Exclusive: One NGO placed on an online hitlist had to temporarily close its office owing to harassing phone calls
Refugee support organisations have been forced to install safe rooms in their premises, relocate to less visible sites and in some cases close their offices in response to the threat of far-right violence.
Half of NGOs and charities supporting people seeking refuge have faced threats, a hostile environment of protest and safety concerns since the riots of 2024 , according to research documents seen by the Guardian.
Some heads of the organisations have also received credible death threats, a claim supported by police sources. The organisations that were polled support tens of thousands of asylum seekers, refugees and other migrants.
The threats have emerged as Keir Starmer faces a growing clamour from councils to block hotels being used to house asylum seekers through legal action, after a court ruled that more than 100 applicants staying in Essex should be moved.
Data released on Thursday showed the number of asylum seekers being housed in hotels had risen by 8% to 32,059 in a year. Despite many people coming from countries known for serious human rights abuses and conflict, rates of asylum being granted to people coming from such countries as Afghanistan, Iran and Eritrea, for example, remain low compared with recent years.
The safety concerns set out in the report are so grave that an internal Home Office meeting is due to take place imminently to discuss growing concerns about similar problems.
The organisations have been forced to take radical steps to protect themselves and their clients in recent months, including temporarily closing their physical offices and moving to an online-only service and removing content from their websites including location information.
Coordination with police and other authorities has increased and in some cases officers have installed new CCTV close to refugee organisations so that any attacks or incidents of harassment can be captured on camera.
During the course of the research, multiple organisations reported online threats, trolling, hostile emails and intimidating Facebook posts. Some anti-migrant protesters made video recordings of refugee organisation premises and shared them in far-right online groups, with one NGO named on a far-right hitlist having to close temporarily, while some received harassing phone calls and threatening messages.
One NGO that took part in the survey said: We have had to create a safe room where all of us could be contained in the event of an attack while the police arrived.
The hostile environment has to be dismantled, said another. A third added: There is concern that the government is parroting far-right lines instead of adopting their own anti-racist stance. This is extremely disappointing.
The briefing has emerged at a time when the refugee sector is under unprecedented strain. Those working in the field say they have never known things to be so bad and many are now refusing to be quoted publicly for fear of attracting more attacks.
The Charity Commission has taken the step of removing the names of trustees from several charities websites after the names of trustees for some organisations the Home Office has meetings with about asylum accommodation were released to a far-right influencer by the Home Office after a freedom of information request.
While a spokesperson said it was not possible to comment on individual cases, removing trustee names is highly unusual. According to Charity Commission guidance, it happens only if the commission grants a dispensation: We can grant a dispensation if displaying an individuals name could put the relevant person or people in personal physical or mental danger. Dispensations will not be granted automatically.
One example of the recent hostility targeted at organisations is provided by City of Sanctuary UK, which was falsely accused of grooming schoolchildren for the benefit of adult male asylum seekers. Schools supportive of the organisation carried out an annual arts activity where children make cards to send to refugees around Valentines Day with the message: showing your heart for refugees.
The event was part of a broader refugees welcome campaign that is symbolised by orange hearts. The children did not sign their names on their cards and the anonymous messages were then passed on to refugees the children will never meet as a generic message of welcome.
The former Conservative education secretary Gavin Williamson has made a complaint to the Charity Commission about the activity, claiming that it is politicised. Far-right activists have accused City of Sanctuary of grooming children for the benefit of adult male asylum seekers.
A spokesperson for City of Sanctuary UK said: Our work has been deliberately misrepresented by a dangerous campaign built on false and inflammatory claims. These attacks not only put our staff and the school communities we support at risk, but are part of a wider strategy: to sow division and fuel hostility towards people seeking sanctuary. This is not just an attack on us C it is an attack on the values of compassion, safety and solidarity.
A Charity Commission spokesperson said: Concerns have been raised with us about alleged political activity linked to City of Sanctuary. We are currently assessing the information available to determine if there is a regulatory role for us.
On Thursday, a series of St Georges crosses were painted on pedestrian crossings near a Canary Wharf hotel, where asylum seekers are planned to be housed.
The latest Home Office figures, published on Thursday as part of the usual quarterly immigration statistics, cover Labours first year in office.
There were 32,059 asylum seekers in UK hotels by the end of June, up from 29,585 at the same point a year earlier, when the Conservatives were still in power, but down slightly on the 32,345 figure at the end of March.
For the first time in four years, the asylum applications backlog has fallen below 100,000 people. It is now just above 70,000 cases, relating to almost 91,000 people C down by 18% from a year earlier and its lowest since September 2021.
Epping Forest district council in Essex, which was granted an interim injunction blocking the use of the Bell hotel as asylum accommodation , went from housing 28 asylum seekers in hotels in its area in March this year, to 199 by the end of June.
A Home Office spokesperson said: We strongly condemn any form of harassment or intimidation. Anyone who engages in such behaviour can expect to face the full force of the law.
