A while ago, I was catching up on a lecture about Migration and there was a section about refugees. One of the pictures on the slides used to demonstrate opposition to refugees showed protestors with a sign saying "#RefugeesNotWelcome" and "WE ARE FULL" (after some searching, it turns out this was the EDL in Newcastle, where I go to uni). When I saw this picture, I became really upset. They're essentially saying that people who risked their lives to get here are not safe here. They would prefer to send them back to a place they risk death than to help them.
I've had conversations with someone who has been kidnapped, held for ransom and occasionally beaten in their attempt to get to the UK. Adults and children alike are still dying in Syria because of government bombings - brothers, sisters, mums, dads, grandparents, cousins, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, friends - and there are some people who are prepared to turn their back on them. The way I see it, in life we have a right to enjoy our lives and a responsibility to help others enjoy theirs. When people are dying and we have the ability to help them, we have a moral duty to do so.
People may say that we're full, but I think that they're misinformed. Yes, people already in the UK are suffering and more needs to be done to help them, but it's not because we're "full". It's because the systems and government we have in place today don't do enough to help those less fortunate. The Conservative government since 2010 has led to a doubling in homeless, a crumbling NHS, a mass reduction in benefits and a whole host of other problems. The argument is that there isn't enough money available, but when May needed votes from the DUP to secure her place as PM, suddenly an extra £1.5bn of Northern Irish funding arrives. Let's not forget that despite all of the negative effects of austerity (which the IMF says is more hurting than helping the economy), we've managed to gain an extra £700bn of national debt.
When things are going wrong politically and economically, people will always try to use someone else as a scapegoat. It's easy to blame the different if you don't know it. But when you engage with the different and you begin to understand it, all of a sudden the different becomes a beautiful opportunity for growth.
So go seek out the different and learn to be comfortable with being uncomfortable - you won't regret it.
Happy voluntravelling,
The Voluntraveller