On the first day of this New Year, we are thinking about the change we would like to see for 2022.
We are reflecting on the voices of a new generation who I hope will help to influence this change and bring a fresh perspective. People like George the Poet, who’s spoken word features throughout Hostile and his words ring so true to the hostile attitude we have seen towards migrants these past years:
“Go Home harks back to a miserable memory of hatred towards an invisible enemy, and it’s wrong of Government to use this phrase, it’s wrong of Government to abuse its place, because language is a gateway to an attitude – that’s menacing, that’s hostile, that is rude. In using those words you invite the behaviour that comes with them”
We hope that in the New Year we can work together towards creating a more compassionate society. It’s easy to feel defeated by the immigration policies we have seen enacted in 2021 – the Points Based Immigration System, and the Nationality and Borders Bill. But as George the Poet says, ‘language is a gateway to an attitude’. We’ve seen through organisations and activists coming together in the past two years that we can influence attitudes. We can use our language, our voices and creativity to unite and to change the narrative.
If you’d like to learn more about the Hostile Environment and how you can help, please visit www.hostiledocumentary.com/impact
Here’s to change in 2022.
View the trailer for Hostile to hear ‘Go Home’, which eloquently summarises the impact of the Hostile Environment: