Andrew Dismore

Dear Editor

 

Your story (1/8/13) on the Government’s advert van against  illegal migration reports  that  it has appeared on the streets of Barnet.  I am surprised that Cllr Longstaff, who is supposed to be  the Conservative council cabinet member for community engagement, says that he has “no problem with the van” even though he was unconvinced it would work. Surely even he can see  that after the terrible racist arson fire that destroyed the Somali Bravanese Community  Centre in Barnet only a few weeks ago, the last thing Barnet needs is such an insensitive  whipping up of divisive anti immigrant hostility, which undermines  the huge effort to reassure and restore confidence in community relations, after the fire. This  hostility will be suffered most by perfectly  legal migrants. The racists who will be influenced by this shabby van gimmick do not draw any fine  distinctions. The posters  are clearly not aimed at the  purported target audience anyway: not all  illegal immigrants can read English well enough to understand  a sign on the side of a fast moving van.

 

yours sincerely

Andrew Dismore