独家：一家被列入网络黑名单的非政府组织因骚扰电话被迫暂时关闭办公室
为应对极右翼暴力威胁，难民援助组织被迫在办公场所设置安全屋、迁至更隐蔽的地点，部分机构甚至关闭了办公室。
据《卫报》获取的研究文件显示，自2024年骚乱以来，半数支持寻求避难者的非政府组织和慈善机构曾遭遇威胁、抗议活动构成的“敌对环境”以及安全隐患。
部分组织负责人还收到了“可信的死亡威胁”，这一说法得到了警方消息人士的证实。接受调查的这些组织为数以万计的寻求庇护者、难民和其他移民提供支持。
随着法院裁定应转移埃塞克斯郡逾100名寻求庇护者后，地方议会正通过法律手段强烈要求基尔·斯塔默阻止将酒店用作安置场所，相关威胁由此显现。
周四公布的数据显示，一年内被安置在酒店的寻求庇护者人数增加了8%，达到32,059人。尽管许多寻求庇护者来自以严重侵犯人权和冲突闻名的国家，但来自阿富汗、伊朗和厄立特里亚等国的申请者获得庇护的比例与近年相比仍然较低。
报告中指出的安全隐患极为严重，英国内政部即将召开内部会议，讨论对类似问题日益加剧的担忧。
近几个月来，这些组织被迫采取激进措施以保护自身及客户安全，包括暂时关闭实体办公室、转为纯在线服务，并从网站上删除包含位置信息等内容。
警方与其他部门的协作已得到加强，部分情况下警员还在难民组织附近安装了新的闭路监控系统，以确保任何袭击或骚扰事件都能被摄像头记录。
研究期间，多家机构报告遭遇网络威胁、恶意挑衅、敌对邮件及恐吓性脸书帖文。部分反移民抗议者对难民组织办公场所进行录像，并将视频分享至极右翼网络群组。一家被列入极右翼黑名单的非政府组织被迫暂时关闭，另有机构接到骚扰电话和威胁信息。
参与调查的一家非政府组织表示：“我们不得不设立一个安全屋，以便在遭遇袭击而警察尚未赶到时，所有人能有个藏身之处。”
另有人表示："必须消除这种充满敌意的环境。"第三人补充道："令人担忧的是，政府正在鹦鹉学舌般地重复极右翼言论，而非采取自己的反种族主义立场。这极其令人失望。"
这份简报发布之际，难民救助领域正承受着前所未有的压力。业内人士表示，情况之严峻前所未见，许多人因担心招致更多攻击而拒绝公开表态。
英国内政部根据信息自由法的要求，向一名极右翼网络红人披露了部分与内政部就庇护住所问题进行会晤的慈善机构受托人名单后，慈善委员会已采取行动，从多家慈善机构网站上删除了受托人姓名。
尽管发言人表示无法对个案置评，但删除受托人姓名的做法极为罕见。根据慈善委员会指南，这种情况仅在委员会特批豁免时才会发生：“若公开某人姓名可能导致其人身安全或心理健康受到威胁，我们可予以豁免。但豁免不会自动授予。”
近期针对组织的敌意行为中，英国庇护之城（City of Sanctuary UK）便是一例。该组织被诬蔑为利用小学生为成年男性寻求庇护者谋利。支持该组织的学校开展了一项年度艺术活动，让孩子们在情人节前后制作卡片寄给难民，并附上信息：“为难民献出你的爱心”。
该活动是更广泛的难民欢迎行动的一部分，橙色爱心是其象征标志。孩子们并未在卡片上署名，这些匿名寄语随后被传递给素未谋面的难民们，成为一份传递善意的通用欢迎辞。
英国前保守党教育大臣加文·威廉姆森已向慈善委员会投诉该活动，称其被政治化。极右翼活动人士指责"庇护之城"组织为成年男性寻求庇护者利益而诱导儿童。
英国庇护之城（City of Sanctuary UK）的发言人表示："我们的工作被一场基于虚假和煽动性言论的危险运动蓄意歪曲。这些攻击不仅将我们的员工和所支持的学校社区置于危险之中，更是一个更广泛战略的一部分：制造分裂并加剧对寻求庇护者的敌意。这不仅是对我们的攻击——更是对同情、安全与团结价值观的攻击。"
慈善委员会发言人表示：“我们已收到关于‘庇护之城’涉嫌参与政治活动的相关投诉。目前正在评估现有信息，以确定是否需要我们履行监管职责。”
周四，伦敦金丝雀码头一家酒店附近的人行横道上被涂绘了一系列圣乔治十字图案。该酒店计划用于安置寻求庇护者。
英国内政部于周四发布的季度移民统计数据显示，这些最新数据涵盖了工党执政第一年的情况。
截至6月底，英国酒店中共有32,059名寻求庇护者，较去年同期保守党执政时的29,585人有所增加，但较3月底的32,345人略有下降。
四年来首次，积压的庇护申请数量降至10万人以下。目前案件数略超7万例，涉及近9.1万人——较去年同期下降18%，创下自2021年9月以来的最低纪录。
埃塞克斯郡埃平森林区议会此前获得临时禁令，禁止将贝尔酒店用作寻求庇护者住所。该地区酒店收容的寻求庇护者人数从今年3月的28人激增，截至6月底已达199人。
英国内政部发言人表示：“我们强烈谴责任何形式的骚扰或恐吓行为。任何实施此类行为的人都将面临法律的严惩。”
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