

Some have been denied  the receipt of benefits to which they are legally entitled.

Some have been denied the right to rent homes because landlords do not believe they are British.

They have been treated as if they are guilty of entering the country illegally when they were invited.

They have been prevented from submitting oral evidence of their right to remain. Friends , family and professionals have also been prevented from submitting evidence to support their claims.

They have had no right of appeal when landlords and the NHS etc. have denied them services.

Policy decisions made by politicians have led to British citizens being confused and associated with illegal immigrants.

The Home office has encouraged an informer society where Banks, Doctors, The NHS and Landlords report people they believe to be illegal immigrants to the police.

The way they have been treated has all the hallmarks of a repressive and authoritarian state. What civilised state deports and falsely imprisons its own citizens?

Why has this happened?

It is apparent that successive British governments have pandered to xenophobic populist opinion in the UK. There is a small but very vocal minority of people who simply either hate or dislike non-mainstream Britons and foreigners and want to see them deported. These xenophobes also want to stop the immigration of workers from anywhere and prevent foreign husbands and wives from joining their partners if the UK.

By pandering to xenophobia, successive governments have developed a "hostile environment" to discourage legal migrants to become British.

The "hostile environment" is also used to ensure that illegal immigrants are flushed out. The problem is  the "hostile environment" does not distinguish between British citizens, legal migrants and those not allowed to be in the country. The so called "hostile environment" is really a euphemism for institutionalised racism.

Well meaning public officials cannot be blamed for this; they have been tasked to do this by politicians. They are just implementing policy using unthinking  and unsympathetic bureaucracy.

Most of the above will sound horribly familiar to Jews; as this sort of injustice and much worse has been meted out to them throughout European history. Britain was one country, in modern times, where Jews could have felt relatively safe but now they cannot feel so confident.

This type of institutionalised racism could be meted out to anyone who is not white and mainstream British, hence the increasing discomfort in the Jewish,  Muslim and Black British communities and the disquiet of European residents.

The toxicity of xenophobia is damaging our country. People are being attacked for their religious beliefs their synagogues and mosques are also being attacked.  Our secular society of tolerance is being attacked.

In many countries the behaviour meted out to the Windrush people would have been declared unconstitutional and the minister responsible would either be removed from office or even put on trial.

It is time to stop our country pandering to xenophobia. There is a danger that we could collapse into a nationalistic and authoritarian state which will have unforeseen consequences.

The Windrush scandal only brings shame to our country. Britain wants to be be a global nation that attracts the brightest, best and hard working. The trouble is the "hostile environment" is encouraging them to up sticks and leave. We cannot afford to lose their talents. Worse still, we cannot deprive our own talented and hard working citizens of their rights.

Many of the xenophobes should be aware that global business leaders come from all sorts of creeds and ethnic backgrounds and may be disinclined to invest in a repressive, authoritarian and backward looking country. Stop the fear of foreigners now.