London, – As anti-immigrant tensions escalate across Britain, asylum seekers and refugees in Wiltshire, western England, say they are increasingly afraid to leave their homes.
Mohamed, who arrived in the UK in 2021 after fleeing war-torn Sudan, holds official refugee status and works as a manager. But he told reporters that he and other asylum seekers in Swindon rarely leave their houses after work:
“We are afraid of being targeted or attacked,” he said.
Dashi, who came to the UK from Somalia as a 13-year-old child bride, urged greater public awareness to help “bring communities closer together.”
For Mohamed, recent protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers across the UK have been a source of trauma:
“When I see demonstrations against people simply because of where they were born or their political views, I don’t feel safe. It reminds me of what happened in my country.”
Mohamed recalled fleeing Darfur during a massacre that killed 21 people, spending 18 years in a refugee camp before embarking on a dangerous journey through Libya, Italy, and France, eventually crossing from Calais to Dover.
Although he initially felt safe in Britain, he now describes life as “living in fear” and avoids going out at night.
Dashi’s story highlights another layer of struggle. Her father was killed in Somalia, and she was subjected to female genital mutilation (FGM) before being forced into marriage. In the UK, she endured abuse from her husband before escaping:
“At first I couldn’t speak the language, I didn’t understand the law, and I was completely isolated. But the UK gave me the chance to rebuild my life. Now I have a daughter, and I don’t want her to suffer.”
She stressed that education and awareness are the key to overcoming fear and prejudice:
“Let’s bring communities together — British people and refugees — so we can learn to work with one another.”
Swindon Borough Council Leader, Jim Robbins, welcomed open debate on migration but urged residents not to stage protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers.
“This does not mean we want to shut down discussions on migration, but most asylum seekers here are families. We don’t want to see children who have already fled fear and danger abroad now feeling unsafe inside Swindon,” Robbins said.
He encouraged demonstrators to direct their protests at decision-makers rather than vulnerable communities:
“This is not just a local council issue. If people want change, they should protest outside government offices, not hotels where children live.”
Anti-immigrant demonstrations have spread nationwide, beginning earlier this year outside The Bell Hotel in Epping, Essex, before expanding to other regions. The protests have heightened tensions in communities with asylum-seeker accommodation, especially in smaller towns like Swindon.
The fears expressed by Somali, Sudanese, and other refugees underscore the fragility of integration efforts in Britain. While many asylum seekers describe the UK as a place of safety, the rise of anti-immigrant sentiment has left some feeling they are reliving the traumas that forced them to flee their homelands in the first place.
As debates over immigration intensify in the UK, the voices of refugees like Mohamed and Dashi highlight the human cost of rising hostility. For them, the challenge is not just rebuilding their lives, but doing so under the constant shadow of fear in the very country they hoped would provide safety.
